Ok funny story about this. I tried this on Amazon because the first time I ever used it. It did not occur to me that it uses your account name on the shipping label. Boy was USPS confused when they got a package with the name “Pac-Rat” on it and it delayed it by a week. So not sure if I’d use a fake name but if you do don’t use your go to user name for online stuff.
this post was submitted on 18 May 2025
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Privacy
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Really? I have had my legal name in my account and my common name on my shipping address on Amazon for ages. And I've shipped gifts from Amazon for over a decade with the name of the recipient.
It could also be delivered to a pick-up box in which case it's at worst illegal or at least against ToS. "Billing address" just sounds like something potentially serious.
I usually don't.
Unless its a food delivery, then I just try to find a white male name, to avoid racial profiling/harassment.
I dont think that really do much in terms of privacy, the merchant is gonna know who you are. And sometimes they will reject an order if the name used in the order doesn't match the name of the card holder.
Any card/bank transaction, anything that gets sent to your address, that's not really something you can have privacy over. Unless you use cash payments and use someone else's address. Its very difficult to hide financial activity.
As a teenager years ago I used to do this for kicks. If you're paying with a personal card, however, your name on the "billing address" must match the card your paying with. -This largely defeats most privacy concerns even if you're changing the name in the "shipping address" field as payment processors as well as some merchants retain that billing information.
Why did you do this in the first place? It all depends on your needs.
If you want to be anonymous, then what did you use as a payment method?
If you used a regular bank card, then you aren't anonymous, you will be tracked by data shared by the payment gateway.
First thing that comes to mind would be issues with warranty or just normal returns. Maybe don’t do this with expensive purchases that would hurt your wallet if you couldn’t get the money back.
I often do for digital items
I don't necessarily do it for all online purchases, but I definitely do it when I can pick it up myself.
in my country the generic package pickup points will want to see your ID card and write it up. they may also check if it's the same as the recipient but I'm not sure about that
Where I am, to receive a package from mail or a private shipping company, you indeed have to show your ID. However, I always order to the online store's own office directly (usually without even creating the account - instead asking an employee), and I've never been asked this. Is it stricter where you are?
sorry, I don't understand this part:
However, I always order to the online store's own office directly (usually without even creating the account - instead asking an employee),
you mean ordering from a store's website that also has a physical store nearby? and by asking an employee, you mean asking in person at the shop, right?
if so, I think that would work here too. but most of my online purchases are from shops that don't have a physical store, maybe at all anywhere, so I can't apply this technique
Yeah, indeed. I choose where to shop based on whether the shop has a presence in my city (not just "nearby"). Agree it is not universal, I am in a big city.
Sorry, I didn't mean package pickup. I meant like ordering from the supermarket, for curbside pickup, for instance.