I have a delimma with shipping overseas to a APO Box..need some input

[1971camaroguy]

EDIT: BUYER ASKED ME TO CANCEL AND I WAS ABLE TO RELIST....ALL IS GOOD NOW

So I sold something earlier, I have it set up to ship only with the global shipping program so I can sell and ship inside the united states and not have to deal with any of the international shipping issues. I can print a label and drop off like any package I sell.

A buyer in Germany emailed me to ask if I would ship to his military girlfriends address because shipping to his address is significantly higher with the taxes and such. Before I had a chance to reply that I prefer global shipping and only addresses associated with it, he "purchased" my listing..literally wihin seconds of sending that first email.

Ok......so now I have to invoice him using his girfriends address, and went to USPS's website and got a quote and invoiced him....now he says he's getting this error and I am not sure what to do on my end...he wants me to fix it so he can pay.

Honestly I would rather end the transaction and not sell this to him as the created more of a mess than I want to deal with. I don't have time trying to jump through hoops and finagle the system.

Any ideas?

 

 

[chapeau-noir · Accepted solution]

@1971camaroguy  

If this happens again, I would cancel the transaction citing 'problem with address'.

I see all is good, but remember never to ship anything to any address other than that registered with eBay.

[1971camaroguy]

Thanks, yeah I didn't realize how easy it was to cancel the transaction..I didn't even need the buyers input to do it.

There's some sort of glitch with eBay on the Global shipping option, I still have buyers in countries that aren't part of global shipping that are able to see my listings. 

It created issues sometimes when I keep getting asked for a shipping quote. On international I shouldn't be shipping nowhere but the address in erlinger kentucky. 

Thanks again

[1971camaroguy]

On that listing this is how international shipping is ticked...I'm not checking anything but global shipping...but some international buyers in countries global shipping doesn't participate in can see it 

[1971camaroguy]

And honestly he messed up any other potential sales, I sent a best offer out to 12 people that were watching that listing, when it relisted I lost my watchers and they don't have the option to purchase anymore.

[slippinjimmy]

@1971camaroguy 

Maybe they exist but I have never seen an APO address that was not a US address. You ship it there, the military handles the overseas part. GSP would not be involved at all and you would not be shipping outside the USA.

I assume the potential buyer asked BEFORE they purchased, if that was the case the buyer can change their shipping address to their girlfriends APO/US one when they make the payment.

APO info....

https://support.govx.com/article?id=1176&sectionId=1025

[1971camaroguy]

Yeah there was something or a setting that wouldn't let him pay, the address he purchased the auction with had the APO address, but it was requesting him to ask and me to send an invoice for some reason. Either something on his end still showed Germany or a setting on my end (maybe my listing) that wouldn't allow me to sell to him.

 

[babclassics]

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@1971camaroguy wrote:

EDIT: BUYER ASKED ME TO CANCEL AND I WAS ABLE TO RELIST....ALL IS GOOD NOW

So I sold something earlier, I have it set up to ship only with the global shipping program so I can sell and ship inside the united states and not have to deal with any of the international shipping issues. I can print a label and drop off like any package I sell.

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For future reference, you don't need to (and should not) use GSP to ship to APO / FPO addresses.  They ARE considered to be US addresses and are priced the same as the farthest zones like Hawaii.  In fact I'm not even sure if you can use GSP for those?  APO / FPO military addresses do NOT go into any foreign mail systems.  They are handled fully by USPS and the military.   I ship to them fairly often with just regular USPS labels and tracking.  Delivery times can be long but the recipients are aware of that usually.

If you want to exclude APO / FPO is is a separate setting in your mail address exclusion preferences.  The screen shot of the refused APO looks to me like you have APO turned off in your shipping settings.

https://faq.usps.com/s/article/How-Do-I-Address-Military-Mail#:~:text=Make%20sure%20you%20include%20....

All that being said, I am assuming that the order address was to the APO when the placed it?  It is correct as other have stated to never ever change the shipping address by request, always ship to the order address.

[slippinjimmy]

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@1971camaroguy wrote:

Yeah there was something or a setting that wouldn't let him pay, the address he purchased the auction with had the APO address, but it was requesting him to ask and me to send an invoice for some reason. Either something on his end still showed Germany or a setting on my end (maybe my listing) that wouldn't allow me to sell to him.

 

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In YOUR account setting YOU can block APO, PO BOX and US Protectorates, you may have that selected.

It would be under Selling Preferences, this link MIGHT get you there....

https://www.ebay.com/ship/prf/excludeRegions

[caldreamer]

Just so you know for future reference, you are NOT allowed to change shipping address (even if customer requests it).   You should to cancel sale and ask customer to re-purchase item showing the correct address.

Customer can file claim "did not receive item" and your tracking must prove you sent it to the correct address. 

[bbravo65]

...APO is Army Post Office, you can use USPS Priority Flat Rate mailing boxes for APO and PPO (simply calls Military Priority Shipping Rate)...these APO & PPO addresses consider US territory...so no need to use Ebay Global Shipping...

...in matter facts, it's safer, quicker, more secure and less expensive if you use USPS Priority Flat Rate Box when shipping to APO/PPO...plus there won't be any surcharges for custom fees or taxes to the receivers...

(have been using USPS to ship to Okinawa and Singapore for our sons, 1 Navy and 1 Air Force...)