Undeliverable mail packages sold on streets

A heap of mail packages are sold on the streets in Shengfang town, North China's Hebei province, February 26, 2015. (Photo/bjnews.com.cn)

Beijing's postal authorities are in the town of Shengfang in north China's Hebei province for an investigation over dozens of mail packages sold on the streets.

Most of the postal packages are from Beijing, bound for America, Russia and Ukraine. They are sold on the streets because they could not be delivered to the recipient nor be returned to the sender.

The packages are sold at about 10 yuan each and usually contain things that are not worth much. Customers get to keep the contents inside if they pay for the mystery packages first.

According to China's regulation over the administration of mail services, provincial postal enterprises should classify, register and take good care of mail that can't be sent to the receiver, and that can't be returned to the sender for no less than 6 months. After that, if unclaimed, the packages should be destroyed under the supervision of provincial postal management institutions.