All You Need To Know About Mailbox Rentals
Mail Box Rental Services
If you are a frequent online shopper who often gets packages at your home or business address stolen, consider renting a private mailbox with a trustworthy mailing service.
When you rent a mailbox, your mail and parcels are securely locked in private boxes, ready for you to collect at your convenience. So, even if you are away on holiday, you can have some peace of mind knowing that your mail is safe, and you can retrieve it when you get back.
Also, you no longer have to worry about catching the delivery man on time or having your package stolen from your doorstep if you aren’t home when it’s delivered. You can just head to the rented mailbox at your convenience to pick up your package.
Using Yelp is a convenient way to find local mailbox rentals.
Difference Between Mailboxes And PO Boxes
A mailbox or a PO Box rental offers a secure channel for receiving and accessing mails, but there are some differences between the two.
A Post Office box or a PO Box is offered by the United States Post Office (USPS), and it is physically located at your nearest Post Offices. All your mail is delivered to this PO Box delivery address instead of your home or business. UPS and FedEx will not deliver to PO Boxes in the United States.
On the other hand, mailbox rentals are provided by commercial mailing services such as UPS Stores, PakMail, PostalAnnex, and other independent providers. They can accept shipments from all carriers and can also alert you by email or SMS when your mail or packages arrive.
The prices for PO Box services vary according to their size and location, but they are comparative to PO Box rentals. It is pretty standard for people to spend more than $100 annually to rent a UPS private mailbox. As a comparison, an extra small 3” x 5.5” PO Box from the USPS is $23 for 3 months which makes it $92/year. You can use that as a benchmark when comparing other mailbox services as they vary based on your location and mailbox size.
Generally, USPS Post Office boxes have a PO Box address while on the other hand, UPS mailbox rentals are provided with a street address. However, the USPS is now offering Street Addressing to some of their PO Box customers. Mailbox rentals are often preferred by small business owners who want to keep their home address private as they offer additional notification services that the USPS is unable to.
Additionally, PO Boxes are only meant for USPS mail, packages, or parcels, and they do not accept deliveries from UPS, FedEx, or any other independent service. UPS Store or other mailbox rentals, on the other hand, can accept deliveries from all mail delivery services, including the USPS, UPS, FedEx, and DHL.
Also, if you opt for a USPS PO Box service, you can only check your mail during business hours – however, some locations are open 24/7, but that might too long of a drive. To check your mail, you will have to visit the location and inspect the box personally. Whereas, in the case of the UPS mailbox, you can call their customer service or check your mail or get notified via email or SMS to see if you have mail instead of wasting a trip.
Virtual Services
Other than UPS stores, which require you to go pick up your mail in-person, several other services provide mailbox services without a physical location. Some of these services are:
Virtual Post Mail
Virtual Post Mail, also known as VPM, has a few very interesting options for those that need a physical address.
Virtual mailbox: A mailbox address with mail scanning, package forwarding, and check depositing and other online organizational features. It can be for both business and personal use. Meant for remote workers needing a long-term U.S. business address. Use it for company formation and managed mailbox.
States available: CA, NV, FL, DE, TX.
TruLease: Use this is you need a utility bill for proof of address. This option gives you a U.S. physical address with a leased address, lease agreement.
Perfect for remote business owners seeking proof of address to open and maintain business bank accounts, merchant accounts, Amazon stores, Shopify payments, CAGE, and DUNS.
US Global Mail
US Global Mail a virtual mailbox service best for firms and enterprises that are looking for flexibility and freedom to check their mail anytime and anywhere. This mailing service provides a virtual address for your mails regardless of your physical location.
While mainly intended for letters, they can also store and forward parcels for you. The received packages are logged, organized, and handled by their professionals who store them securely so that nobody gets to touch your mail again.
To check your deliveries, log in to your US Global Mail account and review the mail in the form of a high-resolution PDF document. This revolutionary new way to digitize postal mail is catching on fast, especially with all the remote workers and digital nomads.
Package Forwarding Services
Several independent services provide package forwarding services at affordable prices so that you can get your packages delivered to a US address and then forwarded on to an international location. This is great for those living overseas who still want to buy ecommerce products from places that don’t have international shipping.
MyUS.com is an example of one such package forwarding serivce.
Features to Look For In A Mailbox Renting Service
Following are some of the features that you need to look out for before going with a mailbox service:
Security
The most significant benefit of a mailbox rental is that your packages and mail are kept secure until you pick them up at your own convenience.
Expediency
If you are a business owner, you might not often have time to visit the mailbox office to check the mail. Hence, look for a service that sends electronic alerts when you have mail or parcels.
24-Hour Access
Look for a mailbox service that you can access 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This way, you can always go and collect your mail at whatever time fits in your busy schedule.
Digital Mail Preview
Many mailbox rental services are now offering a digital preview of your incoming. You can easily look at the pictures sent to you to figure out if your parcel arrived in good shape.
Free Parking
If you own a car and like to drive around to do your chores, look for a mailbox rental service that provides free parking. This is an added benefit that comes with the best mailbox rental services.
Having a parking space close to the front door of the mailbox shop is also great to have. It will make it so much easier when you have a lot of parcels to deal with.
Ready To Rent A Mailbox?
If you are looking to store your mails where they are safe and secure while you ensure the privacy of your home address or business details, mailbox rentals are just what you need. They are reliable, flexible, and extremely convenient, so you don’t need to waste a trip to the mailbox office to see if you have mail.
Not only this but if you are a budding entrepreneur, mailbox rentals ensure that your business remains secure by providing you with a street address that you can use for online orders or even customer correspondence.
Over all, mailbox rentals are a great option for anyone who frequently receives letters, documents and parcels that must be kept safe at all costs.