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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.
Tuesday, January 21st
US Global Mail is the most reliable option for virtual mailboxes. For more than 20 years, people have trusted this service to scan and forward their mail with unlimited envelope scans and free check deposits even on the most affordable plan ($9.99/month). Although you'll pay a la carte for content scans with US Global Mail, it's worth the cost to get such highly-rated service: new and long-term clients alike have nothing but praise for these virtual mailboxes, especially expats who rely on USGM to process and forward their important documents to overseas locations. US Global Mail earns our first-place finish among providers of virtual mailboxes.
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.
As "the nation's leader in enterprise digital mail”, Docufree serves businesses by eliminating the need for an in-office mailroom. The company offers virtual mailbox services to more than 1,000 corporations and organizations, receiving all physical mail pieces and using scan/sort to streamline the process and help businesses scale more efficiently. Docufree is our highest-recommended virtual mailbox option for large companies.
Post Scan Mail is an excellent virtual mailbox service for small business owners, expats, and long-term travelers. You can select from more than 400 address locations in the US and globally, starting at $15 per month. PSM gives you a 30-day satisfaction guarantee, and their reps will offer support if you come across any issues with their third-party mail center locations. Post Scan Mail has earned thousands of five-star ratings from satisfied customers as a reliable option for virtual mailboxes.
Compared with some virtual mailbox options, Virtual Post Mail has some perks. They handle every piece of your mail themselves, never relying on a third-party mail center, and all addresses are a real physical location and not just a PO Box. Rates start at $20/month for two recipients. However, you're limited to three states for your virtual mailbox address, and VPM doesn't have the high volume of client reviews that some of its rivals enjoy. It's not a bad option, but you might get a little more for your money with a higher-ranked virtual mailbox service.
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.
Anytime Mailbox has more than 1700 addresses within the US and abroad that you can choose from for your virtual mailbox. The company has thousands of positive reviews, but you should understand that it's just a software company that works with mail center locations: you won't get any customer support from Anytime Mailbox once you've started your plan.
Sasquatch Mail is a newer entry among virtual mailbox services, only in business since 2018. Their approach is uncomplicated: pay $9.99/month or $99.99/year and get unlimited envelope scans, then pay a la carte for any content scans or forwarding you need. There's not much else on offer here, and the limited feedback we found from Sasquatch Mail users is underwhelming at best. You'll get more from one of the higher-rated virtual mailbox companies in our evaluation.
Earth Class Mail is a popular option for getting a virtual mailbox: since 2004, they've processed more than 18 million pieces of mail and helped deposit over $2.4 billion in checks. There are plans for both individuals and businesses, and ECM's pricing has gotten much more straightforward over the years. Unfortunately, people tend to complain about unexpected a la carte charges and other fees, and customer service here seems to be on the decline. We recommend skipping Earth Class Mail when choosing a provider for your virtual mailbox.
Traveling Mailbox was once a top-rated option for virtual mailbox services. However, despite maintaining an "A+” rating from the Better Business Bureau, this company has gotten many customer complaints that describe delays of several weeks in getting mail processed - and without much help from Traveling Mailbox support reps. This is our last-place option among virtual mailbox providers.
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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