UPS Shipping Labels: Commercial Addresses and Address Verifications

[Siamese-Dream.Com]

Hi there, Everyone:

have just recently started enjoying the UPS Print Labels function that was released with update 4.

Two questions:

How does the new UPS Label Printing system know whether the address is commercial or residential?

Is it determined solely by whether there is something in the order's company name field?

Also, does the Ready Tools label printing do any kind of address validation?

Previously, when using the www.usps.com site to print labels, if the address was wrong (or not found in the UPS Database of deliverable addresses), UPS would tell you that and ask you to update the address.

So is there any kind of address validation check when printing through the Merchant admin? Or does it bypass the UPS address validation?

Thanks in advance.

[Rick Wilson]

Re: UPS Shipping Labels: Commercial Addresses and Address Verifications

How does the new UPS Label Printing system know whether the address is commercial or residential?

If the Company field is blank or not, is the trigger for that.

No the UPS Ready Tools module doesn't do any address validation.

[Rick Wilson]

Re: UPS Shipping Labels: Commercial Addresses and Address Verifications

Mark,

A little more info. They have a separate API for Address Validation/Correction that we have not implemented.

However the built in system will generally reject a patently invalid address. For example if you used our address but put a different state in by accident.

[Siamese-Dream.Com]

Re: UPS Shipping Labels: Commercial Addresses and Address Verifications

However the built in system will generally reject a patently invalid address. For example if you used our address but put a different state in by accident.

I'll assume that the Miva Merchant admin has some sort of a "failure" screen then that will let us know that the address is not valid...

Also, I guess the way to correct it would go into Manage Orders and find the order and correct the ship to address there, right?

[Rick Wilson]

Re: UPS Shipping Labels: Commercial Addresses and Address Verifications

Yeah when attempting to Generate the Label you'd get an error message with a response from UPS.

Then you'd update the Address via Manage Orders and Generate the Label again.

[Keitho]

Re: UPS Shipping Labels: Commercial Addresses and Address Verifications

We use AccurateTax for sales tax calculation and it features address validation. So, at least we have that done before reaching the shipping function. However, there doesn't appear to be any indication of the address being a residential or business location. They offer the address validation/scrubbing feature in a standalone version if you are lucky enough not to be in "a state of tax hassles." http://www.accuratetax.com/products/

[alphabet]

Re: UPS Shipping Labels: Commercial Addresses and Address Verifications

Keitho,
Do you know if AccurateTax returns valid address2 fields or does it concatenate it to address1 field?

Returning address1 and address2 as one line is USPS standard address format but I would like to place them in separate DB fields so I can run a connector from UPS Worldship.

[Keitho]

Re: UPS Shipping Labels: Commercial Addresses and Address Verifications

I can't accurately (ha!) answer your question and suggest you contact them directly. If you want to try it do a test order in my store and delibrately goof up your address. It will often give multiple options and really tries to get to the right zip+4 number. If you want to finish a test order use any shipping option, choose check payment and enter 99999. We'll simply not process it on the backend.

[alphabet]

Re: UPS Shipping Labels: Commercial Addresses and Address Verifications

Thank you for the offer to do a test order. I tried a couple of goof addresses and it didn't seem to work correctly. It did not give me the multiple address options, it just proceeded to OSEL with wrong address, not the agreement page. I probably did something wrong.

Anyway, I 'liked' your store.

[Rick Wilson]

Re: UPS Shipping Labels: Commercial Addresses and Address Verifications

However, there doesn't appear to be any indication of the address being a residential or business location.

Our new UPS Ready Tools module determines Residential or Commercial based on the value of the Company field (if it's blank or not).

[alphabet]

Re: UPS Shipping Labels: Commercial Addresses and Address Verifications

Many Home Office Businesses are billed residential rates regardless of company field. Users have figured this out and don't fill in Company field.

I use UPS Worldship v13 and it validates Residential / Commercial on label print and charges me additional fee. I tried figuring the best work around to pass on the residential delivery fee.

I've seen some websites offer a 'Residential' checkbox and considered adding it on the OCST page with EP Order Custom Fields module. The other web sites add a tooltip next to the checkbox that explains it speeds up delivery.

But in the end I decided to just pad the residential fee into the handling charge.

[Keitho]

Re: UPS Shipping Labels: Commercial Addresses and Address Verifications

Alphabet: Did you like it in "real life" or on Facebook? I'm trying to determine if the "Like" link is working. :-)

[alphabet]

Re: UPS Shipping Labels: Commercial Addresses and Address Verifications

Both. After clicking the Like button it displayed in the footer section that Me and 14 others like that page but it did not feed onto my Facebook wall.

[Keitho]

Re: UPS Shipping Labels: Commercial Addresses and Address Verifications

Hmm, I'll have to check the code on Like button. Thanks for checking it out.

Here's what I get from AccurateTax when I use an account with a slightly funky address. Perhaps its not as aggressive as I thought. Our primary use is the sales tax function as there are hundreds of different taxing districts in Washhington State.

Address VerificationWe could not find the exact address you entered, but similar address(es) are listed on the right. Please indicate which address is correct, or you may choose to edit your original address. Original Keith Oratz 17725 NE 65th Street Suite B-200 Redmond, WA 98052 US Recommended Keith Oratz 17725 NE 65TH ST STE b 200 REDMOND, WA 98052-4931 US Keith Oratz 17725 NE 65TH ST STE b 200 REDMOND, WA 98052-4903 US

[alphabet]

Re: UPS Shipping Labels: Commercial Addresses and Address Verifications

Thanks Keith,
I use AvaTax for sales tax reporting and address validation. AvaTax does not currently return recommendations or address2 field so it is helpful to see a better way. AccurateTax validation looks similar to how UPS Worldship 13 returns its address validation. Then while printing label it will tell you to if its residential/commercial and ask if I wish to continue.