Stuck in Shipping Address Error Loop - Help!

[mrbuns]

I'm trying to print a shipping label for an item I sold on eBay.  After completing the form and clicking Continue, the page reloads with an error message at the top that states, "Please note, the shipping address is different from the U.S. Postal Service's recommended address. The U.S. Postal Service recommends this shipping address:

We suggest contacting the buyer to confirm their correct shipping address."  I noted that the difference is the zip code - the one that matches the buyer's address on the transaction details page is 86429, and the USPS recommended address has it as 86430.

As the message suggested, I contacted the buyer, who told me the zip is indeed 86429, so I did not change it to the USPS recommended address.  When I clicked continue again, the form reloaded with the same error message, so I'm stuck.  (By the way, I had this same problem about a week ago, and I did change to the recommended address in that situation, but created a new problem - I lose my Paypal Protection because the ship-to address no longer matches the one on the transaction details page.  It's a Catch-22.)

So, how can I bypass the USPS error box and print my label since the buyer confirmed that his address is correct and the USPS recommendation is wrong?  And for future reference, how can I avoid losing Paypal Protection if I do change to the USPS recommended address?

Please help ASAP.  Thanks!

[PayPal_Adrian · Accepted solution]

Welcome to the boards!

These are always wonderfully complicated conflicts to resolve, I'll admit, and it can be quite a conundrum - but it can be solved!  PayPal and eBay updated some of their address standardization software awhile back, so our sellers are running into this less and less often, and it's only going to get better from here on out.

The first thing to do is look at the zip code.  Write it down.

Then go to USPS.com, and click on "Find a Zip Code."  It's in red, up top, and on the left.

On the next page, click on "Find a Zip Code" all the way over on the right in the tabs.

Enter your zip code and choose one of those cities to match up with the zip code.  USPS will also tell you what is acceptable, and what isn't.

No matter what your buyer may tell you, USPS.com is pretty much always up to date.  They know when the acceptable city names in a zip code are going to change, and so the website updates accordingly.  The shipping tools on both eBay and PayPal run off of the same address verifier, and so are in-sync with USPS.com.

To address your concerns about Seller Protection - the zip code is going to generally be the discerning factor, but to be on the safe side, you may want to refund the buyer and ask that they submit the correct address.  The zip code is the meterstick to go by, because if that is different on a USPS shipment, you definitely lose coverage.

Thanks!

Adrian

[mrbuns]

I just wanted to stop back to this thread to say, "Thanks, Adrian," for the helpful info and give everyone an update.  After my buyer insisted his address was correct although the Paypal software said otherwise, I had to make a quick judgement call since I promise 1-day shipping turnaround after cleared paymentfor my auctions.  So I opted to keep my Seller Protection intact by using the address the seller provided rather than the USPS recommendation.  Therefore, I couldn't print the label online and had to make a trip to the post office and buy postage there at the non-discounted rate.

Here's the kicker.  While the package was in transit, I received another email from the buyer telling me that the USPS recommended zip code was right after all!  Luckily, the tracking showed that the package arrived on time anyway, but I did send a message back to the buyer, thanking him for the info and suggesting that he immediately update his address in both his eBay and Paypal accounts.

So now I know what to do if I get the address error in the future - go the the USPS site to verify the address and notify the buyer of the results, asking him to update his account to the standardized address.  Then, refund the buyer and re-invoice for the item.

To everyone reading this, we should all check our Paypal and eBay account addresses on the USPS site to make sure we are using the standardized version, and update if necessary.:)

[PayPal_Adrian]

Thank you for the follow up and for stopping back in.  Your advice is indeed sound.  Kudos to you!

Adrian