Address Verification

Address verification checks whether a shipping address is real, complete, and deliverable before you ship. It catches typos, missing apartment numbers, and invalid addresses that would otherwise result in failed deliveries or returns.

Why Address Verification Matters

Costs of bad addresses:

• Return shipping fees ($5-15+)
• Reshipping costs
• Customer service time
• Lost customers
• Address correction fees ($15-20)
• Delayed deliveries

Up to 5% of e-commerce orders have address issues.

Types of Address Verification

USPS Address Verification (CASS)

• Checks against USPS database
• Standardizes format
• Confirms deliverability
• Adds ZIP+4 codes
• Official USPS certification available

Multi-Carrier Verification

• Validates for multiple carriers
• Identifies residential vs. commercial
• Checks PO Box restrictions
• More comprehensive than USPS-only

International Address Verification

• Country-specific formatting
• Postal code validation
• Transliteration support
• Customs-compliant formatting

Address Verification Services

What Verification Catches

Common address issues:

• Misspelled street names
• Missing apartment/suite numbers
• Incorrect ZIP codes
• Outdated addresses
• Non-existent addresses
• Invalid unit types

Example corrections:

• “123 Main St” → “123 Main Street, Apt 4B”
• “90210” → “90210-1234”
• “Flr 5” → “Floor 5”

Verification Response Types

Implementing Address Verification

At Checkout

• Real-time validation as customer types
• Suggest corrections before order placement
• Block clearly invalid addresses
• Reduce customer service issues

Before Shipping

• Batch validate orders
• Flag problems for review
• Auto-correct when confident
• Queue exceptions for manual review

Best Practices

1. Verify at entry - Catch issues before order confirmation
2. Show suggestions - Don’t silently change addresses
3. Allow override - New addresses may not be in databases
4. Check business vs. residential - Affects carrier surcharges
5. Validate international carefully - Formats vary widely
6. Keep data updated - Address databases change monthly

Address Verification for International

International verification is more complex:

• Different postal code formats
• Various address line orderings
• Character set considerations
• Country-specific validation rules

Use services with global coverage for international shipping.