topic Re: Seller wont send to PO Box in Buying

Seller wont send to PO Box

cunniaan — Wed, 26 Feb 2020 20:08:01 GMT

I've just encountered two sellers that don't say anything about not sending to PO Box anywhere in their listing & you only find this out once you go to buy the item.

Then you have to ask then if you can cancel the order.

Not good enough. They send the items by post anyhow, so I don't see what the problem is from their end.

But if it was in their listing that they don't send to PO Box I wouldn't buy from them & therefore wouldn't have to ask to cancel the order.

How can this be avoided?

Re: Seller wont send to PO Box

sandypebbles — Wed, 26 Feb 2020 21:12:37 GMT

As you would know, *if* a courier is used, they will not deliver to a PO. Box

Some sellers have also had problems with scammers using a PO Box address

I myself have a PO Box and have not had this problem so far

But I am surprised that it is not mentioned under where it says 'posts to Australia' 'see exclusions'

If the seller has their settings not to ship to a PO Box, it should be under that

Is that where you looked, or only within the item description blurb?

IF the seller does not have their settings set up that way, did you ask either of them if they are willing/able to do so?

Re: Seller wont send to PO Box

glenbankloel — Wed, 26 Feb 2020 21:13:44 GMT

Sorry to hear that this happened to you.

Although it is up to the sellers discrection and choice where they will and won't post to, we do agree that they should indicate this information in their policies or listings, would save a lot of angst for the buyer.

At this point in time it is not regulated by eBay that sellers must indicate if they will or won't post to PO boxes. The only thing you can do as a buyer is ask the question before purchasing.

Not ideal, but would save you some time and frustration.

We don't understand their decision either as it all (mostly) goes by AP so has to travel through their system anyway and would think a PO box would be safer delivery option than through the letter box.

But, sellers have their reasons and you cannot hope to know what they might all be.

Perhaps another seller might drop in here and add their personal comments re PO boxes.

We don't have a problem with them and have never had an issue with deliveries to them.

Re: Seller wont send to PO Box

lyndal1838 — Wed, 26 Feb 2020 21:14:01 GMT

Look at the seller's postage options....that should tell you if they will send to a PO Box.

Some sellers use couriers so cannot send to PO Boxes.

Re: Seller wont send to PO Box

11dustyattic — Thu, 27 Feb 2020 00:47:31 GMT

As others have said, just check the postage tab before purchase. I have a post box now, and happily send to PO boxes, but respect that some others have their reasons not to. I don't use couriers, that would be the biggest issue I would think

Re: Seller wont send to PO Box

4channel — Sun, 01 Mar 2020 04:34:13 GMT

@cunniaan wrote:
I've just encountered two sellers that don't say anything about not sending to PO Box anywhere in their listing & you only find this out once you go to buy the item.

Then you have to ask then if you can cancel the order.

Not good enough. They send the items by post anyhow, so I don't see what the problem is from their end.

But if it was in their listing that they don't send to PO Box I wouldn't buy from them & therefore wouldn't have to ask to cancel the order.

How can this be avoided?

Hi cunniaan, I'm glad you have brought this up. I have to say (from memory) that I have never encountered a seller that won't send to a P.O. Box. (Oh execpt one in an annoying GSP situation) It should be up to the seller to state clearly on their page, "I DO NOT SEND TO A P.O. BOX" and if they don't put it on the page, they should make a reasonable effort to send to a P.O. box.

You have been inconvinenced by a seller who should have stated their policy clear. They didn't make it clear!

Re: Seller wont send to PO Box

countessalmirena — Sun, 01 Mar 2020 15:31:15 GMT

4channel, eBay's Exclude postage locations page specifically demonstrates that sellers are able to exclude PO Box addresses if that suits their business.

