# How do I send something I bought online to the post office? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 15, 2015, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-send-something-i-bought-online-to-the-post-office/740481 "2015-12-15T00:49:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dylmajic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df705f/32.png) [@dylmajic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dylmajic)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2015, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-send-something-i-bought-online-to-the-post-office/740481/1 "2015-12-15T00:49:49Z")
I don’t want what I ordered online to come straight to my house. I’d prefer to pick it up at the post office. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2015, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-send-something-i-bought-online-to-the-post-office/740481/2 "2015-12-15T01:11:07Z")
Did you give the seller your home address as the shipping address? If you did, it might be too late to do anything about it. Unless you can cancel the order and re-order it using a different address. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2015, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-send-something-i-bought-online-to-the-post-office/740481/3 "2015-12-15T01:17:55Z")
I guess you could insist on a delivery method that requires a signature, then make sure you’re not there on the delivery day. Then take the delivery attempt slip to the P.O. ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2015, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-send-something-i-bought-online-to-the-post-office/740481/4 "2015-12-15T01:47:55Z")
When I went on vacation and forgot my coat, my dad mailed it to \, c/o Vacation Town Post Office State, Postcode. I was able to go in and collect it. Call your post office and find out if that would work in your area. ---
**Author:** ![Gibbs89](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gibbs89/32/3351_2.png) [@Gibbs89](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gibbs89)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2015, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-send-something-i-bought-online-to-the-post-office/740481/5 "2015-12-15T02:03:47Z")
Do you have a tracking number for your package? Check if it’s eligible for USPS Package Intercept at [USPS.com® - USPS Package Intercept®](https://retail-pi.usps.com/retailpi/actions/index.action) ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2015, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-send-something-i-bought-online-to-the-post-office/740481/6 "2015-12-15T05:46:42Z")
You can use “Your Name, General Delivery”, with the name of the town and zip, phone the post office and find out which office it will go to. Cities with more than one zip code, all such deliveries go to one post office, which might not be the central one. It will be held there for the recipient to pick up. Overseas, the corresponding address would “Poste Restante”, for travelers collecting their mail along the way. (Or “Lista de Correos” for Spanish-speaking countries.) Remember that some shippers do not use USPS, and would require a street address for the relevant courier. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2015, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-send-something-i-bought-online-to-the-post-office/740481/7 "2015-12-15T07:30:33Z")
Some of those shippers that don’t use USPS either have locations where they will hold the package until you pick it up or allow you to designate a delivery site. You have to ask before it ships, though. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2015, 7:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-send-something-i-bought-online-to-the-post-office/740481/8 "2015-12-15T07:37:06Z")
Why not ask your local post office to hold all you mail for a week? (As it would do if you were going on vacation.)