This week’s partner profile is iPostal1, who bill themselves as “the #1 Digital Mailbox”. iPostal is great for clients who need a Virtual Office in a far flung location that they may never, or rarely, need to visit. For instance, let’s say you are in Kansas City, but you want to establish a business presence in Dallas. Just go to iPostal’s website, enter the zip code of the city you want, and pick from a list of locations.
Next step is completing your postal form 1583. This is a requirement for establishing a Virtual Office (“VO”), and the first step in a fairly simple process. To successfully complete the form, you will need two forms of identification - usually a driver’s license and automobile insurance verification. Form 1583 comes with a detailed set of instructions, but the main thing is you MUST list a home address that matches exactly the address on both forms of ID. This is fraud protection for both your, iPostal, and the mail center that handles your mail. This form will need to be notarized and emailed to iPostal, or, if you are local to the mail center you chose, go in person and have them sign as the witness. The latter is free, while notarization can cost $25+, though iPostal does sometimes run free specials.
Next, use your new address on your business license, bank accounts…even your business cards and website. Just remember you CANNOT use a VO address for a Google business listing. Those are reserved for local businesses who occupy physical space in an office, storefront, or as tradesperson.
Once you start receiving mail in your iPostal account, you will receive a notification for each item, containing a photo of the outside of the envelope. You can now choose to have your mail scanned or forwarded. Scanned mail is usually available immediately. Forwarding takes up to a week, depending on the service you choose. Life Pro Tip for mail forwarding: always choose a service that offers tracking. There’s nothing worse than waiting for a pile of mail to arrive, and having no way to know where it is or when it will arrive.
You can manage your iPostal mail either through their app, or online from a laptop or desktop computer. There is a fee per instance of scanning or forwarding. This is in addition to your monthly subscription fee.
We are always available to answer any questions you may have about postal services and which 3rd party provider may be best for you. Click the button below to contact us and we’ll get back with you ASAP!