Virtual Mailbox / Mail Scan Service

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Hyperborea
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Virtual Mailbox / Mail Scan Service

Post by Hyperborea »

I'm looking into using a virtual mailbox / mail scan and forward service starting next year. I am moving from the US but will still need to receive some mail for at least a few years. I want to have a California address. I also want to have the processing facility be at the address so that my mail doesn't hop from a drop address to the processing center - this prevents delays and reduces the chances for lost mail. I don't plan to have a large amount of mail so the minimum service plans are probably sufficient (perhaps even overkill). I will want to have some items sent to me overseas so the ability to forward outside the US is important.

I have looked over a number of the services and there seem to be 3 that I find that meet those conditions: Post Scan Mail; Physical Address; and Earth Class Mail. The first two seem to be reasonably priced. You can get plans for my expected low volume mail from about $150 to $200 per year. Earth Class Mail is almost an order of magnitude more expensive at $99 / month and that doesn't include things included in the other services like secure shredding.

Does anybody have experience with any of those 3 services? Any other suggestions for a mail scan service with a California address and processing center? Any input on mail scan services in general?

Thanks.
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Hayden
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Re: Virtual Mailbox / Mail Scan Service

Post by Hayden »

I use a commercial mail box (UPS store) because I travel constantly. Most companies I deal with know that it is a CMB and require a physical address as well.

Will you have a physical address in the US that you can give to financial institutions that require such things?
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Re: Virtual Mailbox / Mail Scan Service

Post by Hyperborea »

UPS store doesn't scan and forward though. Sounds ok if you will be semi-regularly physically near the mail drop location.

I will have no physical address though I don't plan on opening any new accounts so hopefully no verification is needed. I will, if possible, just change the mailing address. I want to setup the mail service very early next year to give it some time to make sure that there are no problems. If needed I have a couple of friends that I could use their home as a physical address.
Last edited by Hyperborea on Mon Dec 11, 2017 2:36 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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sailaway
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Re: Virtual Mailbox / Mail Scan Service

Post by sailaway »

Have you looked at the full consequences of having a California address? California has a very assertive tax collection bureau. Even if you wouldn't owe any taxes, you may find yourself spending a few hours each year convincing the state of California that you do not owe any taxes.
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Re: Virtual Mailbox / Mail Scan Service

Post by Hyperborea »

sailaway wrote: Mon Dec 11, 2017 2:31 pm Have you looked at the full consequences of having a California address? California has a very assertive tax collection bureau. Even if you wouldn't owe any taxes, you may find yourself spending a few hours each year convincing the state of California that you do not owe any taxes.
A California address will make some things easier at first. If it is problematic then all of those services have other address and I can change mailing address again. For a physical addresses that I can use in the US the only ones that I have access to are those of friends in California though hopefully I won't have to use them. After the end of 2018 I won't be a US tax resident so I can't be a California tax resident. I will be both for all of 2018 though.
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Re: Virtual Mailbox / Mail Scan Service

Post by voltaire »

OP, perhaps you should be a bit more concerned about the California Franchise Tax Board chasing you around the world, US resident or not. The FTB is VERY hard-line on these things.

Maybe reconsider the California address thing. The no income tax states such as Washington and Nevada and Florida are beautiful around April 15th.
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Re: Virtual Mailbox / Mail Scan Service

Post by Hyperborea »

voltaire wrote: Mon Dec 11, 2017 4:12 pm OP, perhaps you should be a bit more concerned about the California Franchise Tax Board chasing you around the world, US resident or not. The FTB is VERY hard-line on these things.

Maybe reconsider the California address thing. The no income tax states such as Washington and Nevada and Florida are beautiful around April 15th.
I might reconsider it. For the second half of next year I'll be a US and California tax resident but not physically present in the US so holding the address as California based for that time should have no issues. Beyond that I could consider moving the address to another state using one of the virtual mailbox companies - they have other states too. The only issue arises if a financial company wants a physical US address then I only have addresses of friends within California. However, I will have no California based income and no days present in the state from 2019 forward.