Manage postage settings › Exclude postage locations

Select the regions or countries you don't post to

Domestic

☐ Sydney Metro ☐ Brisbane Metro ☐ Melbourne Metro

☐ NSW Regional ☐ QLD South East ☐ VIC Regional

☐ Northern Territory ☐ QLD Regional ☐ Perth Metro

☐ Adelaide Metro ☐ QLD Far North ☐ WA Regional

☐ SA Regional ☐ Tasmania ☐ WA Remote

International

☑ Africa(55) ☑ Asia(21) ☑ Central America and Caribbean(30)

Show all countries Show all countries Show all countries

☑ Europe(49) ☑ Middle East(12) ☑ North America(6)

Show all countries Show all countries Show all countries

☑ Oceania(20) ☑ Southeast Asia(12) ☑ South America(14)

Show all countries Show all countries Show all countries

Additional locations

☐ PO Box

☐ Also apply to current listings

🛈 When you apply your postage exclusions, we'll block buyers whose primary delivery address is in a location you don't post to. You can change this setting in the buyer requirements section of your selling preferences. These exclusions will be used as the default for all of your future listings, and you can make listing-specific changes to them at the time of listing.

(Rubrication mine.)

I hold to it that a seller has the right to make terms and conditions (within the permitted consumer legislation, of course) as best suits him. I would not demand that a seller changes his opening hours to suit me, or would allow pick-up if the seller has specified that this is not available. I would not express incredulity if the seller informed me that they could not shorten their handling time for me, or asked me for an alternative delivery address if I had specified a PO Box and their postage information had indicated that a PO Box address could not be delivered to.

Perhaps one of the problems is that buyers just don't look at the postage tab. Do you think that might be the case, that buyers may frequently be unaware that the Postage and payments tab gives all sorts of useful information, including whether or not the delivery address option excludes PO boxes?

A seller who has specified in "Exclude postage locations" that PO Box is an additional location to which he doesn't post has stated their policy exactly as eBay require. It can't be any clearer - unless the seller then goes to the additional trouble of adding the information in the item description. But really... if a buyer doesn't check the Postage and payments tab, is he really any more likely to be reading through the item description? Especially if he's using the eBay app? I truly don't think so... so the extra effort (in trying to make it even clearer for buyers that the seller doesn't post to PO Boxes) is likely to be unpaid, unvalued and probably unnoticed.

It would be wonderful for many buyers if they could do an eBay search in which one of the filters under Delivery options was

☐ Doesn't exclude PO Box addresses.

Unfortunately eBay have not provided this search option - and I very much doubt that they will do so in the future. Of course, I may be wrong; buyers may want to send a features suggestion to eBay en masse, in a huge concerted effort to move the forces of inertia. But eBay's Unsolicited ideas submission page puts it very clearly:

❝At eBay, we appreciate comments from our members on our products and services. But we have a long-standing policy of not accepting unsolicited suggestions, ideas, or proposals.

[...]

eBay is always pleased to hear from members of the eBay community and welcomes their comments regarding eBay's products and services. However, eBay's long-standing company policy does not allow eBay to accept or consider ideas, suggestions, proposals or materials other than those eBay has specifically requested❞

(The above boils down to "eBay doesn't want your suggestions, but we're phrasing it in a nice polite way to avoid your being bitterly offended.")

If anyone STILL wants to go ahead and proffer the suggestion/comments, here's a direct link to contact eBay CS with the search suggestion.

Re: Seller wont send to PO Box

tazzieterror — Sun, 01 Mar 2020 22:54:05 GMT

@4channel wrote:
Hi cunniaan, I'm glad you have brought this up. I have to say (from memory) that I have never encountered a seller that won't send to a P.O. Box. (Oh execpt one in an annoying GSP situation) It should be up to the seller to state clearly on their page, "I DO NOT SEND TO A P.O. BOX" and if they don't put it on the page, they should make a reasonable effort to send to a P.O. box.

You have been inconvinenced by a seller who should have stated their policy clear. They didn't make it clear!

Looks 4channel has returned to their non-sensical ways!

Seller doesn't need to state anything anywhere, as postage exclusions are shown *GASP* under the postage tab on the listing. You have erred in characterising this seller's policy as unclear.

What is unclear is how you could not be aware of this despite nearly two decades on eBay!

Also, I hope you feel special as countess went to the trouble of rubricating for you in her response above! You are fortunate!!

Re: Seller wont send to PO Box

sandypebbles — Mon, 02 Mar 2020 01:29:31 GMT

What a load of rot

WHY exactly should sellers have to spoonfeed buyers?

