posted on August 2, 2001 04:09:50 PM
One of my buyers just asked me to ship their item (which is in a large box) to a P.O. Box. Will that be forwarded to their home address or should I ask them for a street address?
Edited to add: Nevermind, they gave me their street address also.
[ edited by WeRuleWithTechnology on Aug 2, 2001 04:10 PM ]
posted on August 2, 2001 04:17:46 PM
There are different reasons people use PO Boxes. In our town, we don't get delivery, so everyone has a PO box. Do put both on your shipping label just to be sure.
posted on August 2, 2001 04:32:53 PM
I think most Post Offices just put a slip in the box telling the box holder there's a package being held at the counter. I am not sure what the P.O. does when it gets both a box number and a street address...in my city the box number always wins.
Gerald
"Oh but it's so hard to live by the rules/I never could and still never do."
posted on August 2, 2001 05:00:16 PM
Your buyer may well have a good reason for wanting post office box delivery. If they requested that you use that address, you should follow their instructions.
A package mailed to their P. O. Box will be available for them to pick up by 9 a.m. on the day it arrives (at least that's true where I have my box).
If no one is home, a package sent to their street address will either be left on their porch (subject to theft) or taken back to the post office, where they won't be able to pick it up until the next day.
Of course, if you don't ship by the postal service, it's a whole different story.
posted on August 2, 2001 05:03:48 PM
Do NOT put a street address unless you're looking for trouble.
Scenario:
Bidder asks for package to be sent to PO box because he doesn't want packages delivered to his home when no one is there. Seller sends package to street address anyway. Postman leaves package on the doorstep. Thief steals package. Seller hassled for non-delivery.
Far-fetched? It happens all the time.
If a customer requests delivery to a PO box, he has a reason for doing it. If you demand a street address and put both on the box...
Well, just re-read the scenario described above.
By the way, shipping to a PO Box is INFINITELY more secure than sending to a street address. To open a PO box, the boxholder has to present a driver's license and fill out a federal form which he has to sign. There is no requirement whatsoever to have mail delivered to a street address. A person (including a crook) just starts using that address and any mail addressed to him is delivered to that address, no questions asked by the post office. It amazes me that people are more nervous about sending a package to a PO box than to a street address. It makes no sense.
posted on August 2, 2001 08:38:18 PM
Thanks guys & gals. They put both their street address and their P.O. Box in the address, so, as you suggested, I put both on there, just as they requested.
posted on August 2, 2001 09:44:15 PM
When you have both a street address, and a PO box, the one that is the line above the city, state zip will be the one they deliver to.
posted on August 3, 2001 09:28:01 AM
I got a P O box because the mailman was stealing from me. I know because I contacted the Postal Inspector and told them. They were going to monitor my mail for a week. Surprisingly that week, my mailman was replaced by my old good mailcarrier. Nothing wrong with a PO box.
posted on August 3, 2001 09:54:24 AMWhen you have both a street address, and a PO box, the one that is the line above the city, state zip will be the one they deliver to.
This is the way that it is SUPPOSED to work, and 99% of the time it does. But I can tell you from personal experience that a careless postal employee will deliver it to the wrong address. I learned this the hard way.
To be safe, put ONLY 1 address on a package. Either a street address OR a PO Box address, NEVER both. To do so is to ask for trouble. The one package out of 100 that gets delivered to the street address and turns up missing will likely be the most expensive one (at least it was for me).
posted on August 3, 2001 10:24:52 AM
I recommend that you use just the PO Box.
A word to the wise. Ask for the buyers address by email. Check every single address for a Zip+4. You don't have to use it--although you should--but the real reason is to filter for bad addresses. I get plenty of them. Bad zips, bad street spellings, wrong numbers and so on. It also helps when matching up unaccompanied checks or money orders.
posted on August 3, 2001 06:25:50 PM
"I think that most likly half of north america is on a P.O. box. They keep cutting back on door to door delivery. "
In Quartzsite, Arizona, you must have a PO box since there is no home delivery!
"To be safe, put ONLY 1 address on a package."
I hate to even put my return address on, because TWICE I've had my packages delivered back to me!
". They put both their street address and their P.O. Box in the address..."
I hate when they do that, but I think they do it because they don't know whether you are going to ship by UPS or USPS. But almost always they DO know!
posted on August 4, 2001 03:53:27 AM
I use a PO Box because when I'm not home, the delivery people throw my collectibles, glassware, fragile items over my 9 ft iron gate onto concrete... even 50lb boxes of books!
