USPS opening my mail?

Is anyone else experiencing this? Every piece of mail I get, every box or letter that is an order or personal has been opened and re-taped. I know it sounds paranoid but this crap has been going on for almost twenty years. I just received two cards from my sister with raised decorations on them. One had been torn open and re-taped the other had been sliced open and re-taped. There's no way in hell she did this. I talked to her. Every time I order something online I receive it either with finger size holes poked in it with edges pulled outward or it has obviously been opened and taped again.
Am I red flagged for some reason? How can I find out? I have no idea why except once, long, long ago when I was 18,(over twenty years) a friend tried to send me an unsolicited joint in a card via USPS from Texas to Virginia. It never arrived. I never thought about it again until this began happening again and again and again.
Frustrated and pissed off at the moment. This is just ridiculous and I'm tired of it. I think I'll contact the USPS and see what I can find out. I'm not expecting much.

Ya know.... They do that crap when they suspect you are ordering cheaper prescription meds from overseas... Doesn't sound like you are doing this though.

I order a lot of 'herbs', that are legal. Sometimes they will rip off the corner of the padded envelope. I suspect it's so a drug dog can sniff into it or something.

Strange, the US customs... Very strange.

Woah that is stricly illegal here in Denmark.

If they just rip a letter open by mistake i can get compensated.

I would advise you to complain directly to your postmaster. Bring along some of the mail that you have rec'd that is damaged/opened. There are ( unfortunately ) dishonest individuals in every career. Could very well be a mail sorter/delivery person looking for cash / freebies. ( and yes, their career can span 20 years).

Another 2 cents from me.. If this has been happening for as long as you stated, a forum isnt the place to take control of your privacy again. Opening mail is a federal offense. Time to take it to the ppl involved. Good luck.

Yeah, I agree about complaining.

Whoever ripped it open may have been looking for some birthday money when they saw the card from your sister.

There are any number of reasons your letters and packages might appear to show evidence of tampering and it is all mechanical. Mail is sorter by computers and mechanical devices and is delivered to your letter carrier in route delivery order, parcels are tossed into wheeled hampers. Poorly sealed letter and parcels come open during handling and have to beshown to a supervisor, documented, initialed, resealed and delivered. Letter carriers time is measured down to the .001ths of a second. The USPS is very stringent on the amount of time a letter or parcel demands, it is what determines the letter carriers pay. Most larger Post Offices have concealed walkways in the ceiling where managers and/or cameras can watch every action the carrier makes. The same is true out on the route, managers follow the carriers and watch how they drive and if they are obeying postal regulations. The Postal Service also has it's own police service, investigating postal crimes is all they do. Your Carrier knows this information and that the penalty is five years per letter

Thanks for the replies all. I have lived all over the USA and it has happened everywhere I go. I too look for signs that it is mishandling rather than inspection but there are nearly always telltale clues. For instance, the last two letters, it is quite easy to tell a letter that has been "nudged" open. We have all sealed a bill or letter only to realize we forgot the check or something else and had tried to peel it open without tearing it, saving the stamp or integrity of the envelope. I know what it looks like. These letters did not pop open due to too much or lack thereof spit or glue. Likewise, well sealed boxes are obvious. A brand new box, well taped, sliced open and then re-taped with a different tape, etc. I am willing to consider the mechanical every time but all too often the clues hint at another possibility. Anyway, enough talk. I think I just may finally be pissed off enough to do something about it. I had done nothing before out of laziness plus I really have nothing to hide yet given the current state of the union and the fascists who run it...I can at the very least do something regarding my little world. (I fantasized about mailing myself a powdered sugar covered spring snake like in the gag can of peanuts just to scare the living crap out of some Bu#e, on my drive home from work this morning) But the adult in me will do nothing of the sort... but write about it.

Thanks again all

Edit: Wow. There's an auto-edit on this site for the word, I'll have to separate
it into two here. The "B" word above was "Bush" then "ite". Auto-edited for...who? Why? Really? Let's see if it edits "dendrite".

[edit on 26-8-2008 by 1stearthwarden]

Record and document mail that is opened without your authorization. When people send you stuff, show them pictures and have them write out affidavits that the package as received was not shipped in that condition. When all this is done, file a complaint with the Postal Inspectors, giving them this information.

Postal Duties are one of the mandates specifically given to and commanded of the U.S. Federal Government in our Constitution. (Note I said "duty", NOT "responsibility" or "right").

If nothing else, it lets TPTB know you are onto their game.

reply to post by 1stearthwarden

Mailing any kind of "powder" can result in some serious prison time, not to mention background checks so hard they hurt your ancestors.

Thanks Debris, I'm aware of this, hence the fantasy, and adult response disclaimer. Now if I was twelve years old, I might have done more than fantasize about it. I did some stupid things at that age. Alright, from about 1 to 26 I did some pretty stupid things. Now, I just think stupid things and then laugh at my moronic inner child once I snap out of it. I appreciate the levity counter balance of cooler heads and the responsible, thoughtful advice. Think I'll try to stop posting every single random thought I have until I learn to translate the intention of,"I'm joking" better.
If I could control the feeling of,"YEAH! PRESENTS!" when I get anything in the mail and immediately tear into it, I'd stop and take photo evidence. I really need to start meditating again. Thanks again all responders.