Many small businesses and individuals that don’t have established locations, or want to keep their address private, can direct their mail to a P.O. box or a virtual mailbox. But you may be wondering: what exactly are the key differences between the two options?
What is a P.O. Box?
A P.O. box is a physical and secure box in a post office or an approved USPS location. Each box has a number and a lock.
P.O. box addresses include the P.O. Box number and the city, state, and zip code of the box’s location.
To pick up their mail, P.O. box holders need to go to their box’s location with their key and unlock and empty their assigned PO.box.
What is a virtual mailbox?
A virtual mailbox service accepts mail on behalf of its users. Virtual mailbox staffers will scan and send images of the mail they have received to their users. Users can then view their mail on any mobile device and choose to have the contents uploaded, forwarded, or shredded.
Virtual mailbox users do not need to physically pick up or handle their mail unless they choose to do so.
The differences between a P.O. box and a virtual mailbox
P.O. boxes and virtual mailboxes both provide an address to receive mail, but virtual mailboxes offer additional advantages.
Virtual mailbox services offer physical street addresses
P.O. box addresses include their P.O. Box number and are not a physical street address. Because of this, many mail carriers, such as FedEx and DHL, won’t deliver mail to a P.O. box. Additionally, many states don’t allow businesses to use a P.O. Box to file their LLC or partnership.
On the other hand, a virtual mailbox uses a physical street address. Virtual mailbox holders can use their virtual mailbox address just as they would any other street address.
Capacity limit
P.O. box holders are limited by the volume of mail that can physically fit in these size-restrictive boxes. Though P.O. boxes come in multiple sizes, even the largest size box can’t hold unlimited mail. Box holders must regularly go down to their box’s location to empty it and pick up their mail before their box becomes full. However, oversized packages won’t fit into even the maximum size P.O. box.
By contrast, virtual mailboxes can accept unlimited mail on behalf of their customers, including oversized mail and boxes.
Accessibility
P.O. box holders must physically go down to their box, unlock it, and empty it. Users who travel often must make sure they empty their box before it gets full, or they may not be able to receive more mail.
UnlikePO box holders, virtual mailbox users can view their mail remotely, at any time, from anywhere. For frequent travelers or those with busy schedules, a virtual mailbox means they don’t have to worry about picking up their mail.
Wrap up
P.O. boxes and virtual mailboxes both provide an address to receive mail. However, they provide different services, and there are many advantages to using a virtual mailbox over a P.O. box.
