posted on February 12, 2002 10:24:30 PM
For some reason there are quite a few addresses that just won't verify no matter what you try. You contact the customer and they assure you that the address they gave you is correct, that they've been getting mail using that address for years without any problems. You can simply print a label without zip+4 and use that but then you can't get an eDelivery Confirmation number.
If you use the USPS online label generator or the USPS shipping assistant software to get free or cheaper Delivery Confirmation numbers you have to have an address that will verify. If the address does not verify you can't get a number, you can't print a label - IOW you're stuck you gotta buy a full price DC number or not have one.
But what if you look up the address for the Post Office in the town where you're shipping the package. Then enter the address for that Post office to generate the barcode label but then use your own label with the customer's "non-verifying" address? Would this work?
posted on February 12, 2002 10:41:09 PM
What I usually do is goto an online WHITE PAGES and look-up the buyer's address there:
99 times/100, they gave a slightly incorrect form such as:
1800 Sycamore Lane...
When they REALLY live at 1800 Sycamore St
etc,etc...
IF THAT DON'T WORK...I email them! You'd be surprised how many folks are clueless about proper addresses. NTMTF that many rural addresses are slightly INFORMAL to say the least
Okay, but some addresses do not verify even after trying every conceivable variation. Maybe it's a new house on a new street or the name of the street changed or the USPS just goofed and didn't get the address into the database even though the local Post Office does deliver to that address. Anyway assuming that the address CANNOT be verified using the USPS computers, would the workaround I suggested work? The package gets routed and delivered based on the Address label not the eDC barcode label, doesn't it?. And even if it did get routed to the local Post Office wouldn't they then look at the address label and deliver the package?
posted on February 13, 2002 07:25:02 AM
When I have that problem, I add my own address or another as the ship to, afterwards I basically print out the buyers provided address & tape over my original ship to address, onto the D.C. print out label.
If your using the shipping asst, just print out the D.C. number and make out your own label.
posted on February 13, 2002 08:10:38 AM
There are some new street names and rural addresses that just won't go. I usually query the bidder if I'm really stuck and sometimes that fixes things to generate a zip+4 with barcode. Most of the time it's a faulty street or zip number, but sometimes you just wind up doing the best you can. In about 1500 transactions, only about 5-10 have had this problem, but I expect more in the future.
posted on February 14, 2002 04:00:34 AM
slabholder
So you've done this and there were no problems? The only thing that I can think of going wrong would be if the address label came off or was unreadable then the PO might scan the barcode label and send the package to the address you entered online. But even that wouldn't be too bad it would just come back to you.
posted on February 14, 2002 06:46:14 AM
I get this occassionally at the zip code finder at the USPS website. Now I never write the buyer after getting a "I've lived here for 10 years and never had any problems with that address before" return email. If the town is a small one like Lard Can,TN ... the local post office will know who lives where.
It is very rare to get an address not in the USPS database and you can use the regular light green DC label and pay 40 or 50 cents for peace of mind it brings.
