Expert: Suzie Eads - 4/1/2011

Question
I think items on Ebay can't be shipped to a PO BOX. I've tried UPS but it's very expensive to get a regular address there. Any ideas on how I can rent an address, cheaply, where I can get my items from Ebay?

Answer
This is something I’ve not experienced!  I have been on the selling end of this question though.  Some sellers exclusively use UPS, or FedEx when shipping.  Neither of these companies delivers to a post office box.  I have noticed some sellers even put in their eBay auctions that “they don’t ship to post office boxes”.  This maybe the reason sellers are having a problem shipping your items to you.  Most of the time these are larger sellers, and they receive a discount though the shipping company they use.  Personally I like to use UPS on heavy or larger items.  I have found them to be cheaper than the post office on these types of package.

I live outside of a small town, and our options are pretty limited when trying to rent a physical address.  If the UPS store is out of the question maybe your employer would allow you to use the address there?  Is there a neighbor, relative or friend that would be willing to accept your packages?

If none of the options work for you, you could always message each seller before you bid and ask if they would be willing to ship the item to your post office box.