I sent a book last week using PBS postage and delivery confirmation.  It was sent first class since it was a very light book.   So, I already received the credit Here is the log from the USPS details:

• 8/22/2008 8:00 PM - Electronic Shipping Info Received - ROCK ISLAND,IL
• 8/25/2008 4:53 AM - Enroute - BALTIMORE,MD
• 8/25/2008 8:58 AM - Arrival at Pickup Point - CATONSVILLE,MD
• 8/25/2008 5:25 PM - Undeliverable as Addressed - CATONSVILLE,MD

I used the preprinted label on the package, so I don't think I had made the addressing error.  Now what?  I am assuming the book is on it's way back to me. 

What are the next steps? 

Amy

From the Help Center: A book I sent was returned to me! (There's more on this page, I did not paste the whole thing, so you may want to read it for yourself).

If the book has already been declared lost in the mail at PBS, you should NOT re-mail it.   You should repost it to your bookshelf and if the previous requestor has not already gotten a copy from someone else, he or she will be offered your copy automatically.

If the book has NOT been declared Lost in the Mail yet, you should contact the requestor to let him/her know that the book was returned, and to confirm the address. 

• You cannot re-send the book if it is damaged.  If it is damaged, contact us to cancel the transaction.

  • If the book has already been declared Lost in the Mail, you do not need to contact us.

• You are not obligated to re-send the book to the requestor if this happened due to a problem with the requestor's address.   If the book was not damaged when it came back to you, and you do not want to re-send the book to the previous requestor, you can simply repost it. 

If you do not get a reply message from the requestor within 5 days of your PM, contact us.

Contact the requester. They may be able to shed some light on why it was undeliverable. It's also possible that the recipient's address got torn off or obscured and they are sending it back to you because the return address is the only thing that is still readable.

There's also a chance that it may still get delivered to the recipient. Sometimes there is a newbie mailman (or a part timer) who is unfamiliar with new addresses or "quirky" addresses, and returns an item because they don't know where it goes. Then it goes out with the regular, full-time mailman and he delivers it w/out a problem.

Thanks!  I'll be patient and see what happens.  In the meantime, I PM'd the recipient and just mentioned what I saw on the DC and asked if the address was correct. 

If the sender says the address is correct and the book comes back undamaged you should be able to take it to the post office and have it resent for free or your postage refunded.  Like Bren said: sometimes it's just a postal error like a new mailman or it got left at the wrong house and sent back instead of given to the right house.

He just said he moved and the address hasn't been updated on the site.  The post office will hopefully forward since it was sent first class.