Does The Postal Service Search Packages To A Po Box

All Things Aircraft

Mar 12, 2020

Aircraft to P.O. Boxes: Is information technology a No? Or Is it a Go?

Shipping to P.O. Boxes: Is it a No? Or Is it a Go?

Shippo Snippets:

Shipping to a P.O. box presents a range of benefits and drawbacks for merchants and consumers alike
P.O. boxes can ofttimes be managed online
USPS's MTC SA service can provide P.O. box users with an actual street address
From convenience to price, carrier specifications, security, privacy, credibility, location and more, observe out whether a given P.O. box shipping scenario is "a get" or "a no"

The Story:

To send to a P.O. box, or to not send to a P.O. box? That's one question where the respond tin can vary vastly depending upon who you lot enquire. If information technology'southward a snowbird searching for a reliable place to receive post while they're strolling those sunny beaches, a post office box can come in pretty handy. If it's a frequent traveler who's lacking the time to check in on the pileup, a post office box might go one major source of stress.

If you're a growing merchant with an eastward-commerce store, it tin can be tricky to ship to a USPS P.O. box due to a list of potential limitations—from package sizing to aircraft safety and security, fraud potential, carrier issues and more.

How do you know which P.O. box shipping scenario is a no and which one's a go ? Here'south a little cheat sail to assistance you weigh in on the claim and restrictions of shipping to P.O. boxes:

When it Comes to Customer Convenience

It'due south a Get

P.O. boxes are hosted past the U.Southward. Post Office, which means delivery is faster for directly mail and packages, since USPS personnel don't accept to travel to a residence or office
For valued customers who motility a lot, a P.O. box is a groovy way to maintain a steady address for priority shipments (favorite products, maybe?) and postal service from important institutions and government agencies they don't want to miss
Many P.O. box locations allow for 24/7 access to remember shipments and mail
Premium P.O. box services might include smartphone alerts that notify clients when a shipment has arrived, plus an actual street accost
P.O. boxes tin ofttimes exist managed online

It's a No

Standard P.O. boxes can only receive mail that'due south delivered through the USPS. That ways at that place'south a limit to what you can do if your preferred carrier is 1 of the big names similar UPS, FedEx or DHL. This can be particularly hairy if your due east-commerce store's checkout part doesn't distinguish the nuance, causing shipments to get the light-green low-cal for P.O. box delivery, only to acquire the carrier has denied your request. For this reason, it might be wise to take a USPS Priority Shipping option available to your customers, so you lot tin can ensure yous're not losing valuable business.
They might, notwithstanding, be eligible to sign up for USPS's MTC SA service, a handy lilliputian delivery option that we'll break down in the When it Comes to Carriers section below.
There are size limitations to what can fit into a postal service function box. If your aircraft dimensions go over, or there's already a pileup in your customer's box, the package might exist fix bated by USPS
Your customers must exist xviii years or older to employ for their ain P.O. box
When information technology comes to tracking, it can get tricky. Your shipment might sit within a P.O. box for quite some time before the buyer picks it up, thus the tracking updates remain in limbo until a confirmed pickup occurs. What if they wait also long? Will they pause into a bout of buyer'due south remorse and arraign an "un-fresh" or "tampered with" production on the limitations of the P.O. box shipping organisation?

When it Comes to Privacy and Security

It's a Go:

P.O. boxes are among the safest, securest places to send shipments. Since they're physically located inside the Post Office and under tight surveillance, and attainable but via fundamental or combination lock, you tin usually ensure client privacy and security when shipping to a post office box
The customer's home address and personal information remain protected
Shipments that arrive on doorsteps or in home mailboxes are more often than not more susceptible to stranger theft than those stored abroad safely in P.O. boxes (assuming they fit!)
For customers and clients with strict privacy requirements or a history of having packages, mail service and even identity theft complications, P.O. boxes can provide the assurance they need to confidently engage in online shopping and exchanges of personal information
Important contracts, checks and documents with personal data are safely tucked away in post office boxes, even if the recipient is unable to check in or out of boondocks— versus them sitting in a home mailbox without surveillance or assurance
A P.O. box tin be a solid option for independent business owners who don't want to use a dwelling house address equally their business concern address. Information technology keeps their mail secure, accessible, and affordable to maintain

It'south a No:

Sometimes, the more than private your buyer, the more you begin to wonder about the potential for fraud. Do they really require a P.O. box to deliver a t-shirt? Or are you unknowingly being folded into a consumer scam where your customer'south actually a shill and the charges are about to be disputed?

