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?

[polly.the.cat]

I think dave, that you would agree that there are some advantages in having a PO Box @ AP. Namely a Courier goes straight to the PO and hands item to staff, who sign and id & time stamp the couriers chit.
AP Postie will ONLY Deliver once to a roadside house/unit address, no one home, he/she leaves a pink pickup slip in the letter box, and said person has to go with id. to collect from their local PO Centre.
Having said that, most NON-AP Couriers will try to Deliver twice to a residence, then leave a slip in the box, and said person has to appear at the Courier Company with id. to obtain said item.
Most of AP outside work is now done through non-AP persons, and is contracted out through Labour Hire Agencies. A large lot of now internal mail sorting/machine operating, is also contracted out.
AP Lost $218 Million last year, this cannot continue, no company can afford to incur those losses. Changes are coming. Best to grab a PO Box soon, safest option. The biggest changes to the Australian Postal System, since its inception, are on the way. AP may say "no way" now, but few want you to know the bad news, till it is on your doorstep.
Gone are the good old days of the PMG, Post Master General, and mail delivery twice a day, and once on Saturday. Gone, Gone, & Gone.

[davewil1964]

AP made a huge profit last year. Where are you getting your figures from? They lost money on letters and delivering overseas parcels, but more than made it up by gouging domestic posters

Most couriers willl NOT deliver to PO Boxes, even customer centre ones. Which, as I have noted is not the norm.

My PO Box is with a local franchised PO, not a customer centre. As I have had my PO Box for more than a decade and the same people still staff it, I MIGHT get courier deliveries there, but the average Joe Blow certainly wouldn't.

[colic2bullsgirlore]

---

@attic-case wrote:
As a Retired Manager with over 20 years of Service within Australia Post, l am well versed on the ".....Do not Deliver To Post Office Boxes."

Let me settle the real matter for once and all.

1. An approved APO Rented Mail Box is an OFFICIAL Mailing Address.
2. Any APO Employee/Counter Staff are your (the PO Box holder) Legal
Agent to sign for and Accept Items as per Your Contract with APO.
3. ANY Sender who refuses to Send to your Post Office Box # is in
Breach of Article Of Delivery Agreements/Codes with The APO.

There are many and varied reasons persons have a Post Office Box,
here are just a few.

Single mum's with children under Families/Communities Care.
People on a AFP or State Police Witness Protection Program.
Police Officers, Detectives/Goal Officers/ Politicians.
Silent Voter's, Persons approved to not be on the Electoral Role.

These are but a few, ....so what does one do on eBay ???

Do what l do, on my Buying id. l enquire first if the said Buyer will ship
to my PO Box, if so no problem. IF NOT, then a little reminder that
"their" Courier still goes to a roadside address, same as a house, so what is the difference. Better for the Sender 100% signature at the PO Front Counter, not like "no one home".

A reminder of my ability to leave fair and just Feedback, usually turns a no, into yes we can, ...from prospective Seller. WORKS FOR ME.

---

Do you want to argue with these companies legal eagles???

..... If part of the contract you accept (as the customer) excludes delivery to PO

boxes then there is nothing you can do about it. it is definitely not against the law to exclude PO boxes via contract nor

in breach of any article of agreement. The customer agrees to the contract with the supplier it has SFA to do with the

Post office....

ticketek terms and conditions

http://premier.ticketek.com.au/Content/buyers/delivery.aspx

Paper Ticket Delivery Information

Ticketek will only mail tickets to the residential address of the credit/debit card holder. We do not send tickets to PO Boxes or business addresses

Concave

http://concave.com/shipping/

Shipping Rules and Restrictions

Orders are shipped on business days only. Business days are Monday to Friday, excluding national holidays in Australia.

We cannot deliver to PO boxes.

Napoleon Perdis

http://napoleonperdis.com/aus/shipping-and-delivery

3. Delivery location

To avoid delays in receiving your order, Napoleon Perdis recommends that you have the item delivered to an address where someone will be available to sign for it between 9 am and 5 pm.

PO Box addresses will not be accepted.

http://www.teeink.com.au/delivery-and-payment/

5. Please note that Fastway Couriers do not deliver to PO BOX addresses.

http://www.tackleandmarine.com.au/terms-conditions/

For prompt delivery of expedited orders, please ensure that someone will be available at your shipping location to receive your order.

