P.O. Boxes

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Posted By: Rob D.

About a year-and-a-half ago I started renting a box at a UPS store about 2 miles from my house, and it's one of the best things I've done in regards to collecting (hmmm, I must be making a lot of bad decisions).

All of the delivery services will deliver to a PMB box, and there's always someone there to sign for a package. Plus -- and I'm guessing all UPS stores offer this service -- I also can call and see if I have mail or a package, saving me a fruitless trip.

The guys who work at the store I use are great, but there is one thing to be aware of: When you pick up a package, there's no record of you picking it up. They keep it behind the counter, obviously, but they just hand it to you and that's it. So one day when I was in the midst of receiving a bunch of shipments in a span of a few days, I got to thinking: What if someone dishonest at a store signed for your package and then kept it? If you're picking up a bunch of shipments, and there's no record of what you've picked up, how could you prove you didn't take possession of a package?

I hated asking them this question, because I was basically hinting that if they were dishonest, there would be no way a customer could prove he or she didn't receive a package. Fortunately they understood the point I was making and said they might start having people sign for packages when they pick them up. But that was a year ago, and there's been no change.

But even with that caveat, I've been really happy. (I don't know off-hand the exact cost for the box rental for the year, but I do know it's more than a P.O. box.)