IF it under exclusions, that is good enough

IF a buyer cba to look there before buying,it is on them and them alone

Given the radio silence from the OP, it is obvious they did not bother to check

Re: Seller wont send to PO Box

pauls1239 — Mon, 02 Mar 2020 21:47:54 GMT

Has happened to me a few times. The way i got around it was to set up an alternative postage address(home address) in your account information(Registration address). If the buyer won't send to a po box a message comes up to change the delivery address.

So no more stressing. Except of course if you have a major reason(like someone blew up your mailbox). It's not ideal, but what is, on Ebay.

Re: Seller wont send to PO Box

4channel — Tue, 03 Mar 2020 03:19:34 GMT

@tazzieterror wrote:
@4channel wrote:
Hi cunniaan, I'm glad you have brought this up. I have to say (from memory) that I have never encountered a seller that won't send to a P.O. Box. (Oh execpt one in an annoying GSP situation) It should be up to the seller to state clearly on their page, "I DO NOT SEND TO A P.O. BOX" and if they don't put it on the page, they should make a reasonable effort to send to a P.O. box.

You have been inconvinenced by a seller who should have stated their policy clear. They didn't make it clear!
Looks 4channel has returned to their non-sensical ways!

Seller doesn't need to state anything anywhere, as postage exclusions are shown *GASP* under the postage tab on the listing. You have erred in characterising this seller's policy as unclear.

What is unclear is how you could not be aware of this despite nearly two decades on eBay!

Also, I hope you feel special as countess went to the trouble of rubricating for you in her response above! You are fortunate!!

*SIGH* here we go again with more of the more. I have seen on more than a few occasions buyers being opset due to having been caught out by sellers not having clear instructions on their page or not having any indication whatsover that they don't post to P.O. boxes. I have also seen sellers who have clear instructions at the bottom of their page or elswhere stating that they DO NOT post to certain destinations or countries.

It takes no effort to add this to a page.

Re: Seller wont send to PO Box

tazzieterror — Tue, 03 Mar 2020 07:13:34 GMT

@4channel wrote:

*SIGH* here we go again with more of the more. I have seen on more than a few occasions buyers being opset due to having been caught out by sellers not having clear instructions on their page or not having any indication whatsover that they don't post to P.O. boxes. I have also seen sellers who have clear instructions at the bottom of their page or elswhere stating that they DO NOT post to certain destinations or countries.

It takes no effort to add this to a page.

If when checking out a buyer cannot have their order sent to a PO box address, it is because the seller has excluded PO boxes in their postage preferences for that listing. When this is done for a listing, the PO box exclusion is shown under the 'Postage and payments' tab of the listing. There is no need to replicate this information in the 'Description' tab, because, funnily enough, that area is for the description, and the 'Postage and payments' tab is for postage information.

A buyer should be checking the 'Postage and payments' tab as a matter of course anyway, as it's not only where they would learn about shipping exclusions and options, but also the seller's handling time and returns policy - standard things for a buyer to look at before making a purchase.

"I have seen on more than a few occasions buyers being opset due to having been caught out by sellers not having clear instructions on their page..."

The buyers haven't been "caught out", they've been lazy and not bothered to check. Sellers don't need to replicate information already given under the correct section of the listing.

"It takes no effort to add this to a page."

It takes even less effort for a buyer to click on the 'Postage and payments' tab of the listing to view info about postage, payments, handling time, and return policy.

Stop defending lazy buyers, 4channel.

Re: Seller wont send to PO Box

brerrabbit585 — Tue, 03 Mar 2020 08:31:46 GMT

Hey, let's repeat everything in the description. Don't worry about it clogging everything up so that buyers can't find the actual description of the item. We could tell buyers what the postage will cost, as well as the price, and everything else they're too lazy or incompetent to find for themselves.

Re: Seller wont send to PO Box

*tippy*toes* — Tue, 03 Mar 2020 23:34:39 GMT

@cunniaan wrote:
I've just encountered two sellers that don't say anything about not sending to PO Box anywhere in their listing & you only find this out once you go to buy the item.

Then you have to ask then if you can cancel the order.

Not good enough. They send the items by post anyhow, so I don't see what the problem is from their end.

