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Buyer Chose UPS but has a PO Box and eBay allowed it?
I offer a choice of shipping methods to my buyers on heavier items and I'm wondering why eBay would allow a buyer with a PO Box to choose UPS for the shipping method. In an entire year of selling this is the first time this particular issue has come up and I was lucky that USPS Parcel Select didn't cost more than UPS Ground or I'd have had to eat the additional cost. Shouldn't eBay's system block buyers with PO Box shipping addresses from selecting UPS or FedEx? Is this just one more glitch in addition to the search problems?
17 comments
kh-tuna
·10 months agoHi everyone,
Due to the age of this thread, it has been closed to further replies. Please feel free to start a new thread if you wish to continue to discuss this topic.
Thank you for understanding.
tobaccocardyahoo
·10 months agoUPS will deliver a shipment to the street address of a Post Office, and the PO will use the PO Box information.
A blanket prohibition of PO Boxes for UPS would be improper.
ken*fl
·10 months agoI just had the same thing happen to me today and now I'm flipping out trying to figure out if the buyer is attempting to pull a shipping scam. I messaged the buyer and told them only USPS ships to PO boxes and that I can either send USPS or cancel the order. I wish I knew about this beforehand.
dark_side_goods
·3 years agoThis Just happened to me. I asked the buyer for his address and I edited the ship to address to his home address. Then I was able to ship by UPS ground.
fatgrandmafinds
OP3 years agoI recently had a buyer whose address shown on their payment was different from the address they wanted the item sent and I canceled the sale. I told them I won't ship to an address that isn't tied to the account. I relisted the item and someone else bought it the next day. This isn't a full-time job for me and while I rely on some sales for a little income each month I'm not going for hundreds of dollars a week in sales and I use settings that will deter some of the bad actors. I know folks can still scam or use ridiculous reasons for a return but I'm too old and tired to deal with a bunch of random crap 😂 But I digress. @nobody*s_perfectthat's exactly what I'm wondering!
nobody*s_perfect
·3 years agoThe seller protection policy covers you when you ship to the name and address that are attached to the payment. As noted in another post, members can change the name and/or address of the recipient during the payment process, such as when sending gifts. But if they change it afterward, then the seller should refuse to ship to the new address. If it's a valid request, the buyer should agree to cancel the transaction and repurchase the item using the intended address.
buyselljack2016
·3 years agoI recently had a buyer whose address shown on their payment was different from the address they wanted the item sent and I canceled the sale. I told them I won't ship to an address that isn't tied to the account.
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Do that to me, and you will get a big red donut to admire 😂
That address is tied to the account when I pay.
toysaver
·3 years agoMany people will list both the street address and PO Box. USPS will always default to the PO box. Some addresses are not accessible by USPS but UPS has no issue... go figure.
mrgswholesale
·3 years agoWhen The PO box is in the address & shipping on ebay it will not let you ship it to a PO box when you choose UPS/FedEx it will say an error.
itscalledapostingid
·3 years agoI believe a seller would need to block PO boxes in shipping settings:
https://www.ebay.com/ship/prf/excludeRegions
fatgrandmafinds
OP3 years agoThank you for that. I love how that setting is hidden in the exclusions list but clear at the bottom where you'd never see it without scrolling all the way down. Ugh. It still seems like eBay could block buyers from selecting a service automatically if their address doesn't work with a particular service. They can block us from buying a shipping label for a blocked service so why not have that implemented on the buyer's end? I guess that would make things easier on us 😉
southern*sweet*tea
·3 years agoThey don't block it because a buyer's registered address may have nothing to do with where they want an item shipped. A buyer can use any address they want during checkout. I live in Mississippi. I can buy something for my grandsons and have the package shipped to them in Delaware if I want.
That's why I always tell sellers NOT to send an invoice, because sending an invoice locks in the purchase to the buyer's registered address, and that may not be where they want the package sent.
nobody*s_perfect
·3 years agoBut couldn't the programmers block the combination of PO Box with FedEx/UPS services during the checkout process?
southern*sweet*tea
·3 years agoJudging by the way some things work on the site that's probably above the programmers' skill sets.
fatgrandmafinds
OP3 years ago@southern*sweet*teaI won't ship to an address other than the one a buyer has registered. I'm not Amazon. I also require immediate payment and I don't care if I lose sales because of it. If I accept an offer I always send an invoice and will continue to do so. I have no desire to deal with any buyer issues and will continue to minimize potential problems for myself by doing things the way I do 😉
nobody*s_perfect
·3 years agoI glad that has worked out for you. but as pointed out invoices aren't needed and you could end up with a buyer who changes their shipping address to a more expensive location while paying your invoice for an accepted offer. And you are supposed to ship to whatever address is attached to the payment even if your invoice undercharged for postage.
southern*sweet*tea
·3 years agoHow do you know the buyer's registered address? The answer is...you don't. You only know the buyer's shipping address, and that is found out after they pay.