eBay

pocomocomputing · ‎06-16-2014

Canada Post has a tool for easy finding the correct address, domestic or international. This tool has a fee to use. Here is the description of the tool.

https://www.canadapost.ca/pca/?s_kwcid=TC|1028746|%2Bcanada%20%2Bpost%20%2Baddress%20%2Bcomplete||S|...

But you can have some free use of this tool with the recently required custom data form here:

https://www.canadapost.ca/cpotools/apps/cdc?execution=e2s1

Notice that AddressComplete is available on this page. On the left side you can get an address in Canada quickly. On the right side it is set up for the USA and other international countries can be looked up.

So if you need to ever verify an address in Canada, the USA or the world, this customs page gives access to the CP paid for tool.

PS USPS has a zip code look up tool that I have used in the past to verify a USA address but the CP one seems easier to use

https://tools.usps.com/go/ZipLookupAction_input

cumos55 · ‎06-16-2014

Sometimes a buyer has a strange looking address......

and it seems to be contrary to what one would expect.

or ... Is there something missing?

I have checked addresses on Mapquest...

http://www.mapquest.ca/

as a part of the verification process...

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Also There is a postal code lookup..... find a code for an address

Or.. alternatively... find an address for a code... on Canada Post's website

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Another thing that does work is to do a search on Google for the address. In this process one usually ends up on Google Maps.... and in many a situation one ends up standing on the street looking at the buyer's residence.... at where the buyer lives....

One must be careful here as there can be mistakes... Google is getting better at not making mistakes

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Examples.....

The street address was 8654 244.... something was not quite right.....

after going in circles for a few minutes it was found that the correct address was 8654 244 Street

Buyer was notified of the problem... The Street ... St. .....designation was missing

Then came a strange address in New York City..... strange sequence of numbers..... that was eventually tracked down to be correct.... It was how all addresses in this part of the city were expressed.... unusual based on my understanding of how addresses are usually presented, but correct.

Or... A parcel comes back as ..... address not found yet a search on Canada Post and elsewhere shows everything in the address was correct....

I could find the residence of the buyer... but Canada Post could not... Buyer was very unhappy

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and ... If things look very strange....

One should ask for a confirmation of the mailing address from the buyer...

and .... especially if the address on the email that contains the Paypal notice of payment is different than that in the email with the notice of sale received from eBay.

Paypal is usually the correct address..... However... in one instance over the years it was the eBay address that was correct...

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My craziest situation

--- eBay email of sale had one address.....

--- Paypal email of payment had a second address..

--- Contact information on eBay had a third address

and the book that was sold was about ... Voodoo... magic... Also got the impression that the buyer was "out of this world" based on the buyer's name and group association.

This book was one of a series found and sold on eBay... Did very well... sold all of the books except the last one.... and that was book number 13....

cumos55 · ‎06-16-2014

Sometimes.... addressing a parcel to a Chinese destination or a Slavic country that uses the cyrillic alphabet can be a difficult option.

For a parcel going to Hong Kong.... Both the English and Chinese form of the address was placed on the parcel....

The address in Chinese was printed out and placed on the parcel side-by-side with the address in English.

Then came a parcel that was going to Russia.

The address was in English...... This English address and a a translation, prepared by me, was placed on the parcel using the cyrillic alphabet...... My parents felt it was important to send me to "Ukrainian School" Although Ukrainian and Russian are different.... the alphabet is the same.... and my translation most likely helped....

cumos55 · ‎06-16-2014

For that parcel to Russia or Ukraine.... or other country that uses the cyrillic alphabet

Do a translation only if you know the language... and never rely on an internet translation option.

Asking the buyer for the address in English and the buyer's language as an option.

Print out the non-English option and add it to the parcel... side-by-side with the English version

70 % of this world's languages are in a "roman script", English included.....

Sending a parcel to a country whose language is not written in roman script can be a difficult option . ... particularly if a seller does not understand the local language....