Virtual Mailbox in the US

Hi MemphisS - I have been utilizing iPostal for the last 4 months and so far so good. I received a letter from the California Franchise Tax Board. I viewed the contents of the letter online and verified that it contained no sensitive information. I then instructed iPostal to scan and shred the letter. I received notification from iPostal stating they can not open the letter as it may contain sensitive information, and did i want it forwarded,  discarded or shredded. So, that has been my experience so far.

06/21/24 @MemphisS.  I've used US Global Mail since 2017, and my experience has been similar to @kevinmiller1957's with iPostal.  Any of the highly rated US-based mail handlers should do a good job for you.

I don't maintain a US residence, so I use my US Global Mail street address as the billing address on my credit cards, so the credit card companies aren't spooked by a foreign address, and for security when my replacement cards are sent to me.

@kevinmiller1957, @MephisS. I actually couldn't have said it any better. My Postal 1 is in Seekonk, MA because ALL my storage from moving to Brazil was in PUBLIC STORAGE. When I finally got to go back to the USA, I had several additional items sent from Amazon.Com to Postal 1. Went very smoothly.  Make sure you familiarize yourself with how long they will hold stuff if you can't have it mailed / shipped right away.

Roddie in Retirement

@abthree Great to know, since I have been using my former American home for a billing address. My address expires in about 2 years. Any verification issues when you change addresses?

Roddie in Retirement

06/21/24    @abthree Great to know, since I have been using my former American home for a billing address. My address expires in about 2 years. Any verification issues when you change addresses?
Roddie in Retirement-@roddiesho

I was using my brother's address, but when he and my SIL moved abroad he had their mail forwarded to their daughter, and without telling anyone the Post Office started forwarding mine, too.  THAT created a lot of confusion before it was straightened out!  With time people move and things change, so it's good to have a stable address.

No major verification issues.  The USPS Form 1583, Application for Delivery of Mail Through Agent, needs to be notarized.  You can have it notarized at the US Consular Agency in Fortaleza, or use NotaryCam or any other authorized online US notary service.

How much do those virtual mailboxes cost?  I understand that having those in tax free state can also advantageous - but what are those again?

Any disadvantages over PO boxes?

Thank you.

06/22/24    How much do those virtual mailboxes cost?  I understand that having those in tax free state can also advantageous - but what are those again?Any disadvantages over PO boxes?Thank you.        -@Pablo888

Most of the companies will position their mailing addresses in states without income tax, at the subscriber's choice.  Texas and Florida are the biggies, but there are others.  Some people may prefer a location closer to their old home, their family, or places that they visit frequently, to give them the opportunity to pick up their mail in person when they're there.

I currently pay $14.95/mo for a Plus plan, billed annually.  Forwarders offer a range of prices and plans.

If the billing address of your credit cards is your mailing address at the mail forwarder, you may find yourself paying that state's sales tax on online purchases.   As for state income tax, you should talk to your tax advisor, especially if you're maintaining real estate in the US.

The biggest advantages over a PO box are images of your mail for visual inspection,  the ability to separate mail to be scanned and discarded, consolidating mail to be forwarded, and choice and discounts on forwarding methods.  The only disadvantage over a PO box that I know of is that if the subscriber returns to the US to live, the Postal Service will NOT honor a request to forward mail from a third party mail handler's address.  That anti-competitive quirk in the postal regulations could change any time, but as far as I know it's still in effect.

I currently pay $14.95/mo for a Plus plan, billed annually.  Forwarders offer a range of prices and plans.
    -@abthree

Thank you @abthree for the info.  Just as a comparison, I have a small 8 in x 8 in PO Box in the USPS station nearby and it costs me $148 / year and the price tends to increase with inflation.

Since a virtual mailbox is very comparable, I will need to look into this more seriously.