11 Key Players of the Virtual Mailbox Market: A Rundown

By: Syeda Gul-e-Khansha

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Mailroom Management

time to read article10 minutes

article date May 31, 2021

Are you a frequent traveler, or do you own a remote business? You do not have a permanent mailing address where you can receive your important mails in both cases. But the virtual mailbox service has solved this problem for you! Now you can access your mail from anywhere.

A virtual mailbox is becoming increasingly essential for expatriates, dual resident holders, and businesses. The virtual mailbox market is expanding at a double-digit rate. If you have a residence or office in more than one place, a virtual mailbox is your lifesaver. It is a service that always gives you access to your mail. You do not have to visit your mailbox physically. Though there are no free virtual mailbox service providers, they provide certain free services once you purchase the package.

Emerging Trend of Virtual Mailbox

Virtual mailbox service is the digitization of mailbox services. This means that you can get access to the mail online without visiting the mailbox. Frequent travelers, businesses, and dual nationals particularly benefit from this service.

Besides receiving mail, virtual mailbox providers offer other services related to mails. They can recycle documents that are no longer needed. They can also shred confidential documents, forward packages to another address, or hold on to your packages. Businesses can outsource mail handling services to these service providers.

Virtual mailbox for business is highly beneficial for remote companies. Furthermore, individuals like expatriates and digital nomads also use these services to ensure they can receive their mails and packages even if they are out of the country.

How Does the Virtual Mailbox Work?

Mailroom Scan Screen

The service provider receives the mail on your behalf and sends out a scanned version of the mail to your digital mailbox. The mailbox also handles your mail and packages. You can notify the service provider of what to do with the actual mail.

You can either request to hold the package or forward it to another address. The service provider can also be requested to discard essential documents by shredding, ensuring no one else gets a hold of confidential documents.

The Best Free Virtual Mailbox Services in the Market

While talking about the virtual mailbox, it is important to know about the key players and choose the best per your requirement. Let’s have a look!

1. Mailroom by PackageX

Mailroom by PackageX comes with inbound and outbound mail tracking, along with mail scanning, forwarding, and holding options. Besides mails, it handles boxed packages as well.

With the OCR technology, no manual data entry is required, making it a complete digital mailroom. PackageX mobile app, web dashboard, and digital mailroom allow users to manage all the mailroom locations.

Automated notifications can be sent to recipients when the package barcode is scanned, identifying the potential recipients. The user can take a photo of the package & mail, which is then recorded into the system. Furthermore, it comes with a contactless pick-up feature.

2. Anytime Mailbox

Anytime mailbox is a cloud-based platform for a digital mailbox within minutes, offering real street addresses serving 1185 locations. It can be accessed on any laptop or smartphone, including Android and Apple.

They provide services like check deposits, mail and package forwarding, and mail scanning. A unique feature of this virtual mailbox is free unlimited online storage. Anytime Mailbox can also get your check deposited into your bank account.

It is a one-stop mailing solution for digital nomads. There is no need to buy a new device or install new software, as this service is cloud-based. However, you need to install the applcation to receive alerts about new mails.

3. PostScan Mail

PostScan mailbox provides a virtual business address or personal mailing address to 400+ locations. Mailboxes can be accessed from any mobile device or tablet.

It provides complete control of mail deliveries remotely from any location with absolute security. The mail can be stored online for 30 days for free; however, if you wish to keep it for a more extended period, there is a nominal monthly fee to be paid.

Besides mail forwarding and scanning, you can also walk into the local office and pick up your mail or package, as they are stored locally. PostScan Mail also offers an online notary service that is required when applying for a virtual mailbox.

4. Incfile

Incfile offers a virtual address and a virtual mailbox for businesses, digital nomads, and remote work. Incfile currently provides virtual mailboxes in 22 different states.

Incfile deals with letters and large envelopes only and not the boxed packages. Bank checks, credit/debit cards will be forwarded to the assigned address. You do not need to install any software; log in from anywhere using the web.

Your mail is also secure with Incfile as all mails are encrypted, making it accessible only for you. Unlike PostScan Mail, Incfile does not have a pick-up location.

5. Traveling Mailbox

Traveling mailbox provides an actual street address to thousands of travelers, ex-pats, individuals, and businesses. The physical street gives a professional touch, as compared to just the PO Box.

It is a virtual mailbox that can scan and forward mail, packages, and checks anywhere in the world. Traveling mailbox can also send your checks to the banks and create bank deposit slips. It can be accessed easily via its app.

You can get free unlimited cloud storage and free unlimited phone support with Traveling Mailbox. The mail is under surveillance 24/7 inside the facility. While every mail is secure, they scan your mails for junk mail and shred those.

6. iPostal1

iPostal1 is a full-serviced digital mailbox provider with 2000+ real street addresses. It lets you view and manage mail and packages from anywhere in the world. Besides Virtual mailing addresses and business addresses, you can get a virtual office address as well.

The Virtual Office comes with an additional feature of a phone number. The virtual office address can work as a virtual office for small or home businesses by adding a local or toll-free phone or fax. This package costs more than the standard package.

iPostal1 has the best customer satisfaction rating of any digital mailbox provider. It is BBB accredited and has an A+ rating.

7. Earth Class Mail

Earth Class has deposited $1 billion in checks and scanned 10 million mails to send to its customers. Data can be linked to cloud storage providers like Google Drive, Dropbox, and others with its integration feature. Like other service providers in the market, Earth class mail is a virtual mailbox that provides mail forwarding, scanning, shredding, and check to deposit.

