You’ve probably heard about a virtual PO Box because it’s been everywhere, and if you haven’t, then it’s about time you have. A virtual PO Box is an actual PO Box, but you get your mail delivered to you instead of picking it up.
It saves you manual labor and makes your mail sorting faster and easier. You can control your mail online by sending out mail requests and keeping an organized PO Box.
Let’s dig deeper into this interesting phenomenon by looking at its advantages and how to rent one.
How to get a Virtual Mailbox?
You need to sign up for virtual mail services with a CMRA (Commercial Mail Receiving Agency) to help facilitate the mail process.
Most CMRAs have a lot of addresses nationwide to choose from. Depending on your need, they offer you a virtual PO Box or mailbox. They receive all your mail and send you notifications with anything new. You get scanned images of envelopes of your mail and then decide what to do next. When you send in the mail request, they take care of it.
Advantages of a Virtual PO Box:
1- Full-time Mail Access:
You can check your mail for any updates 24/7, wherever you are. Log into your account through your phone, needing nothing but an internet connection.
This means your PO Box will never overflow, giving you trouble. You can be on top of your mail at all times. Whether abroad or resting at home, you can take care of your postal mail.
2- Online Mail Management:
You can view your new mail scanned images when you log into your account. Virtual Mail providers give you many options, like mail scanning, forwarding, shredding & recycling, or archiving.
You can classify your mail, sort it into folders (family, work…etc.), and delete any mail piece. You can download, print for a hard copy, or attach mail to emails.
Your PO Box will never overflow with mail.
3- Highly-secured PO Box:
A virtual PO Box means the best in the mail industry will handle your mail. Your PO Box is checked regularly and is safe in secured facilities. Since mail requires sensitive handling, virtual mail providers have high-tech facilities and use state-of-the-art machinery.
All postal mail employees are certified and have experience, so they will handle your mail with caution and care. At the Post Office, security is standard, but with virtual mail facilities, they take advantage of technology to its fullest for your mail’s protection.
Regarding personal protection, you can shred any critical documents with a click, which you don’t get with a physical PO Box. This is to avoid identity theft and keep your mail from falling into the wrong hands.
4- Package Convenience:
With a virtual PO Box, there is no limit to the packages you can receive monthly. The Post Office restricts that freedom and can make you pay extra to accommodate packages.
USPS has a lengthy history of things going wrong with packages, like forwarding to the wrong address, missing packages, or being damaged. With a virtual PO Box, you just need to apply for a change of address once in the beginning, and then you can regularly accept all mail. You can forward your mail at any time to your address or any other address without going through a change of address or other procedures.
Your packages will be stored in secure parcel lockers until you forward them for as long as you need. Some providers even provide 30-days free storage space before charging you extra.
5- Save time and money:
You no longer need to drive to the Post Office to get your mail. Save the time wasted on the drive and manually sort through the mail with a virtual PO Box. You get an organized PO Box with just a few clicks that never overflows.
Never will you need to worry about shipping fees again; your packages are consolidated before shipping saving you tons on shipping fees. Postal stamps, forms, and envelopes are not your concern with a virtual PO Box; they take care of it without you needing to do much.
There are many things to consider when looking into a virtual PO Box, like security, cost, and efficiency. You can compare different providers to find one that suits your needs. A virtual PO Box is a smart solution to postal problems, a solution we all need.
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