Usps Withholding Package Due To 'restricted Material', Please Read, Any Help Appreciated

Location: Cleveland, OH, USA

Hello, I run a small business and ship and receive many animal skulls (all 100% legal species) and have come into an issue. I ordered a decorative ram skull from CA on March 30, which bounced around for weeks until I was finally left with the message on the tracking website that I need to contact USPS for 'mailability determination'. After an hour or so of being on hold, talking to numerous different USPS representatives I ultimately gave them permission to open up my package to determine if there was contraband inside, which of course I knew there was not. I have not received any other information up until today which I received the following letter. You will notice that the letter states that they've made attempts to contact me which is simply untrue, as a matter of fact I was the one who made first contact with them, have tried to contact them numerous times the past week and been told fuck all. I don't want to just let it go because this was a piece I paid hundreds of dollars for and I do not want it to be destroyed or deemed 'abandoned'. Here is the letter:

UNITED STATES POSTAL INSPECTION SERVICE

Criminal Investigations Service Center

April 17, 2026

ADDRESS REMOVED

Subject: Mail Withheld from Delivery

Dear Postal Customer:

The purpose of this letter is to advise you that pursuant to 39 U.S.C § 3001, and U.S. Postal Service Regulations, an item placed into the U.S. Postal Service mail stream is currently being withheld from delivery as there are reasonable grounds to believe its contents are nonmailable as proscribed in U.S. Postal Service Publication 52, Hazardous, Restricted, and Perishable Mail. Our attempts to contact you and the sender to obtain additional information have been unsuccessful.

The specifics concerning this mailing are listed below:

Reference #:

From:

ADDRESS REMOVED

To:

ADDRESS REMOVED

If you do not understand the reason this letter is being sent to you; or if you wish to discuss this matter, provide evidence that the mail does not contain nonmailable items, or to make arrangements for the sender to retrieve the mail piece, please call 1-800-372-8347 and press 4 (8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. CT, Monday through Friday). Please provide the reference number listed above.

You may also choose to appeal the determination that the contents of the mail piece are nonmailable by filing a written appeal with the Recorder, Judicial Officer Department, U.S. Postal Service, 2101 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 600, Arlington, VA 22201-3078, or at the following Internet address: https://uspsjoe.justware.com/JusticeWeb

The appeal shall:

(a) Identify the appellant;

(b) Describe or be accompanied by a copy of the determination or ruling being appealed (this Letter);

(c) Describe the character or content of the matter the appellant wishes to have carried and delivered by the U.S. Postal Service;

(d) Request review of the determination or ruling, specifying each and every reason why the appellant believes the determination or ruling should be reversed;

(e) Indicate whether the appellant desires to have an oral hearing or, instead, to have the case decided solely on the basis of the written record (i.e., the appeal, the General Counsel’s or Chief Postal Inspector’s or his or her designee’s reply and any documents submitted by the parties pursuant to an order of the presiding officer); and

(f) Bear the signature, typed or printed name, title, business address, and telephone number of any attorney at law representing the appellant in bringing the appeal, and of each individual appellant or, if the appellant is a partnership, corporation, limited liability company, or unincorporated association, of the managing partner, chief executive officer, chief operating officer, or other officer authorized to bind the organization.

The Rules of Practice in Proceedings Relative to Mailability can be found at Title 39, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 953.

Please also provide a copy of the above appeal and materials to:

U.S. Postal Inspection Service

Office of Counsel

ANP Appeals

475 L’Enfant Plaza, SW Suite 3100

Washington, DC 20260-3100

If within thirty (30) calendar days of the date of this notice no action is taken by the sender or recipient (or their agent) to address the determination of nonmailability of the mail piece, it will be deemed abandoned or unclaimed pursuant to Postal Operations Manual, Section 691.584.

Sincerely,

Manager

Criminal Investigations Service Center