When information technology Comes to Credibility

It's (Generally) a No

P.O. boxes can sometimes signify a lack of credibility for the receiving party. How so? For a person to formally register themselves every bit an agent, corporation or LLC, a physical address is always required. P.O. boxes are not accepted. So if they're unable to provide a real deal address, they might leave others questioning their liability
And when it comes to your e-commerce store or online business organisation, using a P.O. box for contact info could send a message to consumers and potential customers that you're not a existent entity. To them, your lack of physical address might signify a potential scam.

When information technology Comes to Aircraft Location

Information technology's (Mostly) a Go

There are 21.2 one thousand thousand or more P.O. boxes in the U.S. lonely, then if yous're ruling out USPS commitment to all these locations, you lot might be missing out on some serious business

When information technology Comes to Carriers

It's a Get

The 1 overnight shipping carrier allowed to deliver packages to a standard P.O. box (which would literally be listed as a variant of "P.O. Box 123") is USPS
But! When someone signs upwardly for their Move to Competitive Street Addressing (MTC SA) for P.O. Boxes service, or Street Addressing , the person can change their mailing address to the street address for the USPS Post Office where the box is located followed by the # sign and the box number
For example, if a Post Part is located on 340 First Street and the recipient'south P.O. box is #33, they would exist able to sign up for Street Addressing, and apply the address 340 Starting time Street #33, opening upward the doors for private carriers to successfully deliver their mail. In cases where merchants tin't ship to P.O. boxes (which are most!), MTC SA is a great way for customers to proceed receiving packages from carriers like UPS and FedEx.
- A caveat: the recipient can but utilise the address for items that can exist delivered through the mail service. For example, they are not immune to use it to receive shipments of alcohol, items over 70 pounds, or items prohibited by Postal Service policies
- Also, Street Addressing isn't bachelor for Caller and Reserve Box or Group E Box customers
FedEx Smart Mail service, which recruits the USPS system during the last leg of shipment, delivers to domestic P.O. boxes in the U.South.
FedEx Limited tin send to P.O. boxes in some international locations, likewise equally Puerto Rico
Any USPS post course can be sent to a P.O. box, even if it requires a signature. If it does, a notice will be left inside the post part box for the customer to selection up the post or package at a designated USPS location inside a sure number of days

Information technology's a No

As mentioned higher up, private shipping companies or carriers like FedEx, UPS and Amazon tin can't place mail or packages in a P.O. box unless the recipient is signed upward for Street Addressing.
If a USPS carrier shipment doesn't fit in the P.O. box, the package volition be retained at the post office for your customer to selection it upwards. USPS isn't necessarily an automatic trump bill of fare, particularly if sizing limitations are at play
P.O. boxes are not covered by any UPS Service Guarantee

When information technology Comes to Price

It's a Get

All USPS mail classes and services ship to P.O. boxes, so you tin pay as footling as $0.55 for a first class alphabetic character to $26.35 (to starting time) for priority express
Priority, Priority Express and First Course Mail will all get to your customer within iii days (or fifty-fifty less)

Information technology'due south a No

In the instance of some carriers, like UPS, packages addressed to a P.O. box—that's not using Street Addressing—require an address correction charge of between $13.40 and $91.00 (the max) , on acme of delays in service during the swapping procedure

Desire to acquire more nigh how Shippo collaborates to save y'all money and expedite your shipping to P.O. boxes and beyond? Let united states know what nosotros can bank check off your listing .

LeeMarie Kennedy is a multi-niche copywriter, editor and content marketing creator in Boston, Massachusetts. When she's not meticulously wordsmithing or brainstorming a trending topic, she tin can be constitute education yoga, wandering the globe, drinking fair trade coffee or eating too much cheese.

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