USPS Street Addressing VS UPS Mailbox Service

[Jordan L.]

Ok I was at the post office today, and I ask if they offer the services that UPS Store offers, and that is having a real actual mailbox instead of a PO BOX, they advice me yes and they offer street addressing service with their actual address ex: 500 Main Street #123( My PO Box), I thought it was a great idea but my only concern is if someone's googling the actual address they will see that it is a Post Office and not an actual business address, but with the UPS Store it seems like an actual business address. I wanted to know has anyone use any of these services and if it is any good. I want to start my direct campaign soon. USPS is cheaper in price. Any advice will help

Thanks

[Zaid R.]

I've been using USPS and I've been very satisfied with the service and value for the price

As you mentioned, you can turn the mailbox into a 'street address'. Very few people are going to google the address, even less are going to care if it's a post office.

[Lj Smith]

We use the UPS store box. We had one crazy tenant that did google the address and call the UPS store asking if the person she was speaking to worked for our business name. The UPS store worker that answered the tenants call told tenant that she worked for our business. UPS store worker tells my wife all about it when my wife goes to check box. Thought it was nice of them to do that. Technically she does work for us because we do have a box there. The tenant never caught on that we just had a box at the store. Tenant had also called our local apartment association. We are happy with the UPS store box and recently paid for another year and a half of service.

[Azeez K.]

UPS - They typically have deals if you sign for a year you get 3 months free or something similar. Satisfied with UPS

[Brett Russell]

@Jordan L. , I was starting to look into this also. It looks to me, though, like there isn't much difference between how the address will end up looking between UPS and USPS. In either case it is the address of the store/post office followed by # and then your box number. You don't ever get your own, personal street address.

Are you seeing something else different?

[Account Closed]

It is not hard to find a mail drop to see whether it will show as a real address or mail drop all you need is the zip code.

Joe Gore

[Account Closed]

Will usps sign for packages like the ups store will, for those that use usps?

[Nicole A.]

Bringing back this topic.

I'm paying $300/year for my UPS box, which is listed as my business' address. The UPS store owner said that after this year renewal, he's raising the prices. It's expensive.

I was reading about USPS street addressing. Does anyone use this for their business' address? I saw on the form that you're not supposed to do that...so this makes me hesitant:

https://ribbs.usps.gov/mtcsa/documents/tech_guides...

I'd like to save some money if possible. Suggestions on alternatives from UPS are welcome!

[Wayne Sallee]

Originally posted by @Nicole A.:

Bringing back this topic.

I'm paying $300/year for my UPS box, which is listed as my business' address. The UPS store owner said that after this year renewal, he's raising the prices. It's expensive.

I was reading about USPS street addressing. Does anyone use this for their business' address? I saw on the form that you're not supposed to do that...so this makes me hesitant:

https://ribbs.usps.gov/mtcsa/documents/tech_guides...

I'd like to save some money if possible. Suggestions on alternatives from UPS are welcome!

 You can use it for business. You just can't put on legal documents that this address is your physical location.

So for example, on your business license, you can use that address as your mailing address, but not as your business physical address. Stating on a legal document that your business is physically located there would be fraud.

Wayne Sallee

[email protected]

[Nicole A.]

@Wayne Sallee

So then what exactly would you put down for your business' address on legal papers? I'm not putting down my personal residence. That information is public for anyone to see. 

I have a resident/registered agent that would receive any paperwork such as being served a lawsuit. So nothing like that would or should be coming to my business address anyway.

[Wayne Sallee]

I'm not a lawyer, and I don't play one on TV :-) but if you put your PO Box on a legal document where they want your physical address, the worst thing they could do is reject the document, but using the street address for a PO box would get you into trouble. Entering a PO box would not be considered misrepresenting.

You might try a google search for "corporate 'legal address' law".

Wayne Sallee

[Nicole A.]

@Wayne Sallee

I'm not using a PO Box. I can't use a PO Box for my business address. That's why I've been using a UPS box because the format of the address is "normal" (not a PO BOX).

Basically, I think $300/year (and increasing) is high for renting a mailbox at UPS. That's why I was wondering if anyone has used the Postal Service's "street addressing" option now, which is *not* a PO Box. :-)

[Anu G.]

Has anyone tried using Anytimemailbox.com or other services like that? They start at $5/mo.  I'm worried that they'll go out of business.  

I do have a registered agent service through legalzoom for $159/yr.  I found cheaper ones for about $50/yr in Indy.  

[Stephen Polizzi]

Anyone have any update on this? That document from the USPS is dated 2012.

[Ryan William]

I've been using iPostal1 virtual mailbox services as my physical business address. So far there hasn't been any issues. It's listed on my DUNS and other business credit profiles, as well as bank accounts, credit cards, etc. Someone above mentioned that it's illegal to do so, but what's done is done. It's only $10 a month, plus any fees if forwarding, shredding mail, etc. 

[Eric Sztanyo]

@Nicole A., there's certainly one side of this conversation which is the legal address you can use. 