The main use of the address will be to initially capture any bills or such that come in after we've moved on. After that it's mostly just for the credit cards. I will want to keep at least a couple of cards even after I get credit cards in the new location. Any experience with keeping US credit cards while outside the US? Out of the US permanently? (Maybe I should start a new topic?)
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Re: Virtual Mailbox / Mail Scan Service

Post by bberris »

Hyperborea wrote: Mon Dec 11, 2017 2:33 pm
sailaway wrote: Mon Dec 11, 2017 2:31 pm Have you looked at the full consequences of having a California address? California has a very assertive tax collection bureau. Even if you wouldn't owe any taxes, you may find yourself spending a few hours each year convincing the state of California that you do not owe any taxes.
A California address will make some things easier at first. If it is problematic then all of those services have other address and I can change mailing address again. For a physical addresses that I can use in the US the only ones that I have access to are those of friends in California though hopefully I won't have to use them. After the end of 2018 I won't be a US tax resident so I can't be a California tax resident. I will be both for all of 2018 though.
Can't you just check into a hotel in TX for a few days, get a driver's license, register to vote, and then check out (literally)? Assuming you have no property and no car.
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quantAndHold
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Re: Virtual Mailbox / Mail Scan Service

Post by quantAndHold »

There are a number of mail forwarding services targeted at full time RVers that might be worth looking at. They usually have mailing address in FL, TX, and/or SD, since that’s where many full time RVers set up residency.

Not sure if they’ll forward a package overseas, however, so that might be a show stopper.
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Re: Virtual Mailbox / Mail Scan Service

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Re: Virtual Mailbox / Mail Scan Service

Post by Hyperborea »

I found a good long thread (been going for 9 years) on mail forwarding services over on FlyerTalk - https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/travel- ... vices.html

There was a bit of negative experience with Travelling Mailbox and their processing center isn't in California so with a California address the mail then has to be sent to the other side of the country where their processing center is located. Not ideal.

I found two other services with CA addresses and processing centers. I'm thinking of using Virtual Post Mail.
Mailbox Forwarding - https://www.mailboxforwarding.com/index.php
Virtual Post Mail - https://www.virtualpostmail.com

As for the tax issues, i.e. California deciding that I'm a resident, that also from discussions I've found elsewhere seem to be not much of an issue. It mostly seems to happen if you use your virtual address for you Federal tax returns. I won't be filing Federal returns for very long after I leave.

On the credit card issue, it seems also that the experience of foreign addresses is mixed. Some have got away with it but they are usually only away for short durations. I probably won't risk it and will hold the US address for use with the cards.
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Re: Virtual Mailbox / Mail Scan Service

Post by nisiprius »

NOT CALIFORNIA... but I have used a Florida firm, St. Brendan's Isle Mail Services, https://www.sbimailservice.com , to receive my mail when we were on a long road trip, and they've been just fine. I've used their Mail Scan Pro add-on; you view an image of the envelope on their website, and then you want to, they will open it and scan the contents and you can view that, too.

I don't know how the two states compare for what you are interested in doing. I know that one of the services SBI provides--of no interest to me, is "free in-house consultation and all the forms and instructions need to obtain: Florida residence, Florida voter registration, Florida driver's licenses," etc.
Last edited by nisiprius on Thu Dec 14, 2017 10:01 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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BrianJM
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Re: Virtual Mailbox / Mail Scan Service

Post by BrianJM »

I have used Anytime Mailbox (https://www.anytimemailbox.com) for about 2 years and I am very pleased with the service. The provider contracts with independent “mailbox stores” to fulfill services. To the best of my knowledge, this company meets your requirements. They will scan, shred, recycle, and forward your mail (upon request). They will also deposit checks.

I pay about $10-30 a month, depending on the quantity of mail I receive and checks that need to be deposited. In my state, mail forwarding is about $5 per flat rate envelope and $5 per check deposited. Larger packages cost more, and so would out of country forwarding. If I have multiple pieces to be forwarded, I contact the local company and let them know I want the items grouped together to save on the postage fee.
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