Does anyone still use PO Box numbers?

[AllUpHere]

I just saw the website of someone pretending to be a web designer and digital marketing expert with a PO Box number as the address.

I would never recommend a client uses a PO Box number, and if I'm honest thought their use had pretty much died out, particularly for small service based businesses.

Is the owner of the website I saw stuck in the 80's, or does anyone feel PO Box numbers have a place in the contact details of small business owners?

 

[Marked]

Cant 100% remember but i'm pretty sure my old man had a PO box number when he was over seas in the military. Could be someone in the forces doing web design in his spare time?

 

[AllUpHere]

Thanks, but I think you are thinking of the BFPO, which is a different thing.

 

[Marked]

Ah yes you are right, i told you i'm not 100% sure!

 

[Karimbo]

i used to use PO box from royal mail about 10 years ago. It only cost £60 p.a. and was well worth it. But it's ridiculously expensive now at a whopping £252 which is comparable to the premium mailbox service that actually provide you with a real physical storage locker.

Just goes to show where royal mail is heading - they're ironing out their incredible inefficiencies by increasing their prices. I think I witnessed their PO Box service increase in service each year from £120 to £180ish to finally £252. But I jumped ship after £60.

 

[TODonnell]

That's a heck of a price jump, all right. I remember when it was £60. I wonder if they have a cunning plan or it's just a greed-fest?

To the OP: I would guess PO boxes are used by companies running particular promotions where the respondent won't care about the return address and the box owner doesn't want his trading address bunged up with low-value mail e.g. competitions, coupons, marketing bumph, we're-a-too-big-to-care-what-you-think-company-so-write-to-PO-Box-666-ha-hah, etc.

 

[cjd]

If you're selling online to consumers you can't use a PO Box - Distance Selling Regs.

Anyway, you'd be a fool to unless you're a household name - why trust someone hiding behind a PO Box?

 

[beasty]

BANK DOES
DVLA DOES
GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS DO

I cannot think of any middle of the road type companies that do, it is either as the OP described or so HUGE that numerous POs are being used to streamline massive quantities of mail

 

[roydmoorian]

Deliveries of packages to a PO box number can only be made via Royal Mail... Not by overnight parcel carriers. such as Parcelforce, FedEx etc

Some Banks and Goernment Depts use non-geographic postcodes