# How does UPS Surepost work?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-ups-surepost-work/1012526
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [January 3, 2025, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-ups-surepost-work/1012526 "2025-01-03T16:57:07Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)
#### Post date: [January 3, 2025, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-ups-surepost-work/1012526/1 "2025-01-03T16:57:07Z")
I was talking about this in another thread: I ordered something from Etsy, supposed to be a Christmas present for a friend, first “held up”, then “lost”, then “returned to sender”. Because they needed a street address, not a P.O. box. I had to contact the seller to get _them_ to contact the shipper, and they apparently didn’t reach them in time, or not at all. Now I’m told that an Amazon shipment of four items is also being returned to sender, for lack of a street address. And both these shipments were with UPS Surepost.
So how does UPS Surepost work, if your default address is a P.O. box? I’ve now updated my Etsy and Amazon account info. My default address has the P.O. box on the first line, with the street address second. But I’m wondering if that will take care of the issue. And is there any way to know, before I place the order, if the seller is using Surepost?
I’m awfully interested to know what problems Surepost is supposed to be solving. So far, it seems to have only **created** problems for me.
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### Author:  [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)
#### Post date: [January 3, 2025, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-ups-surepost-work/1012526/2 "2025-01-03T23:22:44Z")
Surepost is the only UPS option that can deliver to PO boxes. UPS hands off the package to USPS for final delivery which makes it slower than regular UPS Ground. UPS drivers can’t deliver to a post office. UPS Surepost and USPS Advantage compete to be the cheapest delivery option (and the cheapest changes almost daily). Shippers go for whatever is least expensive under the umbrella “Standard Shipping”. If given a choice between the two, choose Advantage since it is usually a day faster and is in the sole possession of just one carrier for the duration.
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### Author:  [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)
#### Post date: [January 4, 2025, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-ups-surepost-work/1012526/3 "2025-01-04T03:01:36Z")
Okay, but what’s going on **now**? Apparently some kind of changeover is happening, and any package that doesn’t have a street address is not going to be delivered. Which sucks.
When I placed these orders, I didn’t include a street address because I didn’t know I needed to. As I said above, I’ve modified my accounts on Etsy, Amazon, and for good measure, eBay, so that the P.O. box address is on the first line, and the street address is on the second. **Hopefully** , if this ever comes up again, both addresses will be in the system, and I’ll still get my order.
But I’m blindsided by this. Plenty of times, especially on Etsy, I’ve ordered something and gotten the prompt: “We can’t deliver to a P.O. Box; please provide a street address,” and I do that. But they have to _ask_ me. How the flip am I supposed to know how they’re shipping? (I scrutinized the failed Etsy order, and there is not a darn thing about shipping methods.) I can only hope that I’ve now done all I can to prevent this happening again.
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### Author:  [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)
#### Post date: [January 4, 2025, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-ups-surepost-work/1012526/4 "2025-01-04T11:51:28Z")
We don’t like making UPS or FedX delivering to our house. Not due to theft, but due to road conditions in the winter. It would be mean.
We don’t get mail delivery and have a USPS PO Box. But to get around all the diffrenent shippers preferences, we got a UPS box in town. It’s treated like a street address. Cost some money, but worth every penny.
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### Author:  [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)
#### Post date: [January 4, 2025, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-ups-surepost-work/1012526/5 "2025-01-04T14:39:27Z")
I didn’t realize there was any way to get a delivery to a PO box other than by using USPS. But I’m really surprised that the seller didn’t ask for a street address up front. This is not a niche issue.
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### Author:  [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)
#### Post date: [January 4, 2025, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-ups-surepost-work/1012526/6 "2025-01-04T15:09:48Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#):
>
> I didn’t realize there was any way to get a delivery to a PO box other than by using USPS.
Well, the UPS Box has a street address. I have a box number at that address. I don’t have to put the box number down, just my name. But I usually write the box number down. Nobody cares.
This particular situation is very convenient for me. The UPS store is in the same complex as the grocery store and a liquor store.
It’s also much better than our USPS box. Better parking, shorter waits. And they email me when they get a package for me. No second guessing, that’s a very nice feature.
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### Author:  [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)
#### Post date: [January 4, 2025, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-ups-surepost-work/1012526/7 "2025-01-04T15:17:27Z")
When you provide a seller with two different shipping addresses, the shipper is going to choose the one that is most convenient for them; not you. It doesn’t matter which one you put first. Half the time Surepost is going to be the least expensive option. The only way you can avoid Surepost is to avoid any generic shipping options like “Standard Shipping”. You need to specifically choose something like USPS Ground Advantage or UPS Ground.
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### Author:  [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)
#### Post date: [January 4, 2025, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-ups-surepost-work/1012526/8 "2025-01-04T15:44:37Z")
I am happy that i have a relatively easy address to deliver to. I give everyone my home street address, and most deliveries are left on my front stoop.
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### Author:  [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)
#### Post date: [January 4, 2025, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-ups-surepost-work/1012526/9 "2025-01-04T15:53:58Z")
Yeah, most people do. My neighbor has them deliver, but often the poor person has to hike up the driveway in snow to get the package to the house.
I won’t do that to these folks. And I go into town every few days anyway. It’s easy to just pick up the package.
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### Author:  [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)
#### Post date: [January 4, 2025, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-ups-surepost-work/1012526/10 "2025-01-04T21:59:43Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#):
>
> When you provide a seller with two different shipping addresses, the shipper is going to choose the one that is most convenient for them; not you.
