Sellers who refuse to send items to PO Box.

[lotzrgood]

Due to so much mail theft and identity theft, both Australia Post and the Police advise people to get a Post Office Box for safety and security. Then WHY do so many Ebay sellers now say they refuse to deliver to a post office box? 

A few years ago, I had some very important mail stolen from my home address mail box. Why? I had an Australia Post approved mail box, but mail delivery people would always leave mail half out of the (spring loaded) mail flap. When I complained to Aust Post I was told this rediculous reason - 'delivery people will not use 2 hands to put mail in boxes'. To put mail into my box you need one hand to prise open the strong flap (strong so as to stop people putting their hand in) and other hand to put the mail in. But our dear posties will only deliver mail with ONE hand. So they leave mail hanging through the slit. I was told that if I wanted to get my mail securely, to get a Post Office box. So I did.

So now many Ebay sellers will not deliver mail to my post office box 'due to security reasons'. HOW? WHY? When I go to my post office box I have to sign for many items. And as my work sees me away from home for many days at a time, I know my mail is held safely. Many items I buy from Ebay don't need to be signed for - so why can't they go to a safe post office box? What annoys me is that if I do give my home address, and I do need to sign for the item - if I am not home, they leave a card. And I have to drive down to the SAME post office where by box is, and wait in the queue for nearly 20 minutes, just to sign for the parcel. Something I would have to do if it was sent to my PO Box!! My incoming mail is FAR more secure sitting at my post box.

Also, my brother works doing FIFO in very remote sites. These sites do not have physical addresses - all goods go to a box at the nearest local post office. He is finding it increasingly hard to get things sent to him due to this silly seller requirement. Alot of sellers will lose buyers with this rediculous request. I can understand if a buer has nil or low feedback count, but with well established, good reputable buyers, why the problem?

[digital*ghost]

I agree that the cart and checkout system could do with some drastic improvements, there's so much that gets in the way of a simple and enjoyable buying experience  - they have warnings like "does not (or sometimes 'may not') ship to Australia" in red right there on the page where applicable, so even if they just had that in relation to PO boxes, it would help prevent a lot of frustration.

PO boxes are classified as a location, so when it comes to the 'Buy It Now' button, any block is reliant on the seller having manually implemented it (the one that blocks buyers with a primary postage address in a location they don't post to should take effect at that point), however between the sellers who don't know they need to set up this block manually, and the ones that decide not to set it up in the hope that buyers will simply supply an alternative address at checkout, most buyers will have already purchased an item before finding out they can't supply a PO box address.

I'd like eBay to address the particular problem I now have with parcel locker / collect addresses, but only if they actually got it right, which is an unfortunate long shot given the PO box issue has existed in all my time on eBay (nearly a decade) 😞 (My items can go to PO boxes, but most aren't classed as parcels so can't go to parcel lockers or parcel collect addresses, so either they get redirected, or held at a post office near the buyer if I don't get an alternative address. If I could just block them, without having to include PO boxes, I would be very happy).

[dazzledayz]

Actually, the simplest method I could see would be to make the exclusions more visible.

A couple of lines of extra type enumerating the exclusions right up front.

Another option would be a simple pop-up and a rewording:

"This seller has postage exclusions - click here"

It's not rocket science but not a lot gets thought through very well at the design stage or caught at testing.

Though as I said in my earlier post - if they can determine the error through the cart, they can determine the error off the Buy button action.

It's a java control so should be relatively simple and fast to return a result.

It's really just lazy or laissez faire programming.

A few experienced sellers as beta testers would probably be a good idea.

[jameseafor0]

Courier companies don't have the time to wait 15 minutes in line to drop off your order to your PO Box / parcel locker. Courier services are used the world over, it's just that Australia Post have had the monopoly for far too long down here and people think it's only way to do things. 9/10 couriers will not deliver to PO box numbers. Get with the times, buyers.

[padi*0409]

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@jameseafor0 wrote:

Courier companies don't have the time to wait 15 minutes in line to drop off your order to your PO Box / parcel locker. Courier services are used the world over, it's just that Australia Post have had the monopoly for far too long down here and people think it's only way to do things. 9/10 couriers will not deliver to PO box numbers. Get with the times, buyers.

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Apart from Startrack (under certain circumstances) couriers have to pay AP out of their own money to drop at a PO, so they will not do it.

Which is fair enough really, why should AP deliver their goods for free.............................

[ivak245]

I sell some big,heavy stuff, and it's real simple.... Australia Post, $40, even if you take out insurance (extra of course) it's not worth the receipt it is printed on (has anyone ever won an AP insurance claim?), or by courier, $25, which includes insurance. 
The courier for me is extra work as there are more forms to fill out, and the depot is a fair distance, but which one would the buyer normally chose? the courier of course (so would I), and the plain fact is they don't and won't deliver to a PO box.

[maranock]

I would never choose a courier as a buyer or seller.

Living in a small town (and a lot of buyers do live in small towns and out of the way places) means that couriers only pick up or deliver when they have a truck coming this way - maybe tomorrow, maybe in two weeks. If I am at work when a courier comes than I have to travel, maybe 60 km to pick it up at their depot - and have to take time of work to do that. Many people can't get to depots to pick up.

Ever tried to claim on insurance with a courier? it is not simple and claims are often dismissed.

I don't buy off sellers who use couriers and won't dellvier to PO boxes - I don't have a PO box myself but I see it as an indication that I might have trouble with any purchase I make off them.

[mr_fluffle]

At my current address we have a shared mail box and I've had mail stolen and ripped up and thrown on the ground near the mail box. I knew it was my mail as I saw a small piece of paper with my name on it and it was part of my health care card.

From then on I only use a PO box as I know my mail will not be tampered with or stolen.

Sellers who do not deliver to PO BOXES will not get my business.

[digital*ghost]

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@mr_flufflewrote:


Sellers who do not deliver to PO BOXES will not get my business.

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That's kinda the point. 

By which I mean sellers who don't ship to PO boxes make that decision knowing full well that it eliminates customers who exclusively have things delivered PO box addresses. 

[jameseafor0]

To be brutally honest, given where you live and your requirements, you're not the business most sellers are looking for. No disrespect intended. 

[davewil1964]

To be brutally honest, I hope you actually know something about selling. I, and a lot of other sellers, don't use couriers, so PO Boxes aren't a problem. Where the buyer actually lives is irrelevant.