Help! My letter didn't go down the postbox.

[ElTortilla]

I put a large letter in the postbox but it got jammed and didn't go down. It was basically jammed at the back. I tried with various objects and my hands to wedge it back out to no avail. I had to leave it. I posted it in a rough area and I'm scared someone might see it and try and get it out. There's nothing I can do is there?

Was it an important letter? Can you check in a few days to see if it has arrived? Short of sitting by the post box till Postie arrives there’s not a lot you can do.

When is the next collection time? Come back and wait for the postal worker to open the box.

I wouldn't worry about this, I don't think anyone will try and retrieve it and when the postman empties the box he will see it.

Thank you all for your reassurance. It was important and was for work.

If you couldn't get it out, nor will anyone else without the postbox key.

I tried to fish it out with various things I had on me. Nothing worked.

It must be close to pick up? Can't you hang around and check it's been taken?

You can't remove something from the post box even if you posted it.

If it's important, would it be better next time to post at a post office?

The likelihood of the type of person who may be tempted to steal a random letter from a post box (I imagine this to be a very small percentage of the population) happening to pass this particular post box between the time you posted it and the time the postie gets there is vanishingly small.

And armed with something to retrieve said envelope….

Yea I'm being a bit silly by worrying aren't I?

Postie here, we are good at getting jammed stuff back out of the boxes! People force all sorts of inappropriately sized parcels in there... a large letter will be absolutely fine!!

I’m sure this happens all the time and postal workers come across this regularly and know how to deal with it.
if you couldn’t get it out I doubt anyone else will either - not that I imagine they’d try. Rough area or not, the vast majority of people are decent and even if they’re not, there seems to be an unwritten rule that postboxes aren’t messed with.
I think the only slight worry is that it may get bent or damaged when the door is opened at collection. Or that subsequent letters may get stuck on top of it

Ah thank you for putting my mind at ease 🙂