4 ms·

It's just like a PO box. You can use it for most casual things but the hassles aren't worth it for services that require proof of physical address like driver's

by chime 12y ago

It's just like a PO box. You can use it for most casual things but the hassles aren't worth it for services that require proof of physical address like driver's license, bank accounts, mortgages etc. Also using non-physical address for personal transactions raises your fraud score. E.g. your credit card goes to a PO and you ask vendors to ship to your physical address that may not even be in the same zip code or city. The true benefit of a service like Outbox is that I don't miss important paperwork like auto registration and home insurance renewals. But the more important the service, the more stringent the requirements of proving you live at the physical address on file. I own a rental property and it is a pain to make sure all the bills and paperwork related to the property come to my primary residence. Yet I keep finding mail from different companies going to the rental address even though I have set the Billing / Contact address to my primary residence. Companies just do a "SELECT address, city, state, zip" when doing a mail merge, which usually brings up the physical address instead of the billing / contact address.

forgottenpass 12y ago
Sure, there are hassles with using a PO box, I've had one 8 of the last 10 years. I think you're overestimating the hurdle they pose in day to day life and to the service Outbox could provide. I occasionally have to use my physical address, but since my most recent move haven't had provided proof of my current address to anybody nor received a single piece of post there. The one item I could use to prove my address has left my safe deposit box exactly once in all 16 months, but the DMV was OK with a PO Box on my drivers license and didn't scan the lease (like they did when I used my old place as the address). It would be a limitation to the services that Outbox could provide with a PO Box system but practically speaking the vast majority of mail for the vast majority of users is a very good start. Just because the USPS isn't handing you your ideal business model on a silver platter, that's not a reason to give up is it?
saurik 12y ago
Earth Class Mail does this. They offer real street addresses as opposed to "PO boxes", so you don't run into a lot of the issues you are describing. The only thing that occasionally is a problem (but like, once in a blue moon, and usually related to buying a new iPhone) is the issue with "having a physical good sent to an address other than my billing address". However, while I've usually been able to just temporarily change my upstream AT&T address for just the day to make my order, ECM also solves this problem: you can have physical packages delivered to your ECM street address and then have the product forwarded or even go pick it up in person the same day (I live two hours away from ECM, so I'm unlikely to do this often, but I technically can in a pinch). I have my ECM address on my drivers license (I didn't even ask the DMV to do this for me: I simply listed ECM as my mailing address, and that's the address that their policy puts on the card; I verified with them afterwards there was no mistake or misunderstanding), and have had no issues with moving my bank accounts and credit cards to my ECM service. The only people who know my physical address are utilities (though my bills actually do get sent correctly to ECM), health insurance (as the pricing is dependent on your location), and the US government (voting registration and DMV filing, though neither ever sends mail to anything but ECM). That all said, your specific use case is somewhat different: you need the utilities to also send you bills, and they are some of the few people who actually care about having your physical address. But it isn't like Outbox could really solve this in a sane way for you either... that would involve them going through the mail of the people who are renting from you, only once every three days (so assuming your renters didn't reap the mail first), and pulling just the mail being delivered to "you" as opposed to them. If I were renting from you I'd frankly find that kind of sketch. For what misterbwong and forgottenpass are talking about, however: ECM is specifically the service they are looking for ;P.

by chime 12y ago

forgottenpass 12y ago

Sure, there are hassles with using a PO box, I've had one 8 of the last 10 years. I think you're overestimating the hurdle they pose in day to day life and to the service Outbox could provide. I occasionally have to use my physical address, but since my most recent move haven't had provided proof of my current address to anybody nor received a single piece of post there. The one item I could use to prove my address has left my safe deposit box exactly once in all 16 months, but the DMV was OK with a PO Box on my drivers license and didn't scan the lease (like they did when I used my old place as the address). It would be a limitation to the services that Outbox could provide with a PO Box system but practically speaking the vast majority of mail for the vast majority of users is a very good start. Just because the USPS isn't handing you your ideal business model on a silver platter, that's not a reason to give up is it?

saurik 12y ago

Earth Class Mail does this. They offer real street addresses as opposed to "PO boxes", so you don't run into a lot of the issues you are describing. The only thing that occasionally is a problem (but like, once in a blue moon, and usually related to buying a new iPhone) is the issue with "having a physical good sent to an address other than my billing address". However, while I've usually been able to just temporarily change my upstream AT&T address for just the day to make my order, ECM also solves this problem: you can have physical packages delivered to your ECM street address and then have the product forwarded or even go pick it up in person the same day (I live two hours away from ECM, so I'm unlikely to do this often, but I technically can in a pinch). I have my ECM address on my drivers license (I didn't even ask the DMV to do this for me: I simply listed ECM as my mailing address, and that's the address that their policy puts on the card; I verified with them afterwards there was no mistake or misunderstanding), and have had no issues with moving my bank accounts and credit cards to my ECM service. The only people who know my physical address are utilities (though my bills actually do get sent correctly to ECM), health insurance (as the pricing is dependent on your location), and the US government (voting registration and DMV filing, though neither ever sends mail to anything but ECM). That all said, your specific use case is somewhat different: you need the utilities to also send you bills, and they are some of the few people who actually care about having your physical address. But it isn't like Outbox could really solve this in a sane way for you either... that would involve them going through the mail of the people who are renting from you, only once every three days (so assuming your renters didn't reap the mail first), and pulling just the mail being delivered to "you" as opposed to them. If I were renting from you I'd frankly find that kind of sketch. For what misterbwong and forgottenpass are talking about, however: ECM is specifically the service they are looking for ;P.