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Stupid Postal Service question/issues about shipping.

jimmydean

The Official Meat of Ridemonkey
Sep 10, 2001
40,939
13,133
Portland, OR
So a while back we had someone steal crap out of our mailbox, so we got a PO box and that was nice. But the issue is with buying crap online.

UPS/FedEx/DHL won't ship to a PO box. So when I buy crap and I know the method of shipping, I use the appropriate address. But when in doubt (ebay sellers that don't say how they are shipping) I've used the street address and it takes a day or two longer to forward, but I get it.

Well, last week I had 3 packages get "returned to sender" because the address forward request expired. So if they sent it to my house and the address forward (to the PO box) has passed, why didn't the post office just deliver it to my house?

WTF?

So I guess the address forwarding is only good for 6 months. But if it expires, the house address is still valid, right?. I still live there!
 

LordOpie

MOTHER HEN
Oct 17, 2002
21,022
3
Denver
I know that's frustrating, but anyway to get stuff shipped to work?

That's how I do all of mine.
 

BMXman

I wish I was Canadian
Sep 8, 2001
13,827
0
Victoria, BC
lol...you expect the post office to be efficient and have common sense. I agree with you but we are talking about the post office....D
 

jimmydean

The Official Meat of Ridemonkey
Sep 10, 2001
40,939
13,133
Portland, OR
I know that's frustrating, but anyway to get stuff shipped to work?

That's how I do all of mine.
The problem with getting stuff at work is getting it home. If I ride my motorcycle, large packages are out. If I ride the bus, I have a 1.5 mile walk to the stop and huffing large packages again are a pain in the ass.

If I had gotten ALL of my bike parts, I could have built it here and rode it home, though. That would have been sweet.

The one nice thing about my post office is there have been a few times where they notice the address and leave it for me without sending it to downtown to come back to the PO box (that is located in the same building it went to in the first place).
 

jimmydean

The Official Meat of Ridemonkey
Sep 10, 2001
40,939
13,133
Portland, OR
You should put a camera on the mailbox and catch the thief.

Federal charges, up to 3 years.
It's any number of meth heads that live in the RC (restitution center) a few blocks away. They just happen to walk through the neighborhood from time to time. I doubt they would care about going back to prison.

A good idea if I thought it would matter. But they are all criminals and if you caught one, there would be another next week. The post office got pissed when I moved my mailbox closer to the house. So the PO box was the best option.
 

X3pilot

Texans fan - LOL
Aug 13, 2007
5,860
1
SoMD
I'm looking into a locking mailbox myself. I don't trust the thugs that have started moving into our area and I figured the cost of the mailbox compared to "renting" a PO box and it comes out ahead, figuring gas and time to drive to post office to check mail.
 

X3pilot

Texans fan - LOL
Aug 13, 2007
5,860
1
SoMD
Another idea is to check a place like Mailboxes, etc. You have a regular street type address, and they'll sign for and store packages for you.
 

BMXman

I wish I was Canadian
Sep 8, 2001
13,827
0
Victoria, BC
I'm looking into a locking mailbox myself. I don't trust the thugs that have started moving into our area and I figured the cost of the mailbox compared to "renting" a PO box and it comes out ahead, figuring gas and time to drive to post office to check mail.

not a bad idea but most lock boxes are not really suitable for bike parts...depending on the size of the bike parts...D
 

blue

boob hater
Jan 24, 2004
10,160
2
california
Another idea is to check a place like Mailboxes, etc. You have a regular street type address, and they'll sign for and store packages for you.
Just what I was going to suggest...they're now the UPS Store, but still have the mailboxes and they sign/hold all packages etc.
 

X3pilot

Texans fan - LOL
Aug 13, 2007
5,860
1
SoMD
not a bad idea but most lock boxes are not really suitable for bike parts...depending on the size of the bike parts...D
Yeah, didn't think of that. The one I looked at Home Depot had like this bottom section that holds packages but probably not big enough to hold big parts.
 

cadmus

Monkey
May 24, 2006
755
0
PNW
not a bad idea but most lock boxes are not really suitable for bike parts...depending on the size of the bike parts...D
Our neighborhood has banks of locking boxes, similar to po boxes, that also have 2 larger boxes for packages. They put the key to the large box in your individual box if you have a package. All of it is managed by the Post Office, even getting replacement keys or replacing locks. Very secure and convenient.
 

jimmydean

The Official Meat of Ridemonkey
Sep 10, 2001
40,939
13,133
Portland, OR
The PO box is like $25 every 6 months, so it's not like a huge bill. Also, in my case the post office is only about 6 blocks from my house, so getting there isn't a huge deal.

A locking box is an option, but we rent and investing too much into that house doesn't make much sense. Plus I'm sure the landlord could care less.

<edit> I guess my biggest bitch is that UPS/FedEx/DHL don't deliver to PO's. As if it were any more of a pain to drop a bunch of boxes at one location rather than go door to door.
 

blue

boob hater
Jan 24, 2004
10,160
2
california
<edit> I guess my biggest bitch is that UPS/FedEx/DHL don't deliver to PO's. As if it were any more of a pain to drop a bunch of boxes at one location rather than go door to door.
It's not that, the post office won't accept them because they aren't mail...
 

jimmydean

The Official Meat of Ridemonkey
Sep 10, 2001
40,939
13,133
Portland, OR
Post Office resolutions:

Option A. Every 6 months, fill out a temporary change of address. At the end of 6 months, the mail will go back to the house unless another form is done.

Option B. Every year, fill out a impermanent change of address. Before the year is up, fill out another form. If it expires, then the mail is returned.

I guess Option A is the lesser of two evils because either way I get the mail.