Ask which address the receiver intends you to use
A business may publish a mailing address for correspondence while receiving parcels or pallets at another location. Its accounts department, retail counter and warehouse may each use different instructions. Ask for the shipping address and receiving contact rather than copying the first address found online.
Canada Post’s Canadian addressing guidance distinguishes civic and postal-box address formats. That is an addressing reference, not confirmation that every courier product accepts both kinds of endpoint.
A physical address needs more than the street number
Add the unit or building, business or recipient name and the agreed entrance where needed. If a courier must use reception, a loading bay or an authorised gate, identify it. Keep access instructions separate from the formal address so both remain clear.
For rural or industrial locations, a mailing address may not locate the actual handoff. Obtain a precise receiving location and contact. Do not tell the driver simply to “ask around” after reaching the town.
Do not assume a carrier’s name settles the issue
Postal-box acceptance can depend on the selected product and destination. Check the chosen service rather than applying one carrier’s rule to every shipping company. A tracking number or paid label does not make an unsuitable endpoint suitable.
WTM’s quote process should establish the accepted delivery point before transport. If an alternative street address is proposed, have the receiver approve it; do not redirect someone’s goods to an unrelated premises merely because it is easier to reach.
Match the endpoint to the size of the shipment
| Shipment | Endpoint details that matter |
|---|
| Original documents | Named recipient or authorised receiving desk |
| Personal parcel | Accepted physical address and recipient contact |
| Several business cartons | Correct branch, unit and goods entrance |
| Pallet or crate | Loading access and unloading arrangement |
| Time-sensitive item | Receiver availability within the agreed arrival window |
A postal reference does not provide a forklift, a dock or a person able to sign for a pallet. Resolve the load and the place together.
Check the documents before collection
Use the same approved destination on the booking and package identification. Remove or cover old labels as appropriate. If the supplier has printed a label using a mailing address, update it through the agreed process before the goods are released.
WTM’s Customer Portal keeps the quote and issued shipping records available. Review those records for the address you actually agreed, especially when a buyer, supplier and receiver are different people.
Can I use a PO Box as the billing address?
Billing and physical delivery information can serve different purposes. Identify each clearly and follow the requirements of the booking and payment arrangement.
What should I do when the receiver only gives me a postal address?
Ask which service and handoff they expect. Obtain a suitable approved physical receiving point for the WTM delivery request before treating the route as booked.
Resolve where the goods will physically change hands. That prevents an address-format problem from becoming a failed delivery.
