BFPO address and Paypal? How?

my_gorgeous_ellie-belle

Hi all,

just thought i'd ask here first - trying to get someone to add a BFPO gift address to their Paypal Account, i have noticed it's not just as easy as you'd think (no postcode/county etc). Is there any way or any 'official' address you can use instead just to bide by Paypal - but then obviously just use the PFBO when actually sending?

Many thanks in advance!

Alias_Omega

For websites that dont allow BFPO addresses use the following address for delivery, though im sure for Paypal etc you could make something up like -


RANK, NAME (Number)
SECTION
UNIT
BFPO ??
Middlesex
HA4 6DQ

I have used this address for alot on eBay and Amazon, and have no issues with items being received this method.

Regards,

Alias

my_gorgeous_ellie-belle

Fab - thank you! You are a star! :A

kimberley_2

definatly ebay use the middlesex address?

soolin

kimberley wrote: »

definatly ebay use the middlesex address?

I suspect after 6 months this issue has been resolved, so i'll close this thread so as not to confuse people.

soolin

Nope can't close it, hmm. What have I broken this time?

DonnyDave

I have today sent an item to a BFPO address.

According to eBay and PayPal the address ends "BFPO <number> Middlesex HA4 6DQ".

It does surprise me how these systems can't be designed to cope.

It was only after reading BFPO guidance on addressing mail that I dropped the unnecessary county and HA4 post code.

Indeed, what is it with eBay? Royal Mail does not require the county and post town should ideally by capitalised.

I always run the post code by the Royal Mail site to get the proper post town and I don't put the county on.

LlewLou

I recently bought something from Amazon to go to BFPO 57 and through tracking, discovered it had ended up at this HA4 6DQ address. I've never had this before so what happens now? Will these people (whoever they are) send the parcel on to RAF Akrotiri? Citylink were no help at all and didn't seem to know anything about it even though I tracked the parcel through them to that postcode.

DonnyDave

LlewLou wrote: »

I recently bought something from Amazon to go to BFPO 57 and through tracking, discovered it had ended up at this HA4 6DQ address. I've never had this before so what happens now? Will these people (whoever they are) send the parcel on to RAF Akrotiri? Citylink were no help at all and didn't seem to know anything about it even though I tracked the parcel through them to that postcode.

See the page on gov.uk: BFPO

BFPO is based at RAF Northolt whose civillian postcode is HA4 6DQ. Thus, if you send anything via the Royal Mail to a BFPO postcode it ends up at RAF Northolt. That is, the "hand-over" point from Royal Mail to the BFPO is at that location.

Hence the "these people" you refer to are those running BFPO!

Obviously any tracking system requires the provider carrying the item (the carrier) to have such a system in place. Domestic mail or packages are transported from source to destination by the same operator; for example Royal Mail delivers a Signed For item, it gets signed for and the "message" that it has been delivered is passed back or otherwise made available to the sender.

In cases where the item is handed over to another carrier, such as sending abroad, then clearly any such system requires the mail service delivering the item to notify the sender's service that it has arrived.

In this case the other carrier is BFPO. I would hazard a guess that BFPO isn't likely to do that for security reasons, let alone logistical ones. The best you get is that it has been handed over to BFPO at RAF Northolt.

peteuk

Please note that all BFPO's now have a UK "like" postcode. This is to incourage companies to ship to them!

Check out the BFPO web page for further info.

Pete

Alias_Omega

LlewLou wrote: »

I recently bought something from Amazon to go to BFPO 57 and through tracking, discovered it had ended up at this HA4 6DQ address. I've never had this before so what happens now? Will these people (whoever they are) send the parcel on to RAF Akrotiri? Citylink were no help at all and didn't seem to know anything about it even though I tracked the parcel through them to that postcode.

The answer is YES.

As answered above, the BFPO sorting office is at the geographical UK postcode of HA4 6DQ.

Once at the BFPO sorting office, it will be transferred internally to the final BFPO address. Akrotiri is BFPO 57.