Have you outgrown your PO Box? If so, you’re in the right place. There are multiple reasons why a PO Box is not convenient. For example, even though there are many Post Offices nationwide,
there are still many areas that don’t have Post offices and you’re required to drive a long distance to get to one. However, you can find a UPS Store almost every few blocks, in small towns or big cities.
With a PO Box, you’re tied to the Post Office’s operating hours, and getting mail on weekends or holidays is difficult. If you’re using your PO Box for business, this can slow progress and can cause a huge delay.
Also, using a PO Box address as a business mailing address may not be seen as professional and could lessen your credibility with customers. Another problem you may be facing with a PO Box is that you can only accept mail and packages from USPS, excluding other carriers like UPS, FedEx, or DHL.
You end up having to juggle two mailing addresses because you get packages at two separate addresses. A UPS Mailbox provides solutions to these problems among other services. We’ve put together a guide with everything you need to know about UPS Mailboxes, like cost, advantages, disadvantages, and more.
What is a UPS Mailbox?
The UPS Store is one of the most popular shipping companies in the world and with their mailbox services, you can rent a mailbox for personal or business use.
This private mailbox is similar to a PO Box, but allows you to receive mail and package deliveries from all carriers. This is because the UPS Store mailbox comes with a real street address and not just a PO Box. The mailbox is located inside a physical UPS Store of your choice.
Their mailbox sizes are similar to a PO Box and you can get a larger box if you get a higher volume of mail and a smaller box for lower volumes of mail. This solution is perfect for businesses looking for a professional address and convenience of being able to pickup your mail from a local UPS Store.
What are the advantages of getting a UPS Mailbox?
- A private mailbox offers extra privacy and security as you no longer need to use your home address as your mailing address, especially for business mail or while shopping online. You no longer need to share your home address with customers, partners, or vendors.
- The UPS Store is popular for its commitment and 24/7 operating hours in many locations. You will easily be able to go and check your mail, at any time. With their Call-In MailCheck, you can call to check if you have new mail and save yourself the trip to the store. You will also get a text or email notification when you receive mail. Most UPS Stores even work during evenings, weekends and holidays; so you’re no longer tied to the limited hours of a USPS facility.
- You can get mail and packages at your physical mailing address from all carriers, not just USPS. You can finally stop bouncing between two mailing addresses. Some online stores only use private shipping carriers so shopping online should be a breeze with a private mailbox.
- It’s a horrible feeling when you make it home from a work trip only to find out your package was returned to the sender because you weren’t available to pick it up. With a UPS Mailbox, there will always be someone available to sign for your package and they can even hold your package until you’re back able to pick them up.
- Most importantly, when you move or change your address, you don’t have to worry about changing your address with USPS, as you’re already using your UPS assigned mailbox address.
What are the disadvantages of a UPS Mailbox?
- You can use your UPS Mailbox as your personal mailing address but you may not always be able use it as your business address, the reason is that there are many State agencies and organizations that will see it as a mailbox store address and they may not accept it.
- A UPS mailbox is a physical mailbox, this means you have to walk into your local UPS Store to pickup your mail. This may be problematic if you’re out of town or don’t always have the time to walk into the UPS Store to pickup your mail.
- A UPS mailbox is basically the same thing as a traditional Post Office box, you don’t really know what’s inside the mailbox and you can’t submit all of the online requests that you can with a virtual mailbox like Open & Scan, Forward, Shred or Recycle.
UPS Mailbox Cost & Sizes
The cost of a UPS Mailbox depends on the size of the mailbox, location, and the rental period. There are three rental periods that you can choose from, a three-month plan, a six-month plan, and an annual plan.
The longer your plan is, the better the discount you get. There are also three sizes available in most of the UPS Stores, a small, medium, and large mailbox.
Small UPS Box
The small box is ideal for individuals not expecting a high volume of mail, small mailboxes range from $10 to $20 per month.
Medium UPS Box
The medium mailbox is suitable for families or small businesses expecting mail and packages frequently, medium mailboxes range from $20 to $40 per month.
Large UPS Box
The large mailbox is suitable for medium or large businesses expecting a high volume of mail and packages, large mailboxes range from $30 to $50 per month.
Other costs include a $10 to $10 fee for the key, an overflow fee if you have excessive mail or packages, late payment fees, storage fees if packages are left unattended, and there’s also a fee if you’ve lost the key and need a new one.
And finally, the location of the store and demand for mailboxes in the area also factor in the cost.
How to get a UPS Mailbox?
First, you need to find the nearest UPS Store and then you’ll need to contact them and ask about the mailbox size you want and its price because not all of the UPS Stores have all of the mailbox sizes.
When confirmed, you’ll need to go to the UPS Store with two forms of valid ID; one of them must be a photo ID. You’ll be required to sign an agreement (which you should read carefully) and make a mailbox deposit and pay for the key.
Find out more details about The UPS Store Mailbox Services
What is a Better UPS Mailbox Alternative and a PO Box?
Even though a UPS Mailbox has its perks over a PO Box, it’s still missing many of the advantages related to a virtual mailbox. A virtual mailbox allows you to manage all of your mail deliveries online. You can request to open & scan your mail items, forward them to any destination in the world or choose to recycle or shed them without having to make a special trip to your physical UPS mailbox.
A virtual mailbox also serves as an online system where you can keep a copy of the scanned images of your mail items, sort and organize them into folders and search for or download them whenever you need.
Read more about 2021 Top Virtual Mailbox Providers