But they’re gonna _look_ at both of them, right? If the first line is a P.O. box, and they can’t ship to it, they’ll move to the second line, with the street address? What’s convenient for me is _getting_ the package, not the specific drop-off spot.
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### Author:  [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)
#### Post date: [January 4, 2025, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-ups-surepost-work/1012526/11 "2025-01-04T22:29:31Z")
> [@Rilchiam](#):
>
> If the first line is a P.O. box, and they can’t ship to it, they’ll move to the second line, with the street address?
But they _can_ ship to a PO Box by using UPS Surepost or a USPS option. Is your PO Box in a different zip code than your street address? That’s the only reason I can think of for a Smartpost shipment not finding its way to your PO Box.
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### Author:  [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)
#### Post date: [January 4, 2025, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-ups-surepost-work/1012526/12 "2025-01-04T22:45:51Z")
No, both addresses have the same zip code.
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### Author:  [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)
#### Post date: [January 5, 2025, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-ups-surepost-work/1012526/13 "2025-01-05T01:37:24Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#):
>
> I didn’t realize there was any way to get a delivery to a PO box other than by using USPS.
UPS Surepost and FedEx Ground Economy (formerly called FedEx SmartPost) can deliver to PO boxes because USPS actually does the final delivery. UPS/FedEx initially handles the package and delivers it to a post office near the recipient ( in my case, the post office closest to my home. It might sometimes be a different postal facility and then UPS delivers it to me. It’s less expensive that shipping FedEx or UPS because the UPS/FedEx truck doesn’t have to come down my block.
> [@Rilchiam](#):
>
> I had to contact the seller to get _them_ to contact the shipper, and they apparently didn’t reach them in time, or not at all. Now I’m told that an Amazon shipment of four items is also being returned to sender, for lack of a street address. And both these shipments were with UPS Surepost.
Have you contacted your local post office ? Because Surepost is actually delivered no differently than any other package delivered by USPS so there is no reason why a street address is needed. I suppose there could be some other issue, such as the wrong PO Box number being on the package. Or the seller didn’t use Surepost and instead used regular UPS. Or it could be the mail carrier doesn’t know they are supposed to deliver it.
What does the tracking say?
> [@Rilchiam](#):
>
> I’m awfully interested to know what problems Surepost is supposed to be solving.
The services where USPS does the final delivery are cheaper than UPS/FedEX delivering the package. That’s all
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### Author:  [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)
#### Post date: [January 5, 2025, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-ups-surepost-work/1012526/14 "2025-01-05T01:46:28Z")
Right; The USPS is already going to every residential (and business) address in the country but not Fedex or UPS.
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### Author:  [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)
#### Post date: [January 5, 2025, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-ups-surepost-work/1012526/15 "2025-01-05T01:49:51Z")
> [@doreen](#):
>
> What does the tracking say?
The Amazon package got to the UPS office nearest me, stayed in limbo a day or two, and is now being returned to sender. Same thing happened with the Etsy order. I know that office; I’ve had packages routed through there before. But always when I was _asked_ for a street address. Believe me, the UPS drivers know how to get here, but they don’t necessarily connect “P.O. Box 123” with “742 Evergreen Terrace”.
It’s not the principle; it’s the money of the thing. At least the Amazon items can be re-ordered. But I don’t want to do that until I get a refund, and I won’t get a refund until the items are returned to sender. And now I find out there’s a fifth item also being sent Surepost, it was too late to amend the address, and I’ll have to wait for _that_ to bounce back before I can re-order it.
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### Author:  [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)
#### Post date: [January 5, 2025, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-ups-surepost-work/1012526/16 "2025-01-05T02:07:02Z")
> [@Rilchiam](#):
>
> The Amazon package got to the UPS office nearest me, stayed in limbo a day or two, and is now being returned to sender.
So it never made it from UPS to USPS?
Have you actually called UPS because that sounds like a problem with UPS not getting it to your post office.
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### Author:  [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)
#### Post date: [January 5, 2025, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-ups-surepost-work/1012526/17 "2025-01-05T02:12:37Z")
I just found this [Premium PO Box Service Street Addressing | PostalPro](https://postalpro.usps.com/mailing/competitivepoboxes). You might want to try to arrange this for next time
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### Author:  [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)
#### Post date: [January 5, 2025, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-ups-surepost-work/1012526/18 "2025-01-05T02:15:29Z")
I called UPS, the one near me, about the Etsy order. They told me they had the package, but couldn’t deliver it without a street address, **and** that the address had to be supplied by the seller, not me. I contacted the seller, and they promised to give UPS my street address, but either they didn’t do that in time, or it was already too late when I contacted them, or other. Next day, I called UPS again, and was told, “Oh yeah, it’s lost.” Returned to sender; I did get my money back.
Monday, I’ll go to the post office where I have my box, and ask them what I (not they!) can do about any of this, and what their dealing is/was with Surepost.
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### Author:  [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)
#### Post date: [January 5, 2025, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-ups-surepost-work/1012526/19 "2025-01-05T02:28:35Z")
From a Doper who works for UPS:
> [@An Air of Finality in the last 2024 MMP](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-air-of-finality-in-the-last-2024-mmp/1012335/267):
>
> Remember m telling you about Surepost, where Brown pays the USPS to deliver a lot of packages? Well the contract expired yesterday. So every Surepost package that had a good physical address was gonna be delivered by Brown, and anybody getting it sent to the Post Office/P.O. Box, and didn’t have a good address on file got it sent back to the sender.
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### Author:  [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)
#### Post date: [January 5, 2025, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-ups-surepost-work/1012526/20 "2025-01-05T02:34:32Z")
Ah, I see.
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