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  1. #1
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    Default UPS to General Delivery?

    So after scouring the internet, calling UPS, calling USPS and searching this site for answers I am still left wondering:

    Can I ship something UPS to general delivery at the post office?

    These are the speculations and opinions that I have got:

    UPS... "General Delivery? Whats that?"
    "Can I speak with your supervisor?"
    "Hello my name is Barelyspeakenglish.... no we don't ship to PO boxes... oh to the actual post office?.. um yeah sure i think so I guess it depends but probably.


    USPS... "What is the zip code?"
    "Of what?"
    "The post office you want to ship to."
    "All of them?"
    "No just one, I will give you their number."
    "And they can speak for the entire postal service????"
    "Yes."

    So the woman in Monson was very nice and also very surprised that she could now speak for the entire postal service LOL. She would accept the package if UPS brought it there and said it has happened before but it is not that common. She didn't know about other post offices though.

    Amazon told me that I should call ahead to see if each PO would accept a UPS package before I placed the order.

    The reason that I am going to all of this trouble is because I have my dog on a specific type of food and one 6lb bag will last 9 days. I also have the Prime shipping which offers free two day shipping. This will make it super convenient to arrange to always have dog food and will make my resupplies a lot easier.

    What I am looking for are real life experiences of someone who has done this.. maybe more than once. I really don't need any Google surfers to throw out random opinions if you catch my drift.

    Looking forward to some knowledge!!!

    Thanks

    Icky Didge
    SOBO (in a week)

  2. #2
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    Default

    You are just asking for trouble trying to get the USPS and UPS to work together !!! If you are really needing UPS deliveries, there are many outfitters, hostels and motels that will accept packages from Big Brown.
    Order your copy of the Appalachian Trail Passport at www.ATPassport.com

    Green Mountain House Hostel
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  3. #3

    Default

    No, UPS doesn't do it as a rule.
    There may be exceptions to that rule, but, you are asking for trouble.
    Either have someone at home mail you the package, have it sent to hostels, or, let your dog make some sacrifices and eat whatever he or she can.
    I imagine a dog will eat most things if they are hungry enough. Just like you and me.
    Don't let your fears stand in the way of your dreams

  4. #4
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    Default

    Yeah it kind of seemed that way. They both acted as if the other didn't exist. I can probably find a smaller distributer that will use USPS but it will cost me more.... and believe it or not dogs really need the right amount of fat, protein and carbs to sustain something like a thru-hike.

  5. #5
    PCT, Sheltowee, Pinhoti, LT , BMT, AT, SHT, CDT, TRT 10-K's Avatar
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    Default

    You may find yourself carrying more than 6 lbs of food at any one time but there's no place on the AT that you go 9 miles without being able to pickup a package from UPS at a place UPS routinely delivers to.

    Don't sweat it, just get a guidebook and plan accordingly.

  6. #6

    Default

    We had a replacement pack sent to us by the manufacturer to General Delivery. They made a mistake and sent it via UPS to the Post Office General Delivery. The PO refused to give it to us unless we paid a $40 fee! It took many phone calls to get the manufacturer to refund our monies as the error was on their side. I'd highly recommend only sending things via USPS to the Post Office General Delivery.

  7. #7
    Registered User Monkeywrench's Avatar
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    You cannot ship UPS to General Delivery. Only the USPS can deliver mail to a post office.
    ~~
    Allen "Monkeywrench" Freeman
    NOBO 3-18-09 - 9-27-09
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  8. #8

    Default

    You can ship UPS to a UPS facility hold for pick up. I don't know how long they will hold it for but they will do it and thier hours are a little different than USPS. Most of the time you can pick up after 12:00 until 19:00 but if you ask real nice sometimes they will let you pick up before 12:00 and I have picked up as late as 23:30. Fedex has the same type of service but they tend to allow pick ups a little earlier in the day. Both Fedex and UPS have great websites for looking for places that will hold shipments for you.

  9. #9
    Flip flop, flip flopping' LASHin' 2000 miler
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jeff View Post
    You are just asking for trouble trying to get the USPS and UPS to work together !!! If you are really needing UPS deliveries, there are many outfitters, hostels and motels that will accept packages from Big Brown.
    And, the bonus is, many of those folks are open when the post office is closed.
    L Dog
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    "The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness." - John Muir

  10. #10

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    Be careful if you do elect to ship to a UPS distirbution center. The one that services the Whites is in Twin Mtn NH and the front desk is only open for a 1 hour a day. It would be a long hitch from the AT.

