General Delivery, UPS, etc.

[InPursuit]

There are about 10 items I would like to order online for delivery but shippers don't manage an address like "NB Rest Stop Mile Marker 276" very well...

USPS doesn't seem able to tell me which locations near X are GD.
And if I knew which one it was UPS won't drop off the box in any case.

There has got to be a better way.
Have any of you found it?

[saydiver]

We only have mail shipped GD. Packages shipped by Fed Ex or UPS requires us to stay at a particular campground long enough to receive the package.

We also have an Amazon Prime membership, so for one annual fee, packages ordered from Amazon, which qualify for Amazon prime, are shipped free and arrive in two business days.

Sue

[FlyingDiver]

Generally, any post office will accept General Delivery. If there is more than one Post Office for a town, only one will handle General Delivery. You need to actually call them to see which one it is, as the website won't tell you. Or ask here.

We just do it in small towns that only have one post office. No problem.

joe

[InPursuit]

Quote:

Originally Posted by FlyingDiver Generally, any post office will accept General Delivery. If there is more than one Post Office for a town, only one will handle General Delivery. You need to actually call them to see which one it is, as the website won't tell you.

Exactly. This is what I was complaining about in my Q.
I assumed that most folks reading the full-timers section would be familiar with this problem in how the USPS operates.

The Question:
When you are actually out there "on the road", however long you may have been parked prior and (this is the important part) ...you don't know where you are going to park next... how can you arrange to have something sent in advance for you to pick up from a responsible 3rd party when you get where you are going 5-15 or maybe 30 days hence??

And remember that UPS and FedEx won't deliver to a post office.
And that such need often shows up on short notice (like specialty repair parts).

What do people really do? Pick a town and take two or so days to drive there, then nail down the different kinds of ship-to addresses and then just hang out for the 5-15, 30 days it takes a package to wend it's way?

That's crazy talk.

[/QUOTE]Or ask here. [/QUOTE]

Now Joe, we may be getting on to something useful!

Joe's idea of "asking here" for someone we don't know and who doesn't know us seems like it could quickly become a real imposition on the S&B members...

I have participated in this sort of thing before in other forums, even the relay of large and bulky items, but there was more equality and personal contact among the members and more likeliness of reciprocity.

Does anyone think this sort of thing could work?

A few days ago I asked in a regional section of the forum for info about a 2-7day place to park and do some work and got no useful response at all.

Bend Oregon anyone?

[FlyingDiver]

When I said "ask here", I meant ask if anyone knew the specifics for GD for a particular area or town.

You've stumbled across one of the major challenges of the full-timer lifestyle. There is no general solution for your question. If you NEED a package, then YOU need to make sure you can be where it's going to be delivered. As Sue said, as much as possible we use 2nd day delivery to minimize the problem. We can almost always plan that far in advance. We've only really gotten bit twice in two years. Once was a company that didn't ship for a week after we placed the order. The second was when the package got hung up in Hong Kong so it didn't make the promised delivery date.

Now, we do send packages ahead to friends and family, and they hold them for weeks if needed. Never asked on the forums for someone we don't personally know to do it, but might if we absolutely had to. We've had something send to campgrounds as much as a week before we got there. In those cases, we called ahead to make reservations and give them a heads up.

Personally, if I thought it was going to take 15-30 days, I'd have it sent to my Escapees address and then have them forward it. Yeah, I'll pay twice for shipping, but I'll know where it is.

joe

[Ed-Sommers]

This is not really as complicated as it seems. I am a full timer and get many, many boxed items in my travels.

The key is to know what delivery points are available. for instance UPS delivers to the UPS Stores (used to be kinkos) so all you have to do is use the stores address and on second line say "Hold For Pickup", and for this service they charge you five bucks. I call them to let them know my name but this is not required in most locations with the exception of the Pahrump Nevada UPS Store. Locations can be found on the UPS web site. UPS also has what they call staffed locations where you use the UPS address with that same notation, and again, locations with times available for pickup are on the web site.

I've also found that if you are in a very remote location with a limited number of RV's around, a made up address will find you by either Fedex or UPS. For instance, I got to a place outside of Goldfield, Nv where there is a Hot Spring but with very few RV visitors. I've received many packages with just the silly address of "1 Big Bus RV parked at Alkali Hot Springs". and they drive right up to me!

Fedex also has staffed pickup points and affiliate stores with info avail on their web site.

Small towns with only one post office are great for delivery options.

Ed

[frankdamp]

I thought that FedEx and UPS both would hold packages at their distribution centers for pick-up. If they have something that can't be delivered (needs a sig, but nobody's home) they leave a message and take it back to the distribution center where there's a pick-up desk.

[RVDude]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ed-Sommers UPS Stores (used to be kinkos)

UPS stores used to be Mailboxes Etc.
FedEx stores used to be Kinkos

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ed-Sommers just the silly address of "1 Big Bus RV parked at Alkali Hot Springs". and they drive right up to me!

