What is PO Box? PO Box Review, Features

PO Box, also known as Postal Box, is the abbreviation of Post Office Box. A PO Box is a small, lockable, uniquely numbered, addressable box located in a post office. A PO Box is a private mailbox located in a post office.

About PO Box

The recipient address is written as a PO BOX address, and no signature is required. The delivery staff will deliver the mail to the corresponding PO BOX address (that is, the corresponding postal mailbox address). The recipient does not need to sign for it, and the recipient needs to pick up the item in person from the mailbox.

Many countries, especially in Africa and the Middle East, do not have door-to-door mail delivery. In these countries, post office boxes have always been rented to receive mail. In rural areas of the United States, Canada, and Australia, due to sparse population, door-to-door mail delivery is not cost-effective, so local post offices will lend post office boxes to residents at a lower price or even for free.

Special circumstances

In addition to those who cannot enjoy home delivery services due to remote locations or no fixed residence, some people living in cities with high-quality postal services still choose to go to the post office to use the post office box because:

1. Some companies of questionable credibility may abuse the anonymity of PO boxes.

2. When the mail is delivered to the post office in each district, the mail sent to the post office box will be placed in the box immediately. Depending on the region, post office box users may sometimes get the mail faster than those who choose to receive it at home or work.

3. People who often receive mail or large packages that need to be signed for at the post office can pick up other mail in the post office box when signing for them.

4. Some recipients want a well-known address, such as Washington, D.C. (the recipient does not live or run a business here). This special demand for PO boxes has led to many PO boxes in Washington.

5. Large companies with a large number of mails will rent dedicated post office boxes for individual departments. This way, the company does not have to sort the large number of mails into its various departments, thus saving costs.

6. PO boxes set up at post offices are safer than mailboxes at home, preventing mail theft and personal information from being misused.

7. Military units or certain government agencies are not allowed to send mail directly for security reasons and can only send mail to post boxes.

Common countries with PO Boxes

Australia, New Zealand, Samoa, Singapore, Angola, Benin, Egypt, Ghana, Republic of Guinea, Jordan, Kenya, Lebanon, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Sudan, Syria, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Belgium, Cyprus, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Canada, Puerto Rico, United States.

cost

PO Boxes can be rented for personal or commercial use. The rental method is usually monthly or annual, and the fee is determined by the capacity and location of the PO Box. Generally speaking, individuals or businesses rent PO Boxes from the post office on a monthly or annual basis, and the rent will vary depending on the size of the box. The rent of PO Boxes in the Central Business District (CBD) is usually higher than that of PO Boxes in remote areas. In the past, the rent of PO Boxes in any area of ​​the United States was uniform, but now it has been changed to be determined by location. However, qualified persons can be exempted from the fees.

USA

In the United States, the rent for mailboxes is uniform across the country. However, the post office now provides 7 levels of PO box services based on different regions. In addition, some customers can also use free PO boxes.

U.K.

In the UK, Royal Mail PO Boxes are located in mail sorting areas and are usually only slightly larger than pigeon holes and can only be opened by postal staff. In this case, the renter of the PO Box receives a card with the PO Box number and the name of the post office, which must be presented to the staff at the post office counter when collecting mail. Royal Mail delivers mail to the actual address of the renter of the PO Box for an additional fee.

Location

PO boxes are usually installed on the exterior or interior walls of a post office, where postal workers deposit mail from the inside and the PO box holder can collect it from the outside. In the United States, the lobby where the PO boxes are located is usually separate from the lobby where the service counter is located, so that people can still collect mail in the PO box lobby that is still open during non-office hours. However, starting in the 1980s, urban post offices no longer kept PO box lobbies open all night because these lobbies became homeless shelters at night.