Buyer messages with a different address

[iamalwaysright]

Buyer has a PO Box from his local post office as his address on file. We already shipped it. Buyer then messages me only with the verbiage "PO Box ___" with the number being a different one from his on file.

I'm assuming he wants me to change it to this address. I'm hoping he previously owned the one he has on file so I can tell him to fill out an address forwarding to his new box number. Does USPS honor that if it's a PO box and not a mailbox at your residence?

[slippinjimmy]

Is the zip code the same?

It just the box number that they want you to change?

If this is true just tell them that it's been shipped and they should go to their Post Office and let them know they have an incoming package with the wrong box number on it.

If it's a more different address but it is a former address, they can set up a redirect/forwarding order (I think you can do that online...not sure).

Worst case scenario it gets returned to you in which cases it's re-ship or refund, you can decide which way you want to go on who pays for the additional shipping. (if the shipping is fairly low relative to the item value I have just reshipped on my dime. If it doesn't get returned and the buyer never  gets it you are still protected since you would have tracking showing delivered.

[12345jamesstamps]

Now I know why sellers sometimes block buyers with a P O Box address.

Had my very first item lost in the mail or supposedly...after years of mailing items out.

Buyer ask for a refund ($1.60)...LOL. I gave it immediately.

I wanted to tell the buyer a thing or two but didn't.

I had an address without the words 'P O Box'...thought that was strange.

So I thought since address is in Florida with a 10 digit like number after buyer's name it was 'freight forward'.

Nope, it was a real post office of some kind. Went on Yelp and place had real bad reviews...imagine a local PO Box place.

Buyer was able to make a purchase 'excluding' the words 'P O Box' in his address...why?

Now I know...just my rant on P O Boxes.

[pikabo-icu]

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@iamalwaysright wrote:

Buyer has a PO Box from his local post office as his address on file. We already shipped it. Buyer then messages me only with the verbiage "PO Box ___" with the number being a different one from his on file.

I'm assuming he wants me to change it to this address. I'm hoping he previously owned the one he has on file so I can tell him to fill out an address forwarding to his new box number. Does USPS honor that if it's a PO box and not a mailbox at your residence?

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Yes you can do a change from a PO Box just like a physical home address. 

PO Box to PO Box

PO Box to House

House to PO Box

They all work the same

[iamalwaysright]

Yup, looks like it. Same zip code/city. Just the box number is different. I wasn’t aware a person could do that with talking to a counter employee claiming a package with the wrong box number. I just thought they couldn’t legally do that, being federal mail, and just trusting a person’s word and all.

[mam98031]

@iamalwaysright 

Buyers can enter a ship to address of their choosing at the time they are checking out and paying.  It does NOT have to be a ship to address they have on "file".  

Have you contacted the buyer and told them it already shipped?  What did they say?

[mam98031]

Edited by me.  

[wastingtime101]

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@pikabo-icu wrote:

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@iamalwaysright wrote:

I'm hoping he previously owned the one he has on file so I can tell him to fill out an address forwarding to his new box number. Does USPS honor that if it's a PO box and not a mailbox at your residence?

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Yes you can do a change from a PO Box just like a physical home address. 

PO Box to PO Box / PO Box to House / House to PO Box / They all work the same

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^^^ That's correct. Mail forwarding can be requested for a different PO Box at the same post office.

If buyer's name was on the old PO box (assuming they upgraded or downgraded size of box?) they can file a change of address and mail forwarding request with USPS which will take a minimum of 3 biz days, or up to 2 weeks to go into effect. https://www.usps.com/manage/forward.htm

If their mail forwarding request does not process in time, they should try slippinjimmy's suggestion of going into the PO and talking to them about it - give them the tracking number and ask them to hold the package for pickup upon arrival. Depending on whether the buyer lives in a large city or a small town their success may vary. Smaller towns may be willing to work with the buyer if they can see they very recently rented that other PO Box number.

[iamalwaysright]

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@mam98031 wrote:

@iamalwaysright 

Buyers can enter a ship to address of their choosing at the time they are checking out and paying.  It does NOT have to be a ship to address they have on "file".  

Have you contacted the buyer and told them it already shipped?  What did they say?

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You misunderstood what I meant. By "different from his one on file" I mean different from the one on record in the payment page of the transaction.

There's no way anyone would ever know what a buyer is using as their default shipping address attached to their account because there's never any indication if a buyer is using that address or a new one typed at time of checkout. So we’d never know if the address used at checkout is different or not.

Yea I already told them. No response from them yet.