PO Box vs UPS mailboxes

Does anyone here use UPS for their business address? The UPS store by me is offering a 12 month contract for $120 with 1 month free; it's 24 hour access too.

I use them. Not bad as you get a real address and not a P.O. box. They even give you a key to the store.

I have a UPS address, paying more but price varies with the size. I am satisfied and I like the 24 hours access.

I also have another one, non UPS (local) at $25/month. That one I have for close to 17 years. Of course with this one I get a real personal service since I am a long time customer.

Anyway, my point is that I love outside address for business purpose.

ximscreamingx said:

I use them. Not bad as you get a real address and not a P.O. box. They even give you a key to the store.

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You betcha!

wargamer6 said:

Does anyone here use UPS for their business address? The UPS store by me is offering a 12 month contract for $120 with 1 month free; it's 24 hour access too.

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Yes, I use one for my business. It was a bit ago that I registered, but the thing is when you register online with the IRS for your EIN, they don't allow you to put the # sign in, so you have to use PMB (private mail box)

Here's basically what your address will look like:

[you business name]
1234-C Street Name PMB 123
City Name, [state] [zip code]

At least, that's how mine is, because the ups store is in a stip mall, that's why it's 1234-C instead of that PMB 123, you can use #123 but like I said, when registering for your EIN online, it won't let you use the # symbol.

However, when registering for the EIN online, it SPECIFICALLY states that you CAN NOT use a P.O. box, and doing it this way with thy UPS store goes through just fine.

Hope that helps!

RandomStuff said:

Yes, I use one for my business. It was a bit ago that I registered, but the thing is when you register online with the IRS for your EIN, they don't allow you to put the # sign in, so you have to use PMB (private mail box)

Here's basically what your address will look like:

[you business name]
1234-C Street Name PMB 123
City Name, [state] [zip code]

At least, that's how mine is, because the ups store is in a stip mall, that's why it's 1234-C instead of that PMB 123, you can use #123 but like I said, when registering for your EIN online, it won't let you use the # symbol.

However, when registering for the EIN online, it SPECIFICALLY states that you CAN NOT use a P.O. box, and doing it this way with thy UPS store goes through just fine.

Hope that helps!

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AND..............it is legal!

The thing I hate most about having a PO Box is that they sell your info to everybody. You get spammed at your box AND at the address which was on the ID you supplied to open the PO Box. Also, and I'm not sure if this is universal, but at my local PO, I can request to find out the owner of any given box and they'll share that info with me for a couple of $$.

A PO Box is NOT the way to go if you want some level of privacy.

Well the other down side of a box is that a lot of people google the address and "UPS store" comes right up.

So if you are trying to pass it off as your real business address you can easily be shot down in situations where you are trying to get accepted to a network for example.

Your best cheap bet is a friend or family members address, and best bet though more costly is a virtual office address.

Lots of good points. I currently use a UPS box but I'm definitely feeling the pinch of what Nevarc is saying as my legitimate projects grow in size and scope so I'm going to be stepping up to something else here when I get around to it.

I'm glad I saw this post. I was just wondering the other day if the address could be matched back to UPS in searches.

I suppose I'll use it for the beginning, and then move over to virtual later. If someone can recommend a good one, please post it as an alternative or pm it to me.

i have a UPS box, paid $30 for 3 months. you can get any package shipped there, unlike a P.O. box.

I was just wondering the other day if the address could be matched back to UPS in searches.

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It can but it depends on who is doing the searching.

In my neck of the woods the UPS store and mailboxes etc are around $200 a year for the smallest box. Whereas a PO Box is $40 a year. I have a friend who has had PO boxes in different parts of the States and said he used a PO Box trick with an address and it has works like a charm where he tried it both in both NY and LA. I haven't done it so don't know from my own experience. He uses the address of the post office and then uses his PO Box number and calls it his suite number.

This is an example of what his PO Box address looks like if his PO Box number is 987654

1234 Elm Street
Suite #987654
City, State 90210

All Post Offices have a legal street address, you can look it up in the white pages directory or an internet search, it works for awhile. Postmasters can get very territorial when it comes to using their box in a way they don't like.

Using a Post Office's street address and especially calling their box a suite is high on their list. Maybe he's been lucky and got a laid back Postmaster or he's in a rural area or it just hasn't come to their attention yet.