If your mailing address is a post office box, please also include a physical address, because Fastways Couriers cannot deliver to a post office box

[lyndal1838]

---

@attic-case wrote:
Sorry davewil, BUT YOUR answer is not 100% correct. Let me explain.
@I have had Yellow Couriers, Couriers Please, and other couriers Deliver Parcels to my PO Box @ my Local Business Delivery Centre. 5 mins. from my home. The Counter Staff sign for and accept ALL ITEMS addressed to Mr. ****or eBay id. to PO Box 2205 ***Park SA.

Please DON'T TELL me my job, ....I Don't tell you yours. Let's leave it at that. Thank You.

---

I note that you are is South Australia so I will not comment on on which couriers can/will deliver to a PO Box there but here in NSW the only couriers who are authorised to deliver to a Post Office are StarTrack, AaE and Australia Post's own couriers (Messenger Post).

No post office in NSW is authorised to accept parcels from any other courier service, despite all the advice given on the boards that they will accept them if the parcels are addressed to the PO Box number as the street number and the actual street on which the PO is situated.

My authority for this information comes from 20 years experience as a subcontract courier myself and a husband who is still a courier after 25 years.  He completed some 18 years with AaE and is currently with StarTrack.

[polly.the.cat]

Thank you lyndal, You bring up some good points. Australia Post's own Couriers (Messenger Post) are in fact OWNED by YELLOW COURIERS.
I should know, l helped set up the Courier Network. Every State is different in whom is accepted by a APO, & yes, some Couriers will Deliver to a APO, Business Centre, or Franchised PO. Even our Local "Postie" is now a Contractor. AP have for years wanted to move away from the Deliver to your Door approach, and instead have that part Contracted out, relying more on their Internal Mail Sorting and Post Office One Stop Shops.

I have a lot of time and Respect for Contracted Service persons, they work long hard days, nights, and hours, for really not a great Return.
All the very Best to Both of you. Thank you.

[polly.the.cat]

I was at a Senior Regional Meeting here in Adelaide 5 years ago, when it was shown by graph and actual cost figures, that for AP to cover all their costs on a standard Letter, the charge should be $1 per Stamp. However, nothing was done, as the outcry from the Public would have been unreal. 5 years down the same track, here we are as of last month, all stamps are now 70 cents for a Standard Letter. Try and mail a Letter inside the USA for 70 cents, and see how far your Letter goes.

I had to have a Legal Paper sent 4 Streets from my Home, in the same suburb. Had to send it Registered with Return Proof of Signature by addressed person (only could sign). By Law l was not allowed to Serve the paper's myself. Local PO took said Letter, l paid all the extra money for the service, Monday @ 1:50 pm, ...said Letter was Delivered @10:30 am on Thursday, l received my notification via txt on my mobile @ 9:46 am Friday.
4 Streets from my home, & in the same Suburb, come on AP, lift your game. Not happy Jan all right. AP is a Business, not a Service.

[lyndal1838]

Well things are definitely different in South Australia.

Both Yellow Couriers and Yellow Express Couriers are privately owned companies and nothing to do with Australia Post.  Neither of them would be allowed to enter an Australia Post establishment, be it a local post office, a Mail Centre or any other sort of AP building.

The local posties over here are all AP employees (at least in Sydney) but the parcels are delivered by Contractors who are contracted to AP, with some work outsourced to StarTrack and Messenger Post.

[thecatspjs]

---

@lyndal1838 wrote:

Both Yellow Couriers and Yellow Express Couriers are privately owned companies and nothing to do with Australia Post.  Neither of them would be allowed to enter an Australia Post establishment, be it a local post office, a Mail Centre or any other sort of AP building.

---

Australia Post does accept domestic and international parcels from other carriers to their Parcel Collect locations. 

There are  700 Parcel Collect locations across Australia- including numerous Post Offices in NSW.

It is a free service to the consumer and requires registration to access BUT the courier service has to pay to leave parcels

- To lodge parcels into our network, carriers must pay Australia Post for the service.

- We have informed other carriers of our policy and it is up to the carrier to decide if they wish to pay to deliver to the Parcel Collect location.

[2106greencat]

Startrack and AE are owned by AP now aren't they ?

Guessing this is why they are more adaptable to PO deliveries.

[**tay**]

I have a PO box as my primary address, if a seller won't send to them, I don't buy from them. It's a sellers choice to decide where they will and won't post, just as it's my choice where I buy from.