The other side of this, which I am probably more interested in knowing, is finding a solution that works well for Google My Business. 

Here is from Google's site: 

Use a precise, accurate address to describe your business location. PO Boxes or mailboxes located at remote locations are not acceptable.

• Make sure that your page is created at your actual, real-world location.
  • Use the precise address for the business rather than broad city names or cross-streets. P.O. Boxes are not considered accurate physical locations.
  • Suite numbers, floors, building numbers, etc. may also be included. Information like cross-streets and nearby landmarks should only be included in regions where the official street address doesn’t accurately pinpoint the business's location.
  • If you need to specify a mailbox or suite number within your physical location, please list your physical address in Address Line 1, and put your mailbox or suite number in Address Line 2.
  • If your business rents a temporary, "virtual" office at a different address from your primary business, do not create a page for that location unless it is staffed during your normal business hours.
• Do not include information in address lines that does not pertain to your business’s physical location (e.g. URLs or keywords).
• Do not create more than one page for each location of your business, either in a single account or multiple accounts.
  • Individual practitioners and departments within businesses, universities, hospitals, and government buildings may have separate pages. See specific guidelines about individual practitioners and departments for more information.
• If your address doesn't have a street number, or you're sure that you've entered the address correctly but the system still can't find it, you can pin your business's location directly on the map by following these steps.

So, no PO Box. Need a physical location. Virtual offices don't satisfy Google's paramaters because they are not staffed. 

The best solution I can see is to get a suite number at an actual physical business location. 

[Nicole A.]

@Eric Sztanyo I'm not seeing in what you posted from Google where you couldn't simply use a Street Address from the post office. I think you may be reading too much into it. The address is a real location that you physically go to pick up your mail. It is not in a PO Box format. The address has street numbers rather than vague intersections (I imagine this is due to out of US locations where they don't tend to use specific addresses like we do).

If you have a Street Address (rather than PO Box format!!), your address will look like this:
Eric Sztanyo LLC
7356 Main St.
Suite 847
Fort Thomas, KY 41075

The key is you go to the post office and specifically ask for STREET ADDRESSING and that you do not want the PO Box format. You will obviously still get assigned a box, but the point is the formatting of the address will not say "PO Box" in it. It will look like what I put as example above. I have used this for the official address of my business and done just fine.

[Eric Sztanyo]

@Nicole A., I've considered that, but just want to make sure it's not a problem for Local SEO and GMB. It's definitely better than a PO Box. In fact, I was just at the post office yesterday, and they suggested that option. If that has worked for you and your business, awesome. 

The phrases that scare me off from doing that from Google's description are: 

• Make sure that your page is created at your actual, real-world location.
• Use the precise address for the business
• If your business rents a temporary, "virtual" office at a different address from your primary business, do not create a page for that location unless it is staffed during your normal business hours.
• Do not include information in address lines that does not pertain to your business’s physical location (e.g. URLs or keywords).

So, while you can get a physical address, it's not actually your business' physical location. You don't have normal business hours. I just think getting a suite at an actual physical location (not the post office) fits their definition better.  

As you said, maybe I'm being too nitpicky, but in 10 years of SEO, I've learned to try to do what Google says. ;)

[Whitney Tutt]

I've been doing research on the best options also for my LLC's address. I decided on the USPS street addressing option and purchased the box today. Like other's have stated, you use the Post Office's address and then your PO Box is the Unit #. I went with the smallest sized box and paid $64 for the year. This is the most economical and best option I've come across. UPS wanted $159 annually and the virtual online mailbox addresses want a monthly fee. Someone also mentioned the different online companies possibly going out of business. That's definitely something to think about.

I'm not too concerned with my tenants looking up the address. They can Google it all they want. I just needed the address because I do not want to use my home address for this business. It's okay for my other business but not this one.

Hope this helps!

[Ann M.]

Bringing this thread back up.  Never saw an answer to the question of whether the USPS site will sign for FEDEX or UPS packages.  Any feedback on this issue?

[Mike S.]

Yes with street addressing, the USPS employee will sign for Fedex and UPS delivery.

However, sometimes UPS employee who don't know about it will say that they can't deliver to a PO Box. You just need to educate them. The USPS webpage clearly states that with street addressing they will accept package from delivery companies. Over the last few years I got 2 UPS delivery that triggered an exception when the sup carrier was working.

Also, do not use the zip+4 of your mailbox. USPS tell you to address as such:

123 main streat #5678

Smallville, ZZ 01234-5678

This address will not resolve with the address verification softwares from mailer and even from the USPS website!!!

If you want to avoid delivery failure, you can use the zip+4 of the post office itself. Also, most shipper won't accept # but will replace it by Unit.

For the issue of googling the address, either a USPS or a UPS store will show a picture of the USPS or UPS store. It does not take a lot of research to figure out that it is a mailbox.

Last, don't expect any CMRA (being Fedex, UPS, USPS or other private mailbox services) not to be flagged by any major company (especially banks) as a mailbox.