P.O Box

[Cynical]

just wondering, anyone ever got a po box to order needles or somting like that so peopel you live with dont find out? if so know the approx price?

[TNT]

I've never used a P.O. box to order gear, but I did have a box a few years ago, and would imagine that the current price for a box (at a U.S. post office) is about $30 per six-month period for a small-to-medium box. (The larger the box, the more expensive.)

In addition to boxes at actual post offices, you should check out a private mail box (at places like Mail Boxes, Etc.). These are very common in some areas (like California).

People rent boxes at both U.S post offices and private postal centers for all kinds of reasons, ranging from added privacy (so people who mail to you don't know your address) to faster delivery of the mail (in some areas where there is no direct delivery or late delivery) to receiving things that you don't want others to know about (for most people, this means porn). Keep in mind that if you rent a U.S. post office box in a business name (or are doing business with the public through the box), anyone can find out your real address under the Freedom of Information Act. Also, if the authorities suspect what may be in a package, they have, or can get, the authority to open the package (especially since 9/11).

Therefore, you may have more flexibility with a private mail box than a U.S. post office box, especially with the incraesed security (including the use of X-ray machines) these days. Remember that when you sign up for a box, whether U.S. or private, you will have to show identification and provide your real address for their records.

[cnyce89]

i use a PO box for my pins...and some of my gear goes there as well, and also goes to other ardess's.....they are 30$ for 6 months...

[Cynical]

how big of a PO box would you need to recive the standard order of 100 needels from say carecenter.com?

[TNT]

Originally posted by Cynical
how big of a PO box would you need to recive the standard order of 100 needels from say carecenter.com?

Whoa, trivia time!

Well, a box of B-D 3 ml syringes with 1" needles (any gauge) is 8-1/4" long by 7-1/2" wide by 6-1/2" high. And a box of B-D 1-1/2" needles (any gauge) without the syringe is 4-7/16" long by 3-3/8" wide by 3-3/4" high. (Remember those numbers for the next time you watch Jeopardy or Win Ben Stein's Money.) But that's the size of the product boxes only, and does not include any external packaging (like an outer shipping box).

HOWEVER:

You only need a small post office box. If you receive a package that is too large to fit into the box, the mail clerk will simply put a note in your box telling you that they have a package for you, and you can pick up the package at the counter. (You will probably have to sign a receipt for the box when you pick it up, but thats' no big whoop.)

[cnyce89]

beat me to it TNT.....

[Cynical]

how old do you have to be to get a p.o. box? is 20 old enough or do you need to be 21. I dont understand why anyone couldnt get one, even someone under 18, but is 20 old enough?

[Cynical]

btw, thanks guys for your help!

[TNT]

Originally posted by Cynical
how old do you have to be to get a p.o. box? is 20 old enough or do you need to be 21. I dont understand why anyone couldnt get one, even someone under 18, but is 20 old enough?

Can't answer that one, Cynical, but you can call any post office and ask them. If it's a small post office, any mail clerk can tell you; if it's a large city post office, ask for the P.O. box clerk. So you feel more comfortable, call a post office other than the closest one (or the one that services your home), like one in the next town over.

Also, if there is a minimum age for renting a P.O. box (which I never heard of, but ya never know), call a commercial place like Mail Boxes, Etc. They may not have a similar rule, since they're in biz to make money. And if you get some dipshit who asks you what you want to receive there, just tell them you want to keep your porn away from your parents.