Question about PO Boxes

[dshep]

Good Morning/Afternoon

I just joined the group and must say I love all the advice, I have learned so much this morning... Thank you.

What do you do when it says, on a freebie sign up site or even a coupon site, "will not deliver to a PO Box"? I live in Maine, and while I could get a mailbox, the snowplow will take it out in the winter, and in the summer its the kids driving by, fooling around, who wipe out all the ones at the end of my road. So for ten years I have had a PO Box. What does everyone else do?

Deb

[boefixepa]

They do that to prevent fraud. It's a safety measure. I don't know about where you live, but some 'mail box' type stores where you can get PO Boxes will also allow you to use their address and accept deliveries for you. So if you UPS or FEDEX those places work well too. Those two will also not deliver to PO Boxes. I don't believe there is a way aroud this, but maybe some else can tell you.

You may also consider talking to a neighbor and asking them, or talk to the post office and see if they accept it directly. Like a mail hold for your actaul address and then you go pick it up at the window. They should be able to do that.

[allenj]

I live in Kansas in a town of 93 people and we don't have physical addresses. We are forced to take a free po box and my street address is not recognized by the USPS database, meaning I can't get FedEx or UPS. However, I have found that if I give them the street address of my USPS and the box number (i.e. - 100 main st, #743) that the mail will get to me. But it helps that there are only 93 people in the town and the postmaster knows each and every one of us. Good luck though!

[flash]

Contact the offerer and ask directly if there are any exceptions. If you are already on their established mailing list with a PO box, they may tell you a work around.

In general, PO Boxes can be taken out in droves by people wanting to take advantage of offers that are "one per household", faking an id, etc.

[dshep]

With the way the postal system is now.... you cant fake a id that way anymore... I have lived in this town for 20 years, had my PO box for 12 and last year I still had to show some ID when I went to renew the box, new laws and guidelines for the Postal Service. As for paying money for a PO Box for freebies and "one per household" that is just a waste of money.. in my eyes!

[flash]

Then you haven't encountered the true scammers...they CAN take out 30 PO boxes, don't know the details there...but Enfamil Checks, Similac checks, big coupon packages, sell high on eBay. COUPONS, $2 off meat, sold in packs of 10 - 50 on eBay. Coupons for free bags of high quality dog food (Eukanuba, Purina, Iams, Hills Science Diet, Nutro...) worth $9 each, get 50 and sell on the internet...Purina weight circles...sell on the internet...professional sweepstakes players, the more addresses, the higher the chances, prizes are sold on the internet.

There is even a site dedicated to selling the unwanted prizes you receive...

[markio26]

thanks for the info... did not know all of this.. what ppl. will do to make a buck, is insane...