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Working remotely while traveling as a digital nomad opens the world to you. As long as you have a decent internet connection, you can live and work and explore anywhere.
However, there are still some “real world” considerations that accompany running a business from the road. Namely, an address for your business, where you will receive your mail.
While you can handle most important matters over email or through a variety of apps and software tools, the world hasn’t done away with snail mail just yet. From client checks to bills to legal documents, you may still need a physical mailbox even as you wander the world.
However, there is a solution to this problem: virtual mailboxes through a reliable digital mailbox provider.
A virtual mailbox company will provide you with a permanent virtual mailing address to receive mail and packages for a monthly fee and even offer mail handling, scan mail packages, to manage your mail and forward it to anywhere you are.
Learn what virtual mailbox companies are, how do they work, how much a virtual mail service cost, what services they include and which is the best virtual mailbox service in the market:
What’s a virtual mailbox service?
How to choose a virtual mailbox?
Best virtual mailboxes
Anytime Mailbox
PostScan Mail
US Global Mail
Traveling Mailbox
VirtualPostMail
Earth Class Mail
SasquatchMail
NorthWest
iPostal1
PO Box Zone
1. What is a Virtual Mailbox Service?
A virtual mail or digital mailbox service, as the name implies, is a service that offers you a permanent mailbox address to collect, open and scan your physical, postal mail for you, providing you (or your business) the benefit to be located anywhere in the world while safely receiving your mail in a real address of a desired business city or your hometown.
Are virtual mailboxes safe?
Virtual mailbox services offered by well known, specialized companies, are safe to use.
Companies offering a mailbox service for businesses or individuals also include a variety of services besides a virtual address, that will allow you to not only to receive mail and packages but also to manage your mail: Scan and revise what you’ve received, to safely store what you decide to keep and use a mail forwarding service to send any mail or package you want to send wherever you (or your business) are.
Some of the most common services offered by virtual mailboxes besides mail storage are:
Real street addresses
Mail notification
Online viewing of envelope
Opening and scanning your mail
Mail forwarding
Secure shredding, disposing or recycling of your mail
Package storage and shipping
Check depositing
Signature upon delivery
At minimum, most of the virtual or online mailbox services offer online viewing.
There are usually different plans to choose, with a base monthly price with additional fees depending on which services you need (like mailbox forwarding) or how much mail you receive.
To set up your new address, you sign up with a service, complete USPS Form 1583, officially change your address and then you will be ready to get mail from anywhere in the world.
2. How to Choose a Virtual Mailbox Service?
There are many factors to take into consideration when choosing a virtual mailbox service to collect your mail packages or to use as a virtual business address to receive your business postal mail, and view and manage your mail online:
If you need a physical address or P.O. Box. for yourself or your business in a certain city, make sure that the service you choose offers an address there.
If you have clients who pay by check, then you’ll want to get a service that includes check depositing.
If you have bills that only come in paper form, then you’ll want an open and scan service, so you don’t miss a payment.
If you want to receive some urgent packages in your location, then it would be important to choose a virtual mailbox that offers a mail forwarding service.
If you don’t want to keep junk mail, make sure to choose one that offers mail shredding services.
Last but not least, the price. There are virtual mailboxes for as little as a monthly fee of $6.99 up to $159 per month depending on what’s included in the service.
To help you assess the existing options and identify the best virtual mailbox service for your specific scenario, start by listing all the must and nice to have requirements for a mailbox service and go through the options we list below.
But, what are the best and cheapest virtual mailbox services? Let’s see next.
3. Best Virtual Mailboxes for Remote Based Professionals, Companies or Digital Nomads
There are many virtual mailboxes to choose from. While your cheapest option is to get a friend or family member to open your mail for you, this is not the most reliable or kindest option. Instead, check out the well known mailbox services below, to choose the best virtual mailbox service in your particular case.
3.1. Anytime Mailbox
Cost: From $5.99 to $49.99/month
Anytime Mailbox ServicesAnytime Mailbox is a well known virtual mailbox that offers services in 1,233 locations across the US, Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe, Middle East, and Oceania. Their pricing depends on the chosen location and services, with a range of plans available. You get a real street address and can choose features such as mail scanning, incoming mail forwarding, Check Deposit, and Shredding.
Each account gets unlimited mail storage as long as your account is active. Anytime Mailbox is probably one of the most global virtual mailboxes for digital nomads and their online interface is user-friendly.
What are Anytime Mailbox “pros” & benefits?:
Services at 1,233 locations.
Rates starting are lower than others.
The app works from PC to Mac, Apple to Android, smartphone to tablet, we’ve got you covered.
What are Anytime Mailbox “cons” & issues?:
The price depends on the location.
There are no different rate plans.