Send package from US to Portugal using Stamps.com

January 30, 2021 8:57 AM

I have a valid address in Portugal and I enter it in Stamps.com, then ...

I go to print the label I see this:

Postal Processing Facility
7101 S. Central Ave
#123456
Los Angeles, CA 90051

I've never done this before. Is the # a reference number that will get the package to Portugal?

posted by falsedmitri to Grab Bag (6 answers total)

That doesn't sound right at all.
posted by kschang at 9:10 AM on January 30, 2021

I used stamps.com for international addresses, this is what it does. You can double check with their customer service.
posted by bleep at 9:22 AM on January 30, 2021 [1 favorite]

I know this is an indirect solution, but if you have a PayPal account, there's always the secret paypal shipping link. I use it a few times a year to send packages out of the country, and many times a year to ship packages in the country.
posted by gregr at 9:25 AM on January 30, 2021 [7 favorites]

Is there a reason you can't use usps.com to buy postage/print the label?
posted by sriracha at 10:18 AM on January 30, 2021 [3 favorites]

This is similar to what Etsy does with international packages - they're using an export service. I use Pirateship for my Etsy international shipping, because stuff that goes through the export service does get there, but seems to take so much longer.
posted by augustimagination at 10:32 AM on January 30, 2021

Best answer: From the stamps.com blog:

If you ship merchandise to international addresses and your product is thin (between 1/4″ and 3/4″ thick), then you should be taking advantage of Stamps.com’s Global Advantage Program! The program utilizes the USPS delivery network and allows online retailers to ship merchandise to an international address using a Large Envelope (Flat) mailpiece.

With the Global Advantage Program, mailpieces will travel to a Postal Processing Facility in the U.S. first where Customs Forms will be applied along with a new label containing the international destination address. Then mailpieces are consolidated by country and sent on to their international destination.

The link also shows a label with an address similar to the one you describe.
posted by Johnny Assay at 6:05 AM on January 31, 2021 [1 favorite]