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Tuesday, February 7th
In business since 2013, Anytime Mailbox has numerous addresses throughout the United States - and even in other countries - that you can choose from. For example, at the time of this review, there were more than 250 locations in California, almost 150 in Florida, and at least a few options in almost every other state. (Notable exceptions were Alaska, Nebraska, and North Dakota). If you can't find a suitable virtual mailbox address among the 1,700+ options here, chances are you won't have any luck elsewhere either.
Prices determined by third-party mail centers
Once you've selected your location, you'll choose a service plan. While Anytime Mailbox says that their plans start at $5.99, that depends entirely on the location you choose. For example, we found pricing starting at $9.99 in Florida, but some locations started at a whopping $63.99/month. Why? Like many mail scanning services, Anytime Mailbox relies on Mail Center Operators to collect your physical mail: they don't do it themselves. That comes with some advantages - like having so many addresses to choose from - and some potential disadvantages as well. If there's an issue at your selected address, who's responsible for fixing the problem and getting your mail scanning back on track?
Just the software, not the service
When we tried to reach out via online chat to ask how the service interacts with mailroom partners, we were told that they were "short staffed due to the recent outbreak" (which had started several years prior) and that they were replying in under three minutes. We finally got a response after about 15 minutes. In the rep's exact words, Anytime Mailbox is "only the software company for the virtual mailbox portal used by the mail center operator" . At the end of the day, that means all you're really getting here is a list of places that use this software to scan your mail: everything else about your experience rests entirely in the hands of the mail center you select (which, fortunately, is specified when you select a plan).
Surprisingly positive reviews
And yet, Anytime Mailbox has a ton of positive feedback: across thousands of reviews, almost 90% give this service a 4- or 5-star rating. We were particularly pleased to read comments from clients who have used Anytime Mailbox almost since day one, and who wouldn't think of using any other company for their mail service. That's on top of the Better Business Bureau's "A+" rating and accreditation. All of that had us feeling more than a little puzzled, given how little Anytime Mailbox actually does for their clients.
Your experience will vary
We give Anytime Mailbox a middle-of-the-road rating of three stars. We can't overlook the numerous positive reviews and the strong reputation with the BBB: clearly this mail scanning service (or referral platform, more accurately?) is working for a solid number of clients. However, we're not sure people will really understand that Anytime offers zero help if anything goes wrong - that they're relying entirely on a mail center that uses the Anytime Mailbox software to process their mail.
More and more people are ditching the obligations of a permanent address to travel the world or work as digital nomads. Once the reservations have been made and they're ready to set off, they often overlook one question: "How do I get my mail?" While it's true that most things can be set to electronic-only - bank statements, bills, and so forth - there's still a need for some kind of physical address, from refund checks to Social Security statements and then some.
That's where mail scanning services come in. Wherever your travels take you, you can have all of your postal mail - and packages too - sent to one location. Services vary by provider, but most will give you access to a dashboard where you can see what's come in and indicate what you want done with it: shred, open and scan, or forward to your current location.
Just be aware that every feature comes at a cost; you could pay quite a bit to have every page in a mailer scanned or to have a big bundle of mail sent along to where you are at the moment. Be sure to choose a mail scanning service that meets your anticipated needs at a price you can afford.
Another way to use mail scanning services is to keep your residential or business address private, without having to use a PO Box. After all, some mailers and packages require a physical address for delivery, and a PO Box doesn't really convey a strong brand image if you're running a small business. Also, if you're running your company from overseas, you can use a mail scanning service with an address in the state of your choice - which might help reassure prospective customers or clients that you have a presence stateside too.
No matter the reason for choosing a mail scanning provider, you'll likely have to fill out USPS Form 1583. This authorizes the service to act as your agent for receiving mail. Although you'll have to get it notarized, many providers will help you take care of that remotely if necessary.
There are at least a dozen mail scanning services you could choose from. Which one is the right one for you? It's a good question to ask, because setting up your service (or changing if you don't like the one you select) can be time-consuming. Here are some criteria to keep in mind as you compare your options:
To help you get your mail wherever you are, TopConsumerReviews.com has evaluated and ranked the most popular mail scanning services available today. We're sure this will make it easy to choose the right provider for your needs!"
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