Using P.O. Box as shipping address?

[nikko]

Have anyone done it?

I am tried of losing packages. We have two different mailboxes in our apartment. One is for letter mails which every single apartment unit has one private box for letters. For parcels, however, the whole floor shares on big box that many people have access to it. Unless it's insured or signature required, USPS will just drop the parcel into the box. That is: I can see (and take) other people's parcel and vice versa.

Before I did not have this problem because our apartment is mainly for retired people. People are all friendly and honest in our community.

Recently the university beside us bought the whole apartment area and a lot of students moved in. Not only the living quality goes down, my parcels start to disappear too. I have lost 3 important packages in recent two month (just lost one this week, damn).

I am considering renting a PO Box and use it as my primary shipping address.

[JAC]

[nikko]

Yeah. I claimed the first missing parcel since it's a high value one. For now, I request (and pay) for signature required and/or insurance whenever possible. I even requested insurance when buying from doccybrown who ships from Germany. For last two parcels, it's books (from Amazon) and P4001, so I guess I will just reorder them.

The problem with PO Box is that UPS cannot deliver to PO Box, even credit card company cannot take it as primary shipping address.

Anyway, I am thinking about moving now.... Those never ending party are just annoying.

[JAC]

I am sorry nikko.. I find that outrageous. You knew very well a shared parcel drop could be accessed by anyone! - yet you still claimed. I am shocked!

[nikko]

Well, If it's a ordinary package, then I would just forget it. If it's a high value one, it should be sent as signature required or insurred as always. Would you just ship a 400 dollar item and assume that the postman will just delivery it right to my hands without any tracking/insurance/sig. required? What if he just drop it in front of my door?

Besides, it didn't happen often until now... the last parcel I lost before there three incident happened is about a year ago.

[JAC]

You knew there was a problem, you should have pointed it out to the seller before they shipped.

[nikko]

I didn't know it was the case until I ordered from Amazon. The tracking said delivered and I saw no package. And then, I lost another, so now I know someone is now picking packages. I didn't have this problem before (I live here for 6 years). Now I am requesting insruace whenever possible.

[JAC]

Nikko, you fail to see my point.. you state:

"For parcels, however, the whole floor shares on big box that many people have access to it."

Then you state..

"Yeah. I claimed the first missing parcel since it's a high value one. "


Do you see why I have a problem with that?

You did not point out to the seller that you must have insurance.. infact , you knew it should have gone with insurance.. did you pay for insurance for the high value missing parcel? If you did not pay for insurance then you knew the risk was for you as well and you should NOT have claimed.

[JAC]

Have you also claimed from Amazon then? ..oh.. its ok, they are a big comapny.. they can eat the loss?

[nikko]

Well, my point is that I have lived here for 6 year and I didn't have this problem before. Now I got this problem and I am trying to solve it, so I ask here.

And for any seller who mail a high value item without insurace/sig. required/tracking is irrespoinsible. How can I even know if he has shipped the item. Well, of course you can say that he could have shipped an empty box, but that's out of this topic... If the seller has the proof that he has shipped the item (i.e. tracking), and I guess I would not claim it at all.

I did not and cannot claim from Amazon because the tracking said delivered. and thx to that tracking. Now I have to fix my fence...

Well, I am not posting here to prove my points. You can agree with me or not. I was just asking a question to get a PO box.

[CPUShack]

I would have first contacted the building manager, and then the post office.

Who ever maintains that box should be responsible for the theft.

[JAC]

nikko I am not trying to ride your ass.. I am just stunned that you do not see your part in the loss and that it is unfair to blame the seller because someone in your aprtment helped themselves to your mail!

You havent answered my questions directly so I can only infer you did not pay for insurance.

[nikko]

I have won and bought so many expensive items on eBay. I didn't request insurance all the time, because they are always sent with tracking or singnature required. I have bought from that seller before, and he always sent signature required, so I didn't bother to ask for insurance. But for some reason, when I asked for the package this time, he didn't have a tracking or proof at all, so I claimed.

See, if I didn't not insure my package and the seller proved that he have sent it. There is nothing I can od. Even Paypal will not believe me. This happened to me so many times. I even got empty package before that I couldn't claim at all.

Now I have another problem. Another seller shipped my package with 2 P4004 missing (the rest is there). Even with tracking, I cannot prove that the seller forgot to put the 2 P4004. Even if I claimed with Paypal. They will not believe me either. Only thing I can do is contact the seller and claim and hope that he is honest.

[nikko]

Forgot the mention. I bugged my Postman so many times for the lost package. Now he just run away when he sees me.

[JAC]

Maybe if I repeat myself again you will understand what I am tryign to say...


I am just stunned that you do not see your part in the loss and that it is unfair to blame the seller because someone in your apartment helped themselves to your mail!


Do I need to use colour, or maybe big letters? Are the words too long?