Notary services are available in English and Spanish language. Earth Class Mail serves 80+ mailing addresses.

8. Switch

Switch aims to reinvent the mailing solutions for small businesses. They aim at sending mail in a faster, easier, and cost-effective way. You can outsource the mailing activities of your business to Switch.

Switch is an entirely virtual mailing solution for small businesses. It is completely automated with no human interaction. Switch can print your documents and letters, put them in the envelope and add the desired recipient address. It also eliminates the need to stand in Post Office queues and procure mailing material. It provides first-class and certified business mail services. Thus, Switch helps save time and money.

9. Virtual PostMail

VPM makes it easier to go remote by providing a permanent commercial address for online mail and package management. It provides businesses with a mailing address and complete compliance services to start a remote company. Besides check deposits, it also has a free registered agent available for your legal documents. VPM makes all office documents digital and paperless.

VPM takes care of essential bills and documents on time. Mail can be received from all couriers. Till now, VPM serves three states in the USA.

10. Sasquatch Mail

Sasquatch mail is an online virtual mailbox provider. They provide online mail forwarding as well as physical mail forwarding options. They also offer unlimited mail scanning storage, free shredding, and recycling. Optional monthly phone service is also available.

Sasquatch Mail serves four states right now. They provide an actual street address with a unique suite number in a reputable commercial building, thus creating a reputation for the business.

11. PO Box Zone

PO Box Zone is a digital mailbox service with an actual street address for frequent travelers and small business owners to avoid using personal addresses.

Digitally receive mails and instructs further via app instantly. PO Box Zone employees can accept any letter on your behalf.

The mail forwarding address is available in Nevada and Wyoming right now. The service plan is based on mail frequency.

Benefits of Having a Virtual Mailbox

Virtual mailboxes are a must-have for both individuals and organizations. Here are some benefits of the best virtual mailbox services.

  1. Virtual Mailing Address for Dual-Nationals

  2. Virtual Business Address

  3. Get Your Checks Deposited

  4. Outsource Record-Keeping & Save Time

  5. Recycling and Shredding

  6. Maintain Your Privacy

1. Virtual Mailing Address for Dual-Nationals

The virtual mailbox serves those people who have multiple residents or offices. People who have dual nationality likely receive important mail like tax and bills. Delaying these payments can cause you further fines. Thus, to avoid delays, it is important to receive these critical mails on time.

2. Virtual Business Address

Virtual Mailboxes for businesses are a blessing for expanding businesses that are providing services in multiple places. Be it offshore companies or self-employed professionals who do not have a physical office, they all need digital mailboxes.

Therefore, the virtual mailbox is a must-have for virtual offices as it allows the business to always receive important notices about their business from the government or banks. Companies also need a face for their business, a physical address that gives clients confidence.

Co-working spaces also have a virtual mailbox system installed using which they receive packages for their members. Mailroom by PackageX is on such software used by co-working spaces.

3. Get Your Checks Deposited

Besides handling mails, some of the virtual mailbox services also allow checking deposit services. If the service provider receives any check, they can forward it to the bank and have the check deposited in your account. Thus, eliminating the need for bank visits. Virtual Post Mail provides check deposit services to its clients.

4. Outsource Record-Keeping & Save Time

You can scan and search your physical mail just like emails, making it convenient to find important mail. This also helps in organizing and storing essential mails while saving time. Furthermore, the service provider scans the scanning and documentation, thus saving your time to digitize the mails. All of this is done usually within one business day.

5. Recycling and Shredding

Businesses can also save the cost of shredding confidential documents by having their documents shredded by the virtual mail service provider. They can also recycle documents that are not needed.

6. Maintain Your Privacy

One of the foremost benefits of having a virtual box for self-employed and freelancers is that they do not have to use their home addresses. Thus, you can avoid privacy invasion by customers, so they do not come up to your doorstep.

Is Virtual Mailbox Safe?

Virtual mailboxes are safe as they keep confidential and essential documents safe. The shredding service ensures no one sees your documents.

The mail is received directly from the sender, without any middlemen, eliminating chances of theft, loss, or damage. Once the package is received, it is scanned with the device, automatically notifying the recipient. The service provider can take a picture of the package as well. Thus every touchpoint is recorded.

The automated service ensures that the correct recipient is notified about their mail.

Steps to Rent a Virtual Address

If you want to apply for a virtual mailbox service in the US, fill the USPS form 1583. This form is required to authorize a commercial entity to receive your mail. The postal consent form also has to be notarized. Some virtual mailbox service providers, such as PostScan Mail, can do the notarization as well.

Next, you have to choose a service provider and submit this form. Once you become a customer and you receive your virtual mailbox address.

The next step is to update your postal address with US postal services. Now you can check your mail online after logging into your virtual mailbox account. Once you have inspected your mail, you can send a request online telling the service provider what to do with the mail or package.

Is a Virtual Mailbox Legal?

Yes, it is! This is a legal service that has to be registered with the US postal services through Form 1583, as mentioned above. You can legally give authority to a commercial entity to receive mails and packages on your behalf.

It is also legally allowed to use a virtual address for your remote businesses. Having an address lets you gain your customer’s trust.

If you have multiple residences or have a remote business, make sure you avail the services of one of the virtual mailboxes. Let the virtual mailbox service take care of all your mails and packages. And if you are a remote business, get a physical street address besides a PO Box for public records. Gain your client’s confidence as you give a face to your physical address. Also, get your checks deposited to your bank accounts without physical visits to the bank.

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