P.O. Boxes

[blu Vending]

Anyone use P.O. Boxes as their business address?

[Technivend]

I don't but quite a few of my customers do though. It is a good way to keep people away from your home if you are a home based business. I also have a few larger operators that have a PO box for just their receivables that the owner alone goes to. A bill to, ship to scenario.

[mainor5251]

I do

[sherlock]

Use a UPS store instead.

Better than a PO Box.

UPS stores provide the same service of a PO Box.

But will also provide things the post office will not:

They will sign for your deliveries from any delivery company.

They call you when something arrives if you're waiting for a specific package.

You have 24hr access to your box.

You can call them to check what's in your box so that you know whether it's worth making a trip over there or not.

You will have an actual address representing your company rather than a PO Box #.

I've used my UPS store for years for my businesses and have a great relationship with the owner.

The store is owned by a dad and his 2 sons help him.

Most, if not all, UPS stores are owned by individuals (franchises).

You can tell they care about the service the provide...they're not just employees working for some giant corp.

I get pallets delivered to my UPS store.

The UPS staff signs for it and calls me up to tell me it's here.

They'll store the pallet until I can pick it up --- they even help me unwrap and load the boxes from the pallet to the truck.

You can't get that service through most po box locations.

Heck, try having a pallet sent to your PO Box -- trucking companies probably wouldn't accept the po box as a shipping address from the start.

If they do, it's not going to work out well when that 18-wheeler pulls up looking to unload the pallet at your po box location.