What options are available for handling mail in your home business?

Typically, home-based entrepreneurs don’t think they’ll need anything other than their own home mailbox. This kind of short-sightedness usually proves faulty within the first month or so of being inundated with junk mail of the business-kind.

 

Great! Now you’ve got personal junk mail AND business junk mail cluttering your mailbox and causing you to seriously consider using a wheel barrow to check your mail. So what’s the solution? 

 

Your first thought may be to get a P.O. box, but operating a home-business requires special considerations for handling mail compared to a traditional brick and mortar business. It’s worth taking the time to consider some options based on your personal situation and the type of business you’re running from home, before making your decision.

 

When you work from home, you may not keep regular business hours, and may be gone during the day leaving no one there but Fido to accept mail and packages. You may want to get a private mailbox, aka 'personal mailbox' (PMB) for better management of your mail and packages.  

 

If your home business is primarily an online business that has little or no physical mail or shipments, there are online mail providers that offer something called Virtual Mailbox, which allows you to have a business mailing address that’s different from your home address.

 

If you frequently meet with a lot of customers or clients, you might not want to list your home address as your mailing address (i.e. you might not want clients or business contacts knowing where you live or randomly dropping by without an appointment).

 

Conversely, if most of your work is done from home and you rarely meet with clients, then you might choose to use your home address as a mailing address. In that case, physically checking your mail may be more convenient.

 

Then there’s the dreaded money-consideration. What can you afford? Better to base it on the value of the service to your business. Ak yourself: Is it a time-saver? Does it increase my efficiency? Does it better secure my privacy?

 

Private Mailbox (PMB)

A private mailbox offers a number of advantages over a P.O. box from the postal service:

Reliability - No missed deliveries - there's always someone there during normal business hours to receive your packages or oversized mail.

Privacy - Using a private mailbox allows you to keep your home address unpublished.
    (see Virtual Mailbox Option below)

Security - Your mail and packages are kept safe and secure until you pick them up, rather than being subject to possible theft from an unprotected home mailbox. Plus, if you're away for a couple of days, your mail won't stack up, letting people know that you're gone.

Mobility - If you move within the same part of town, your address can still say the same on all your printed materials, website, etc. Also, if you are in another location for an extended period of time, you can have your mail and packages forwarded to you at that location.

An actual street address - You may find other situations in which you need an actual street address, and not a P.O. Box. A private mailbox uses the street address of the mailbox provider plus a "#" sign and your box number, for example "123 Main St. #123".

Professional Look - A street address is perceived by some as being more credible. But take note: Though you’re allowed to use "#" for the designation of your box number, it is not a "Suite" and cannot be conveyed as such. The postal service prefers "PMB", but allows the use of "#".

Full-service package receiving - The U.S. Postal Service will not receive packages from other carriers (UPS, FedEx, etc.).

Speed and Convenience - Private Mailbox providers are usually much less crowded than the post office, so you can get in and out of there quicker.

Additional Services - The private mailbox provider can provide you with a variety of other products and services, such as packaging and shipping. Most private mailbox providers offer at least one other shipping provider in addition to handling USPS services.

 

Online Postal Mailbox: (Virtual  mailbox)
In this rapidly changing world of technology, online business owners, as well as traditional businesses are utilizing the services of online providers to manage their mail.  An Online Postal Mailbox, also known as Online PO Box or Virtual Post Mailbox, comes with all the features you get with a traditional P.O. box, and then some.

 

Access your mail online - Unlike a post office box, you can access your mail online from anywhere, at anytime, without having to physically drive to the post office. It works similar to email, and you will receive notifications when you have mail.

Present your home business professionally - The online providers own a commercial location, which means your mailbox address is actually a real commercial street address which creates a professional image for your business. This is beneficial for home or small businesses because it builds trust and confidence with your customers, and looks great on business cards.

Accept mail and packages from ALL couriers - unlike a P.O. box. In addition, someone will be available to sign for your parcels so your package is not sitting at your front door, ready to be stolen.

Never have an overflowing mailbox - Unlike a physical mail location, your online postal mailbox will never overflow. Your mail and packages are securely stored until you forward them.
Select your own mailbox number - Most of the online service providers will allow you to select your own 4-digit mailbox number that’s easy to remember.
Each online provider has their own features which you can learn about on their individual websites, including pricing. Do a Google search for virtual mailbox providers, and remember to do your due diligence   in researching your options.

 

United States Post Office - USPS
If none of the previous options works for you, there’s always the good ol’ US postal service. You can rent boxes of varying sizes and costs to match your needs. One nice thing about them is their flat-rate shipping. The boxes will be sent free of charge to your home, which saves on costs, and you can schedule a pick-up from your home, again, free of charge. You can get all the information from their website .

 

If you liked this article or found it to be helpful, I’d love to hear about it - leave me a comment below. As always, please feel free to share a link to this article using one of the buttons below. Ciao! 

 

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