Lost mail and replacements

Setting a policy before you need one

Write your replacement policy before your first lost-mail email arrives, not while replying to an upset member under pressure. A workable standard: replace or credit any envelope not arrived within 21 days domestic, 45 days international, no questions asked for the first claim, since the cost of one free replacement sheet is far lower than the cost of a public complaint or a chargeback.

Cap it plainly for repeat claims: a member claiming lost mail more than twice in a year is asked to confirm their address and, if it happens a third time, is offered a credit rather than a further free reprint, since at that point the pattern usually points to an address issue rather than genuine loss.

The wording that protects both sides

State the policy publicly on your FAQ or checkout page in plain language: 'If your envelope hasn't arrived within 21 days (45 for international), let us know and we'll replace it — free, once per member per year, no need to explain.' Publishing this upfront reduces the anxious 'is this normal' emails and makes the one genuine claim easy to resolve without back-and-forth.

When responding to an actual claim, lead with the fix, not an interrogation: 'Sorry that's happened — I'll get a replacement in the post this week' reads far better than a list of questions about tracking numbers before you'll act. Ask for confirmation of the shipping address in the same message, but after you've already agreed to help, not before.

• 21 days domestic / 45 days international before a claim is valid
• First claim per member per year: free replacement, no questions
• Second claim: replace, but confirm address on file
• Third claim in a year: offer credit instead of a further reprint

Protecting your margin without feeling stingy

Budget for lost mail as a fixed cost of doing business rather than treating every claim as a loss: at typical postal loss rates, expect to reprint and reship roughly 0.5% to 1.5% of envelopes a year, and price that into your per-envelope margin from the pricing module rather than discovering it as a surprise expense in month four.