second time I get adress unknown in US

[Former_Member]

Hi,
I wanted to get your point of view on an issue I meet for the second time in the US.
This is the second time I send a package to US and it ends up with "adress unknown" or "no such number" in the tracking.
First time, the package went back to me and the adress was compliant with the one given by the customer. And this time I'm 99% sure, I wrote it correctly also and I checked on google map : the adress exists.
In both cases, the customers contacted me before delivery because they felt it was delivered too slowly (even if it took less than 2 weeks to arrive from France and I state in my conditions that it can go up to 3 weeks).

I'm starting to wonder if they can have refused the package from post officer and that this "unknown adress" is just a false reason.

What is your opinion ? have you ever met this problem also ?
If adress is compliant with adress in ETSY should I refund also the shipping cost ?
Thanks for your help

[LeedsRadio]

Evane -

Google maps is not a reliable indicator that an address exists. If I take my building number and add 10 to it, the address shows up on google maps but the building doesn't exist.

Go to usps.com
Click on "Look up a zip code"
Enter the address
Click find
If the address resolves there the address is for sure an address the USPS can find.

A person CAN refuse a package but in that case it would have "refused" on the package when it came back.

[Former_Member]

As said in a private message to Richard, this is a big thanks for this great tip !

I checked the address given by the customer on USPS site and it does not exists. So I will refund only the item and not the shipment for this customer.

I will now always check the address before sending to avoid any further issues.

[WindDancerStudios]

Google knows my house exists, the USPS does not. The computer even changed my address when I went in to get my drivers license renewed. My zip code covers two small rural areas and the computer kept insisting my address was in the one I'm not, because they have a road very similar in name, making my address nonexistent. I just wanted to let people know it's not always you or the customer making the mistake. Try contacting the customer first and have them go to the post office.

[Former_Member]

I assume this system is not always perfect :-)

However, in the case I faced, the customer told me that she had never had any mailing receiving issue and that her address was right.

When I shown her the USPS results, she told me : "oh, finally could you send it to this new adress because I had not notices that my building had 2 addresses and the mail should be delivered to the other adress"... ;-)

[KIVVERS]

My day job is with USPS. The "system" is EXTREMELY picky. Do NOT use any periods or apostrophes! It will not accept Street, it prefers ST. There are many more things that I won't bother to go into detail here. If you would care to send me the address by convo, I will try to help you figure out the problem.

Also, virtually all parcels are now sorted by machines. They read from the bottom up. The first thing the machine looks for is the ZIP. Then it it will read the line directly above it. If the customer uses a PO Box but puts the street address instead, the system will not recognize it because no delivery is given to the street address...only to the PO Box address. It's a weird set-up but it works well if you understand it. Send me the address, maybe I can fix it for you!

[Former_Member]

Thanks for your proposal Doris, but the customer finally agreed that she made an error on her adress.
I note your comments on usps adress reading that are very valuable.

[LeedsRadio]

Doris
I was told by the USPS that when using electronically generated postage the sorter does not read the alpha-numeric address at all. The destination zipcode is buried in the IMpb Barcode which provides both routing and tracking.

My experience is that a surprising number of people don't know their own address, as was the case with Evane's customer. She gave me the address and as luck would have it I used to live in that zipcode and know the street VERY well. The building number simply doesn't exist.

[BeachFleaMarket]

When I use the ETSY (or Paypal) print shipping label service I have seen a warning when it cannot find the address before I print the label. In these cases I contacted the buyer and they clarified the address. Once it was from Italy and I put it into google translate. Part of the given address was actually instructions on where to leave the package. I separated that out from the address and wrote out the instructions away from the label.

[KIVVERS]

Richard,
That is true. The USPS sorting machines do not read the alpha-numeric address at all. At some sorting facilities, up to 98% of packages are sorted by machine and is not seen by a real person until it is sent to its designated area. It IS built into the barcode; however, to determine the correct barcode, the alpha-numeric address is used when printing the label (which is why sometimes an address may not be recognized).

And it is amazing how many people don't know their own address. Our office has a family that refuses to use the address that 9-1-1 issued (the Postal Service has nothing to do with establishing addresses in our rural area), so they created their own! Anyway, I hope they never need 911 because they will not be found.