But if it was in their listing that they don't send to PO Box I wouldn't buy from them & therefore wouldn't have to ask to cancel the order.

How can this be avoided?

I doubt the OP will be back, but for the benefit of others, if the item is small enough to come through regular post, create a (free) My Post account and use the Parcel Collect option. That way the parcel is sent to the PO, it just won't be in your PO box. It's easy peasy. If you live in the city, there is also the Parcel Locker option.

Parcel collect also means you can get the parcel sent to any PO in Australia. If you are going to be away, you can get it sent to the PO that is local to where you're staying. You will have a unique Parcel Collect number which stays the same, just the PO address changes. You can also intercept a parcel and get it redirected if you have to go away urgently.

Of course, if the parcel is coming via courier, then none of the above applies.

Re: Seller wont send to PO Box

cunniaan — Thu, 05 Mar 2020 20:21:45 GMT

Thanks to you all for your replies.

I've found where it's listed that PO Boxes are excluded, right at the botton of all the exclusions.

So even though it states on the front page of the listing that they post to Australia (or Worldwide) you have to click into the exclusions & at the very end it'll have PO Boxes excluded.

To me this isn't that obvious, but now I know where to look I'll check that from now on & avoid those sellers who exclude PO Boxes.

Re: Seller wont send to PO Box

cezm — Fri, 06 Mar 2020 05:24:21 GMT

I have a PO Box.

I have found that if I use the cart, it will let me know if the seller won't post to a PO Box. I have the option of changing my address or not proceeding with the purchase.

Re: Seller wont send to PO Box

glenbankloel — Fri, 06 Mar 2020 22:27:32 GMT

Hello countessa welcome back, hope all is well at least for a while.

Re: Seller wont send to PO Box

4channel — Sat, 07 Mar 2020 01:49:29 GMT

@tazzieterror wrote:
@4channel wrote:

*SIGH* here we go again with more of the more. I have seen on more than a few occasions buyers being opset due to having been caught out by sellers not having clear instructions on their page or not having any indication whatsover that they don't post to P.O. boxes. I have also seen sellers who have clear instructions at the bottom of their page or elswhere stating that they DO NOT post to certain destinations or countries.

It takes no effort to add this to a page.

.....................................

Stop defending lazy buyers, 4channel.

Just becuse some buyers don't see where it says .... "I don't send to P.O. boxes" (When and if it's there) doesn't make them lazy.

If I was still selling and for some reason I didn't send to P.O. boxes or a certain area, I'd make it clear for the buyers. Doesn't take much effort.

Re: Seller wont send to PO Box

4channel — Sat, 07 Mar 2020 01:55:00 GMT

@cunniaan wrote:
Thanks to you all for your replies.

I've found where it's listed that PO Boxes are excluded, right at the botton of all the exclusions.

So even though it states on the front page of the listing that they post to Australia (or Worldwide) you have to click into the exclusions & at the very end it'll have PO Boxes excluded.

To me this isn't that obvious, but now I know where to look I'll check that from now on & avoid those sellers who exclude PO Boxes.

That' why you missed it because it was right at the bottom of where you wouldn't see it. Sometimes this works in favour for a seller when they want to attract bidders and have a bit of excitement going. And speaking of excitement, sometimes when a buyer or collector sees something they realy want and get a bit excited about it, they won't see a disclaimer, an exlcusion or a warning when it's in the fine print or in a place not so obvious.

Cunniaan, you got caught out because it was in a not so visible place on the page.

Re: Seller wont send to PO Box

tazzieterror — Sat, 07 Mar 2020 11:28:58 GMT

@4channel wrote:
@tazzieterror wrote:

Stop defending lazy buyers, 4channel.
Just becuse some buyers don't see where it says .... "I don't send to P.O. boxes" (When and if it's there) doesn't make them lazy.
If I was still selling and for some reason I didn't send to P.O. boxes or a certain area, I'd make it clear for the buyers. Doesn't take much effort.

Price, quantity, title, postage cost, seller name, etc etc are all consistently displayed in the same parts of the page as those from any other listing. Likewise return policy, shipping service options, handling time, and....postage exclusions!

Arguing that a seller is somehow making life difficult for buyers by not manually transposing any of this information into their item description is backwards. Your argument is backwards.