Want some extra security for your packages? Are things constantly being stolen from your home?
PO Boxes are a great safe alternative for many people, but does Amazon ship to PO boxes? and if not, what can you do?
Does Amazon Deliver To PO Boxes?
Yes, Amazon.com and it’s third-party marketplace sellers do ship items to PO boxes. However, Amazon uses a lot of couriers, like Fedex and UPS, that don’t deliver to PO boxes. This means a lot of products sold on Amazon.com won’t be delivered to your PO box. Amazon shoppers are encouraged to use General Delivery addresses or their pickup locations to avoid problems.
If you want to learn more about Amazon deliveries and how to receive your packages with or without a PO box, read on…
Why Won’t Amazon Ship To My PO Box
Amazon uses a lot of independent contractors and private couriers like UPS and Fedex to fulfill their orders. Unfortunately, these companies don’t deliver to PO boxes.
If there is an item on Amazon you’re trying to get delivered to you PO box, and it isn’t going through, it is likely Amazon is using one of these shipping companies to fulfill the order.
Only USPS can deliver to PO boxes. Amazon does partner with USPS which is why some items are deliverable to PO boxes but not all.
USPS charges the best rate for small, lightweight items. However, UPS and Fedex offer Amazon better rates on the heavier packages. By using multiple companies, Amazon is able to take advantage of the best shipping rates available to them.
Customers are able to enjoy the low shipping rates, but it does cause some minor inconveniences when it comes to figuring out what can and cannot be shipped to your PO box.
Note: Amazon Pharmacy does not ship any medications to PO boxes whatsoever. You will need a street address to obtain your meds and no offsite pickups are available for prescription drugs.
How To Write A PO Box Address On Amazon
When filling out your PO box address on Amazon, simply put your PO box in the ‘Address Line 1’ field. Don’t put your street address or anything else. That’s it.
Simply putting your PO box in the shipping address will let Amazon know to ship via USPS if possible.
Does Amazon Prime Ship To PO Boxes?
Amazon Prime members can also use their PO boxes for qualifying orders.
Some Amazon Prime deliveries are done with USPS and in these cases you are free to use your PO box address to receive your packages.
However, Amazon Prime members with PO boxes can’t use them for release-date deliveries and pre-orders. In this case, you’d receive the package a little later than if you used a regular street address.
Sometimes, in order to fulfill the order, Amazon will downgrade the shipping from their free two-day shipping to standard. So your item will be delivered to your PO box, but not in the two-days they guarantee Prime members.
Does Amazon Fresh Deliver To PO Boxes?
No, Amazon Fresh doesn’t deliver to PO boxes at this time. If you live near an Amazon Fresh Pickup location, you can opt to collect your groceries there.
Amazon Fresh only delivers to qualifying street addresses. You can check if they deliver to your home or office on their website here. Simply put your address to see if you qualify for Fresh deliveries.
Does Amazon Ship To PO Boxes In Puerto Rico?
Puerto Rico residents have a couple of restrictions when it comes to ordering online. Amazon does deliver to some, but not all, PO boxes in Puerto Rico.
When inputing the address on Amazon, they will inform you if the item is deliverable or not.
Also note, Amazon doesn’t provide expedited or priority delivery options for PO boxes on the island.
Items over 70 lbs or anything considered potentially dangerous also won’t be eligible to ship to Puerto Rico, regardless of whether it’s a PO box or street address.
What Stores Ship To PO Boxes?
A lot of retailers carry similar items to what Amazon offers. As an alternative, you can shop at a variety of online stores that do offer delivery to PO boxes.
Although you may not have the overnight or free two-day shipping, you would get your item at your PO box.
Companies that do offer PO box deliver at this time are:
- Bed, bath, and Beyond
- TJ Maxx
- Marshalls
- Dollar general
- Kroger
- The Vitamin Shoppe
Some retailers, like target, do ship certain items to PO boxes when they don’t exceed a certain weight limit.
You can check the shipping information under the item details or contact the stoore directly to get more information.
Note, a lot of retailers use UPS and Fedex to ship their products and don’t deliver any items to PO boxes. Some stores that don’t use USPS whatsoever are Staples, Sears, and Big Lots.
Want to learn more about Amazon? Check out these related post on how late Amazon delivers, does Amazon take EBT, and how many times can you watch a rented movie on Amazon Prime
Conclusion..
Although Amazon does ship some items to PO boxes, because they use companies like UPS and Fedex, a lot of items are excluded.
It can be a hassle figuring out what is and isn’t going to be deliverable to a PO box.
it is much easier to use an Amazon Locker pickup location, ask a family/friend to use their address, or simply find another retailer that does ship to PO boxes.
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