Shipping cost guides

Addresses and deliverability

How addresses are validated, what a PO Box, APO or parcel locker can and cannot receive, and the address formats that keep a parcel moving instead of returned.

40 guides

All 40 guides in this topic

Every guide in this topic, in library order. Prices inside them are examples captured on the date each guide shows.

Proof of Delivery to a PO Box: What USPS ReturnsUSPS records a delivered scan when the parcel lands in the PO Box, and a signature when the box holder collects Signature Confirmation. FedEx Shipping to APO: Use USPS InsteadFedEx does not deliver to APO, FPO or DPO military addresses; the Military Postal Service accepts only USPS. How to Ship to a DPO Address: The USPS RulesDiplomatic Post Office addresses take USPS-only mail at domestic prices, with a 27x14x14 size cap and a customs form on every parcel. Is This a PO Box? How to Tell Before You ShipHow to tell a PO Box from a street address before a UPS or FedEx label goes to waste: the word Box, a Post Office street address with a unit number, and the USPS lookup. PO Box vs UPS Store Mailbox: The Sender's ViewA USPS PO Box only takes postal mail; a UPS Store mailbox looks like a street address and accepts UPS, FedEx and USPS packages. Shipping to an FPO Address: How It Actually WorksAn FPO address is a US postal address that rides Navy and Marine Corps mail to a ship or overseas base. Signature Confirmation vs Certified Mail: Which ProofSignature Confirmation is a delivery record for a package; Certified Mail is legal proof of mailing for a letter. USPS Marketing Mail Rates: How the Price Is BuiltUSPS Marketing Mail is the bulk class for letters and flats: 200-piece minimum, permit imprint, and a per-piece cost set by presort depth and shape. What Mail Requires a Signature? USPS Services ComparedSignature Confirmation, Adult Signature, Registered Mail and Certified with Return Receipt do different jobs at different prices. Address Correction Fee: UPS, FedEx and USPSUPS bills $25.25 and FedEx $25.50 for an address correction; USPS charges cents per notice. Billing Address vs Shipping Address at CheckoutWhat a billing address is checked against, what a shipping address is checked against. Blind Shipping: What It Hides and What It CannotBlind shipping sends a parcel that shows the reseller, not the supplier who packed it. What it can hide, and why the label still needs a real return address. Can FedEx Ship to a PO Box? The One ExceptionFedEx names exactly one domestic route to a PO Box, and calls it contract-only. Its wording read 2026-07-29, plus two lanes priced the same day. Delivery Point Barcode and IMb, DecodedA delivery point code is eleven digits built from the ZIP+4 plus two more, printed as bars. Does USPS Deliver to My Address? How to CheckEvery US address sits on a route with a type: city, rural, highway contract, PO Box or general delivery. How to Write an Apartment Address CorrectlyPut the unit at the end of the street line using APT, STE or UNIT. Publication 28 rules for secondary designators and the pound sign spacing rule. PO Box Cost: How USPS Prices a BoxUSPS does not publish one national PO Box price. Five sizes, three payment terms and a location-based fee group set it. Rural Route Address Format and DeliveryA rural route address is written RR 5 BOX 10 with no RURAL, NUMBER or pound sign. Shipping a Package to a Hotel: Rules and FeesYes, most hotels accept packages for booked guests. Put your name and arrival date on it, expect a desk handling fee, and don't ship so early that storage fees start. Shipping Near Me: Which Counter, What It CostsThe four kinds of shipping counter near you, what each accepts, and an 8 lb carton at $15.64 prepaid against the $20.89 retail figure the carrier publishes. Shipping to a PO Box: What Actually WorksYes. Any USPS package can go to a PO Box, and one too big for the box waits at the counter with a pickup slip. UPS Ground Saver and FedEx Ground Economy reach it too. Shipping to an APO Address: USPS RulesAn APO, FPO or DPO address is military mail that only USPS carries, at domestic postage prices and usually with a customs form. The rules from the USPS military guide. USPS Address Format: The Publication 28 RulesThe USPS address format taken straight from Publication 28: uppercase, uniform left margin, punctuation dropped, unit on the delivery line, city state ZIP last. USPS Address Verification: What a Pass ProvesHow USPS address verification works: CASS grading, ZIP+4 coding and the delivery point check, what a clean result cannot promise. USPS Change of Address: Fee, Window, ParcelsFiling a USPS change of address costs $1.25 online for identity verification and forwards standard mail for 12 months. USPS General Delivery: Sending a PackageWrite GENERAL DELIVERY as the whole delivery line, add the city, state and the holding office ZIP, and the parcel waits at the counter for up to 30 days. USPS NCOALink and Move Update, ExplainedNCOALink is the USPS change-of-address database of about 160 million records, licensed to approved processors. How NCOALink processing updates a list before mailing. USPS Street Addressing: PO Box, UPS and FedExStreet Addressing lets a PO Box holder use the Post Office street address with their box number. ZIP+4 Lookup: What the Extra Four Digits DoWhat a ZIP+4 encodes, in the Postal Service own words: a sector and a segment inside a five-digit ZIP. Does DHL Ship to a PO Box? What Changed in 2026DHL never publishes a PO Box policy the way UPS and FedEx do. Its own May 2026 deal with USPS is the closest thing to an answer. eBay Sellers and PO Box Buyers: What Excluding CostseBay lets a seller block PO Box buyers at checkout with one setting. eBay's own page read 2026-08-25, plus what it costs to serve that buyer with USPS instead. Virtual Mailbox Cost: What Plans Actually ChargeAnytime Mailbox and the former Earth Class Mail (now under LegalZoom) compared: monthly plan prices, scan limits and forwarding fees, checked 2026-08-31. Does FedEx Have PO Boxes?FedEx does not rent PO Boxes at its own stores. What FedEx Office lists instead, and where private mailbox rental actually comes from, read 2026-08-31. Virtual Mailbox vs PO BoxA PO Box needs two IDs at the counter. A virtual mailbox needs Form 1583, witnessed or notarized. Paperwork and package limits, checked 2026-08-31. What Is USPS PO Boxes Online?PO Boxes Online lets you reserve and pay for a box from home, but USPS still requires an in-person ID check within 30 days to get the key. PostalAnnex Mailbox Cost, Priced by LocationPostalAnnex sets mailbox rent per franchise, not nationally. One location's published tiers run 25 to 48 USD a month, plus setup and forwarding fees. How to Put an Address on an EnvelopeReturn address top-left, delivery address bottom-center, stamp upper-right, printed in capital letters. USPS's own layout, read 2026-09-01. Addressing an Envelope "In Care Of"The c/o line goes under the recipient's name: NAME, then C/O + the person at that address, per USPS's own DMM example, read 2026-09-01. How to Address a Letter to a PO BoxThree lines, no street address: name, PO BOX ##, then city/state/ZIP. USPS Publication 28's own PO Box format, read 2026-09-01. UPS Store Mailbox Cost: What's IncludedThe UPS Store publishes no mailbox rental price on its own site. What's bundled, what can cost extra, and two priced alternatives, checked 2026-09-01.

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