Block PO Box addresses
Carriers like DHL, UPS and FedEx do not deliver to PO Boxes. This rule stops those orders at checkout, before they become refunds and support tickets.
What it detects
Section titled “What it detects”The rule checks both address lines of the shipping address against a large set of PO Box patterns:
- English: PO Box, P.O. Box, POB, Post Office Box, GPO Box, locked bag, private bag, and military or diplomatic APO, FPO and DPO addresses
- German: Postfach
- French: boîte postale, case postale, BP followed by a number
- Dutch: postbus
- Spanish: apartado postal, apartado de correos, apdo, casilla
- Italian: casella postale
- Portuguese: caixa postal, cx postal
- Scandinavian: postboks
- Polish: skrytka pocztowa
- Finnish: postilokero
Detection is automatic. There is nothing to configure per language.
- Open Rules → Order Validation.
- Turn on PO Box blocking.
- Write the message the customer should see, for example: “We cannot deliver to PO Boxes. Please use a street address.”
- Save.
Test it at your own checkout with PO Box 123 as the address.
- Available on the free plan, including the custom message.
- A normal street address containing the word “box” is not blocked; the patterns target PO Box formats, not the word alone.
- Blocked attempts appear in the Blocked Orders log on the Pro plan.