  11. #11
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    Default

    From all the responses that I have gotten from this forum and everyone else I talked to it seems like it is too risky to send a package by UPS to General Delivery.

    I think that I will you Amazon to deliver the things I need to everywhere besides the outfitters and I at least have a backup with the other distributer to send to the USPS.

    Thanks everyone for their advice!

    -Icky Didge

  12. #12
    Registered User Great White's Avatar
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    When I worked as a UPS Driver Helper in 2004, I did in fact deliver packages to a USPS post office. I don't remeber if the packages where General Delivery or not but they were not addressed to the USPS. I had to go into the office and have someone sign for them. I am not sure if that policy has changed in recent years.

  13. #13
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    Default

    This 'might' help a little. It's not technically "General Delivery" but it might be close enough: http://www.ups.com/content/us/en/res.../ship_box.html

  14. #14

    Default

    Can I ship something UPS to general delivery at the post office?

    NOPE! Just made that mistake with a warranty issue replacement for a piece of hiking gear. The gear manufacturer unbeknownst to me chose to ship my replaced gear via UPS sent General Delivery to a US Post Office. It was undeliverable to the US Post Office. When I called the gear manufacturer we had the replacement gear shipped to a relatives home use via UPS truck instead. The gear was sitting in a UPS distribution warehouse about 70 miles away for 7-10 days. When the General Delivery c/o Dogwood etc address was changed to my relative's address I received the package within 24 hrs from UPS.

  15. #15

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    Unfortunately, it is up to the postmaster in charge of the post office that you are sending to. Apparently some postmasters see UPS and Fedex as companies that are threatening their jobs. If you have no other choice than general delivery by one of these companies, then contact the postmaster at the post office before you have it sent, and plead with him/her.

  16. #16
    Registered User weary's Avatar
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    The US POst Office system is losing money every year thanks mostly to competition from USP and Fedex. It's silly to expect the post office to hold and deliver USP packages for free. Some small town post masters may do so. They tend to be friendly people, who go out of their way to help their customers. But I'd be mightedly surprised if it was post office policy that they do so.

  17. #17
    Registered User Sierra Echo's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by weary View Post
    The US POst Office system is losing money every year thanks mostly to competition from USP and Fedex. It's silly to expect the post office to hold and deliver USP packages for free. Some small town post masters may do so. They tend to be friendly people, who go out of their way to help their customers. But I'd be mightedly surprised if it was post office policy that they do so.
    WRONG!
    The USPS has lost billions of dollars due to the decline of first class mail as well as people paying their bills on the internet. UPS and Fedex do not pose any real competition parcel-wise.
    The amount of parcels that UPS delivers in a year, the USPS delivers in a week.
    The amount of parcels that Fedex delivers in a year, the USPS delivers in a day. Fedex also drops some of their parcels off at the PO for the USPS to deliver.

  18. #18
    AT 4000+, LT, FHT, ALT Blissful's Avatar
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    Default

    I thought they were losing money on account of e-mail, etc

    And I must say, I get better delivery with the other carriers. The USPS has lost two of my packages that went surface mail.







    Hiking Blog
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  19. #19

    Default

    I work in a place that deals with parcel delivery all the time, including hiker mail. As others have stated, Private Carriers (UPS, FedEx, etc.) will NOT deliver to a U.S. Post Office, so don't expect this to happen. On the rare occasions this does happen, i.e. a UPS hiker parcel addressed to Post Office actually does get delivered or is received there, this is an exception, don't expect it. (And as others have pointed out, regardless of what carrier you end up using, try whenver possible to sent it to a non Post Offfice address, like a hiker hostel, an Outfitter, a motel, etc.) You won't have to worry about holidays; you'll have 7 day a week access to your mail; you won't have to worry about arriving in town too late in the day and finding the P.O. closed.

  20. #20
    Registered User Lyle's Avatar
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    While I suppose some Post Office employees may do this for a hiker, I think it would be pretty bold of you to ask them to. If you choose to do your paying business with their competition, why, one earth, would you expect them to hold and dispense your package for you?

    Talk about an entitled attitude.

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