That is the funny!!! I can't wait to try that one out! Thanks for the tip. Makes sense. I had a similar thing in a very remote part of Alaska. I did have a "real" address but I was far elsewhere at the time of delivery. The driver (as did all the locals) knew where I was and just brought it to me. Small towns are great for that level of service and just looking out for one another.

I am not sure I see what the problem is?

I get time critical parts and the like shipped out all the time and just ship it to a UPS type store as "hold for pickup" knowing I'll need to go get the package. If it's a time critical order, then I must be stuck! You might have to drive a hundred miles to get to the nearest UPS type store, but when you need the part you do it. Usually these places do it for free or sometime a dollar/package. I've also found that in a small town any store/business would be happy to be the target address just by asking.

For things that have a long lead time and obviously are not therefore critical, I'll ship those to my "normal" address where they accumulate and then I'll have them forward the whole lot as needed when I am conveniently at an address.

BTW UPS has a new service for large shippers called "BASIC" service where UPS picks up from the loading dock and then UPS actually delivers the package to the destination local USPS post office who then does the final delivery.

[InPursuit]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ed-Sommers This is not really as complicated as it seems. I am a full timer and get many, many boxed items in my travels. The key is to know what delivery points are available. for instance UPS delivers to the UPS Stores (used to be kinkos) so all you have to do is use the stores address and on second line say "Hold For Pickup", and for this service they charge you five bucks.

Thats what I thought would work too.
But when I actually went into a couple stores to inquire about this they SPECIFICALLY told me that they did NOT accept packages that weren't addressed to one of their box holders... which gets the box returned that day.

The regular UPS depot locations will also accept and hold FOR FIVE DAYS but then will be returned to sender (I've been caught up in this one already).

Anyway, everyone seems to have anecdotes about their experiences and conjecture about why and how it worked (or didn't)... and I'm sure I too can come up with my own "kludge" to get the job done... and thanks for sharing them.

[LindaH]

Quote:

Originally Posted by FlyingDiver Generally, any post office will accept General Delivery. If there is more than one Post Office for a town, only one will handle General Delivery. You need to actually call them to see which one it is, as the website won't tell you.

If a town has two or more post offices, it is almost always the MAIN post office that accepts general delivery mail (I've never been in a town with more than one post office where this has not been true).

However, you CAN get this information directly from the USPS website:

1. Go to USPS - The United States Postal Service (U.S. Postal Service)
2. At the top left, click on "Find A Zip Code"
3. In the "Address 1" box, type in GENERAL DELIVERY
4. Complete the City and State boxes
5. Click the SUBMIT button
6. Write down the Zip Code including the "-9999"

Now that you have the Zip Code for the post office that handles general delivery mail in the town of your choice, go back to the main USPS page and:

1. Near the upper left corner, click on "Locate a Post Office"
2. In the "City or Zip Code" box, type in the Zip Code you wrote down in the above steps
3. Click on the SEARCH button
4. Sometimes you will get a list of serveral post offices...I've never seen an instance where the first post office listed wasn't the main post office that accepted general delivery mail.
5. Write down the address

To find the telephone number so that you can call them to confirm that they do, indeed, accept general delivery mail, when at Step #5, above, click on "More Info" under the address of the post office. The post office's local telephone number will be listed.

[RVDude]

Quote:

Originally Posted by InPursuit But when I actually went into a couple stores to inquire about this they SPECIFICALLY told me that they did NOT accept packages that weren't addressed to one of their box holders... which gets the box returned that day.

Certainly a UPS store that you do not have an account at can NOT accept any USPS signature required deliveries (certified, registered, etc.) and the same for signature required deliveries from FedEx et. al. which is often the default mode - signature required.

After 10 years of UPS store use and forwarding all over the country to UPS Stores, I have never heard of rejecting a requested delivery - but I do ship to them via UPS - using NO SIGNATURE REQUIRED - to these UPS stores and always the courtesy its coming phone call. Never had a rejection.

[Bill Adams]

I have received packages at UPS Stores, FedEx stores and local Pack and Ship stores. I use the internet to find a store where I will be when the package is due and have it shipped there. I always call the Pack and Ship type stores first to confirm that they will accept a package just to be on the safe side.
If you want to ship something to someone and expect them to hold it for you for 2 weeks you are going to have to make some serious changes to your thinking. Surely, you know where you will be and when you will be there so have the package shipped according to your arrival plans rather than shipping now and having it held until you get there. Additionally, some of these stores charge $5 for the service and some charge $5/day while the package sits there.
You don't need to other think this, it's really pretty easy. If you are headed for a campground nearly every campground we have visited will also accept your mail/package without issue but we always confirm that before shipping to ensure the address that we have is actually a valid shipping address.

[ichn2go]

If you don't know where you will be how can you have anything delivered? If you don't know your home address, you can't receive anything. Good Luck

[MaverickBBD]

Another benefit of having a housesitter who is your sister.