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35 minutes ago, Dutch_12078 said:

In remote locations, I've even made arrangements with a local diner in the nearest town to receive a package for me. In one place a few years ago, when I asked a park ranger for suggestions for receiving a package, he offered to receive it at his home and drop it off to me. Other times I've arranged for packages to be received at a UPS Store, Mail Box Store, or similar mail service stores that we'll be passing by in a few days. Sometimes you just have to think outside the box a little...

I agree.  If you are that remote you need to be creative.  Just kill them with kindness.  They might even get asked more then you think if they are that remote.

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4 hours ago, SWharton said:

Still the same problem. I don't have a street address.

I have heard of packages being delivered to GPS coordinate for boondockers. I can't swear that's not a myth but I do wonder if it would work.

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It is just a challenge. Especially if you want a package to be waiting for you.

If UPS won't deliver to anything that doesn't have a street address I really doubt they would deliver to GPS coordinates. This would solve all problem.

 

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1 hour ago, SWharton said:

Especially if you want a package to be waiting for you.

That is even true when you go back to your house unless you want that package to sit outside your house in the weather and subject to "porch pirates." 

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For orders from Amazon, check the shipping options for Amazon Lockers.  While not available in most rural areas, if there is one near you or one of your stops, they are easier than general delivery.

As other have mentioned, almost anything can be ordered from Walmart & shipped to one nearby for pick up.  Same for many of the big box hardware stores.

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3 hours ago, vermilye said:

For orders from Amazon, check the shipping options for Amazon Lockers.  While not available in most rural areas, if there is one near you or one of your stops, they are easier than general delivery.

As other have mentioned, almost anything can be ordered from Walmart & shipped to one nearby for pick up.  Same for many of the big box hardware stores.

Target.com also has in store pickup.

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  • 1 month later...

I just tested a shipment from Amazon now that I have made my preferred method of delivery USPS. I ordered a new camera from a 3rd party and put in a General Delivery address in Alaska. I was worried about this since it was a 3rd party but it is being shipped USPS.  The system worked in this case.

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This has been an ongoing process for us since we started fulltiming.  We are often in a travel mode where we don't know where we will be very far into the future.  Our fallback mode is to have everything sent to our Escapees mailing address in Livingston, TX.  They will accept most things from USPS, UPS, FedEx, etc. and notify us of new mail and packages.  We will usually have them forward stuff via USPS Priority Mail to General Delivery in a town we will be staying near.  We try to avoid using post offices in big cities and very small towns.   Since Priority Mail is usually 2-3 days, we can make this work with our travel plans.  The biggest downside, is the extra shipping cost and time delay, especially since companies like Amazon now tend to use fixed box sizes and often ship in larger boxes than needed.  Escapees will not open packages to repack for shipping (understandably), so must pack these boxes in even larger boxes or re-ship the original box.  Be sure you know the General Delivery rules in a particular area.  In many cities, only one post office handles general delivery.

When we have a reservation at a regular campground or if we will be staying a while, we will check with them if they will accept packages from various carriers and most will.  We will then have things shipped directly to us in care of that campground.

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On 6/21/2019 at 10:43 AM, SWharton said:

I just tested a shipment from Amazon now that I have made my preferred method of delivery USPS.

Could you please explain how you did this.  I searched the Amazon site and all I can come up with on this subject is the following:

 

 

Edited by docj

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Joel, I explained how I did it in the beginning note of the thread. You need to call Amazon and have them fill our a proxy? for you. You can't just have USPS, you need a secondary.

Worked the first time, trying it again.

I would have tested the method more but we are in Alaska and 2 day Prime shipping is hard to come by for some items we want to order.

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I don't think there is any single answer.  For us:

  1. Call ahead and ask the campground.
  2. Delay until we are going to be at a campground that will accept a package.
  3. Order online for Walmart in store delivery
  4. Use an acquaintance in the area who is willing to receive a package.
  5. Haven't tried it yet, but I got an email on my Ford account saying that Amazon will deliver to my car.  I'll have to give this one a try. (Just read that it isn't available in every city - I doubt it will be worth much in the places where we travel.)
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11 minutes ago, GR "Scott" Cundiff said:

I don't think there is any single answer.  For us:

  1. Call ahead and ask the campground.
  2. Delay until we are going to be at a campground that will accept a package.
  3. Order online for Walmart in store delivery
  4. Use an acquaintance in the area who is willing to receive a package.
  5. Haven't tried it yet, but I got an email on my Ford account saying that Amazon will deliver to my car.  I'll have to give this one a try. (Just read that it isn't available in every city - I doubt it will be worth much in the places where we travel.)

I got the same email, would really like to try that sometime! Maybe just a marketing gimmick but maybe they will expand it to the point they would deliver to my truck when I’m camped somewhere on BLM land 30 miles from some little town. Or not. I can dream, can’t I?

A friend of mine who was boondocking near Mesquite this winter had at least one package delivered to the UPS Store there. So that might be another option.

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2 hours ago, GR "Scott" Cundiff said:

I don't think there is any single answer.  For us:

  1. Call ahead and ask the campground.
  2. Delay until we are going to be at a campground that will accept a package.
  3. Order online for Walmart in store delivery
  4. Use an acquaintance in the area who is willing to receive a package.
  5. Haven't tried it yet, but I got an email on my Ford account saying that Amazon will deliver to my car.  I'll have to give this one a try. (Just read that it isn't available in every city - I doubt it will be worth much in the places where we travel.)

Then there are people like us who boondock and generally don't stay in campgrounds, Walmart isn't in Alaska n many locations or even in the US in a lot of places, If we knew someone where we are going life would be easy. Now the car sounds interesting. I had read/heard that you can give Amazon the GPS coordinates of where you are. Dream on...........

I don't think there is a perfect solution.

I thought their lockers were a good idea but that hasn't expanded to small towns.

Some things are destined to be a challenge.

 

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  • 2 months later...

Well the last 2 packages went UPS even though I had put in special instructions to send USPS or else cancel. The first package was sent to General Delivery, Hyder AK, ended up down the road at the General Store that is the UPS drop off site. No big deal, Hyder isn't exactly a big town. I didn't catch that this package was going UPS.

The one I ordered today is going to Babb, MT. I saw it went to UPS and chatted with Amazon about there ignoring my account saying to ship USPS and my special instructions to send USPS or cancel. Amazon told me to call UPS. After talking to the CSR, who assured me it would be delivered to USPS(ha!). We will see on Tuesday.

The challenge continues...............

Edited by SWharton
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