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Thursday, December 5th
At first glance, you might skip over Physical Address as a virtual mailbox option. The website is pretty low-tech, and it doesn't have a super-professional look and feel. However, don't let that stop you from signing up: this company has worked with over 80,000 clients in more than 50 countries since getting started in 2013, and 99% of them give Physical Address a 4- or 5-star rating. A not-so-slick exterior for a virtual mailbox service that consistently and affordably gets the job done? Absolutely.
If you look up iPostal1, the first thing you notice might be the thousands of five-star reviews left by its virtual mailbox clients. Read them closely, however, and you'll see that most of them were left by brand-new customers who hadn't really experienced much of the service yet. That matters because there's nothing particularly impressive about what iPostal1 has to offer: its third-party mail center partners will have much more impact on your overall experience. This virtual mailbox option only earns an average rating from us.
When you hear the term "virtual mailbox”, you might think it's referring to your email inbox. The concept is similar, but it relates to your real-world, physical mail and making it 100% digital. Still, many people aren't sure how exactly it all works.
First, you authorize a company to act as your agent (by submitting a notarized copy of USPS Form 1583) and select one of their available addresses. Once you've forwarded your mail or changed your address on file with your credit card company, the DMV, and anywhere else that sends it to you, the virtual mailbox company will scan the outside of everything that comes in your name. You then sign in to your dashboard, indicate what you'd like done with each piece - scan the contents, forward to your location, or shred and discard - and you're done.
There are several other services that can be included with your virtual mailbox plan. These include check depositing (by forwarding them to the bank of your choice), package inspection, mail and package forwarding, and even remote notarization of your USPS form. Be aware that some providers include such features with your monthly or annual plan, while others will charge a la carte for any extra services you use. Those can really add up, so it's smart to have an idea of what your average needs will be and choose a virtual mailbox service that won't wind up costing an arm and a leg.
Wondering why virtual mailboxes are so popular? Think about how many people are traveling without a fixed permanent address, working as digital nomads around the globe, or operating a small business out of their home and don't want prospective customers to know the address of their residence? Virtual mailboxes can be a fantastic solution in those cases. Even large corporations are taking advantage of outsourcing their brick-and-mortar mailrooms and having all inbound mail received and sorted digitally, saving their employees time by having everything routed automatically to the right person.
With more than a dozen well-known options for virtual mailboxes, you might feel overwhelmed deciding which one is right for you. It's worth taking some time to compare them carefully, because it can be costly and time-consuming to set up the service - and to cancel and reroute your mail if you don't wind up liking it. Keep in mind these factors as you evaluate several different virtual mailbox options:
Virtual mailboxes can take care of getting your mail to you no matter where you roam, and TopConsumerReviews.com has evaluated and ranked today's most popular options. We're sure this information will help you choose the right service for your needs, business or personal!
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