Postmasters live and die by the Domestic Mail Manual and in there its prohibited.

Okay, folks. Here's the experience I've had, and I've been using UPS PO Box for over 4 years.

I started out with a UPS store in Lenoir City Tennessee. By and large, they were very good and I had no serious problems, UNTIL I moved my business and needed to acquire a new PO Box nearer my home office. I tried several times to have the US Post Office forward my mail. I kept getting my request rejected, by the USPO, with no solid explanation. Finally, a personal visit to the local Postmaster, where I was directed to the USPO responsible for delivering my mail. Wow! What a shock to find out that the USPO CAN NOT forward your mail when you use a UPS Post Office Box. So I trudge back to Lenoir City to find that now I must give them a credit card so they can charge me for forwarding my mail. Reasonable enough, right? Well, reasonable if you want to pay $4.80 to $15.60 per UPS package forwarded, since there is a weight restriction on what can be sent through the US Mail. Anything over 16 ounces MUST be sent in person from the USPO, OR in the case of UPS Mailbox Store, sent via UPS. Therein lies the reason for the high cost of forwarding packages. Mail under 16 ounces is forwarded at double the USPS mail rate AND they add the cost of an envelope, generally $1.50 to $2.00 and the cost of packaging, another $2.00. So now we have mail forwarded at $4.80 or more. Bottom line, I paid $85 for a years worth of mail box at the Lenoir City UPS Store, PLUS another $150 for having them forward my mail to the new UPS Mailbox, located in Sevierville Tennessee, which charged me $135 a year for the smallest box. Now the Sevierville store has lost twice; over 90 days delay in delivering a UPS Package and just recently over 120 days for a mail package from the Lenoir City UPS store. I have also not received my bank statements, checks in payment of my invoices, causing me to have to contact my customers and have checks reissued, statements for bills I must pay on time to maintain my credit rating, important documents from the Secretary of State, and a very important legal piece that could have cost me thousands of dollars. Fortunately, I was proactive in the latter case and stopped the erroneous action before the deadline date that was lost by the Sevierville UPS Store. BOTTOM LINE: The UPS Store does not tell you that the USPS will not forward your mail when you discontinue use of the UPS Mailbox service. The UPS Store erroneously told us we could use a SUITE NUMBER in our address, only to find out later that this was illegal. The UPS Store will continue to forward crap, that they have generated by selling your business address and information. This is very costly in the long run. MY ADVICE. Stay the heck away from the UPS Mailbox Services. They are very costly. They are not honest up front about the rules. They love it when you cancel because they continue to charge you for forwarding junk mail. And, the most important reason, they are not attentive to delivery of your mail leaving you constantly wondering about statements, bills, legal documents, and your checks from customers. DON'T DO IT!! Use your home address or get a USPS post office box. BTW, I've changed my address and have discontinued relying on the UPS Mailbox Service in Sevierville Tennessee.

RandomStuff said:

Yes, I use one for my business. It was a bit ago that I registered, but the thing is when you register online with the IRS for your EIN, they don't allow you to put the # sign in, so you have to use PMB (private mail box)

Here's basically what your address will look like:

[you business name]
1234-C Street Name PMB 123
City Name, [state] [zip code]

At least, that's how mine is, because the ups store is in a stip mall, that's why it's 1234-C instead of that PMB 123, you can use #123 but like I said, when registering for your EIN online, it won't let you use the # symbol.

However, when registering for the EIN online, it SPECIFICALLY states that you CAN NOT use a P.O. box, and doing it this way with thy UPS store goes through just fine.

Hope that helps!

Click to expand...

Alternatively, when registering for an EIN online, you can use "NUM" instead of PMB. So it would be:

[you business name]
1234-C Street Name NUM 123
City Name, [state] [zip code]

Or at least that is what the form forced me to do after attempting to use the pound (#) sign.

StillSmiling said:

The thing I hate most about having a PO Box is that they sell your info to everybody. You get spammed at your box AND at the address which was on the ID you supplied to open the PO Box. Also, and I'm not sure if this is universal, but at my local PO, I can request to find out the owner of any given box and they'll share that info with me for a couple of $$.

A PO Box is NOT the way to go if you want some level of privacy.

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So agreed, I used to have a PO Box and I got so much crap!!
I Love My UPS box:23: