- I'm sending these three packages
to three different virtual mailbox addresses
each with an Apple AirTag tracking device, why?
Well, I wanna find out, not only how virtual addresses work
but whether or not they're secure.
Let's face it, we often send very sensitive information
through the mail to these addresses.
Now, instead of just tracking these devices,
I'm gonna go ahead and visit each one of these locations
to find out what happens once these packages arrive
at their destination.
Have you ever wondered how virtual addresses work?
Well, let's go find out.
(bright guitar music)
To make this work, I've chosen three different addresses
from a couple virtual address services.
I've sent each package at the same time
from the same location with a guaranteed delivery dates
that I control as many variables as possible.
Mind you, I'm not trying
to review these virtual mailbox services
nor am I testing whether or not FedEx delivers on time,
although I'm sure we'll learn a lot in both cases.
I have a theory though
that not every virtual address is the same
and that by doing this,
we can both make better, more secure decisions
about how we handle our mail virtually.
So while these three packages start moving
let me give you a quick refresher
on the basics of virtual addresses.
Fundamentally, a virtual address works
like a sophisticated PO Box.
You're given an address that masks your real location
where you can legally accept mail, but as you can see here,
there are so many more advantages
that a virtual address has over a PO Box.
The way it works is this, mail gets sent
to your virtual address, which is a real street address.
And depending on the location,
your mail either gets sorted on site
or forwarded to a sorting facility.
That's a really important distinction
that will unpack in just a moment.
Once received, the mail is scanned
and I'm sent an alert either via email
or on my phone that my account has new mail.
Now, I can tell the company to do a number
of things with this mail.
If it's a letter, I can have them open and scan the mail.
If it's a check, I can have them
deposit the check for a fee.
For other mail or packages, I can have them forward it
to whatever address I want.
I also just tell them to trash it if it's junk.
Most of the time, I just download the scanned mail
and have them shred the physical mail.
For packages, I'll have them forward it
to whatever address I happen to be located at that time.
Okay, now that we have the basics covered,
let's see what's happening to our three packages.
My first package addressed to an office building
in Anaheim California left Dallas on Monday
and was successfully delivered on Wednesday.
This and the second package to a Dallas address
are both from PostScan Mail.
And they both showed up in my account the very next day.
The third virtual address,
another Dallas one from Traveling Mailbox
was delivered successfully on Wednesday,
but it still has a few days to go
since Dallas isn't its final destination.
Why is that?
Well, here in lies important lesson number one
that you need to understand about virtual addresses,
not all addresses are created equal.
There's a big difference between a forwarding hub
and a sorting hub.
Virtual address companies offer hundreds
of addresses across the country and even the world.
But what they often don't tell you is that many,
if not most of these addresses are,
they're just forwarding addresses.
They don't sort or scan your mail at that address.
They simply forward it to the company's main hub.
I know that may seem a little bit confusing.
So let's go and visit of these addresses
so that you can see exactly what I mean.
(upbeat music)
Welcome to my first Dallas address
which is simply a UPS store located just north of downtown.
If you sent my business anything, it would come here first.
I know that my package arrived on Wednesday.
FedEx promised me that.
But according to my Apple AirTags,
it stayed here for about another two days
before being shipped off to North Carolina,
which is where Traveling Mailbox
has their primary sorting hub.
What's interesting is that a good portion
of these virtual addresses are things like this.
They're UPS stores, they're WeWork office addresses
or they're things like the next address
that we're going to here in Dallas.
It's also a small mailing center.
The difference with this PostScan Mail address
is that instead of having your mail immediately forwarded
to a sorting hub, your mail is actually processed here,
meaning that you can have it scanned,
you can have it opened, shredded, forwarded,
or you could even go in and pick it up yourself.
Important lesson number two,
it is entirely possible for you to rent a virtual address
where you can physically go and pick up your mail.
In fact, if you live near the address you rented,
that might save you money, keeping you from having
to spend it on forwarding all the letters
and packages that come to your virtual address.
Now, they still operate just like a virtual address,
scanning, shredding, forwarding your mail,
and they can even be used as a registered address
for your small business, but, I mean, it's a mailing center.
For some people that might not look very professional.
Also, this isn't Fort Knox.
I mean, they're not gonna be giving away your mail
but at the same time, if security is your highest priority,
there are better options out there.
(dramatic music)
Okay, now that I have one package safely back
in my possession and the sun is starting to set,
let's do a quick ten second travel montage
as I make my way to Anaheim, California.
(upbeat music)
Welcome to California.
Let's go visit my final virtual address
and hopefully get a better idea
of what kind of security is possible with a virtual address.
(gentle music)
Okay, I'm here at PostScan Mail's Anaheim address,
which is their primary hub.
And as you can see here,
it's a pretty non-descript building,
just a front door, a back door, both of them locked,
and covered by security cameras.
But I wanna get my piece of mail here,
it says that delivery's in the back,
so that's where I'm headed.
(bright music)
PostScan Mail was gracious enough
to allow me inside their warehouse
to meet the folks that work inside, wonderful people,
but also to understand the process of how they receive mail,
how they scan it, how they sort it,
and how someone like me could come in person
to pick up a piece of mail.
- May I have your ID? - Yes, ma'am.
So as you just heard, I had to give over
an official form of government ID
in order to pick up my mail.
- Here you go. - Perfect.
- Thank you. - Thank you very much.
- Have a good day. - The same.
(upbeat music)
So based on this visit, important lesson number three
is that if privacy and security are your main concerns,
then it's really important
that you choose an address that is a primary hub
for the virtual address provider that you're choosing.
I mean, not only does it limit the number of locations
that your mail has to travel to,
it also limits the number of people
that come in contact with your mail.
And it provides a secure location for your mail to be stored
until you're ready to forward it or shred it.
As I record this, it's been exactly eight days
since I first sent the packages via FedEx.
You've been with me as I picked up two of those packages.
And this afternoon, I just received a notification
that my third package arrived, eight days.
I don't receive time sensitive mail,
so that's not a big deal for me, but it might be for you.
The absolute irony here is that many
of these virtual address companies charge us extra
for what they term premium addresses.
The only premium thing about them
is being able to have an address
in a particular city or state
which for me, that was important.
But the reality is that these premium addresses
require three to six extra business days
for mail to get processed,
which also means a higher risk of mail being mishandled
since it's going through an extra set of hands
and extra shipment.
All that to say, before you subscribe
to any virtual address,
I would ask a few important questions.
First, what level of security do you want.
If you're sending sensitive mail,
make sure you find and choose a primary mail hub.
I'll put a link to the primary hubs for both PostScan Mail
and Traveling Mailbox in the description below.
I like both of these companies.
Second, do you need the option
to pick up your mail in person?
Some companies charge you extra
to pick up mail in person and others don't,
so you'll just have to find that out yourself.
Third, do you often receive time sensitive mail?
If so, you'll wanna double check to make sure
that the address you choose is not a forwarding address.
And that's not always clear on the website.
Like I said, some of them market these
as premium addresses, which sounds good,
but in reality it just means slower mail times.
And finally, do you care what your address looks like
when people look it up on something like Google Maps.
For some business people, Mom & Pop mail center
just doesn't exude the kind of professionalism
they want for their business address.
So they're willing to pay more
for one of those office addresses.
For individuals and those who are just looking
for more privacy, it doesn't matter if it's a UPS store
or a little shack in the middle of the desert.
I hope this video is both educational and entertaining.
Please give it a thumbs up
and use the affiliate links in the description below
if you decide to go with either PostScan Mail
or Traveling Mailbox, both of which I use and recommend.