Mailbox Forwarding is a Michigan-based virtual mailbox and business address provider that offers free and unlimited mail shredding (both junk and non-junk mail), high-quality full-color scans, remote check deposits, and more. It also offers plenty of services that cater to small to medium-sized businesses, including a toll-free fax number, free registered agent services, and even a free trial month to test out their services.
That said, the company has several issues they need to deal with, including virtually no option when it comes to street addresses in the US, deficient customer support you can only access through email, and bad user reviews. If you’re looking for thousands of addresses to choose from and better premium services than the ones Mailbox Forwarding offers, give our #1-best-rated virtual mailbox, iPostal1, a try.
What Is Mailbox Forwarding?
Mailbox Forwarding is a virtual mailbox provider and mail forwarding service that was founded by Jordan Smith in 2009 in Michigan. The company’s primary aim is to offer its users a new, more convenient way to handle their mail. With their remote mailbox service, you can keep in contact with your postal mail wherever you are.
The company provides its users with an online mailing address they can access to check their mail, such as essential letters, documents, and packages. Their top features are their advanced mail management system that can be accessed from anywhere around the world and their affordable pricing. They also offer their first month for free on their plans if users use the code “freemonth.”
Features Of Mailbox Forwarding
#1 Easy mail management.
With Mailbox Forwarding, you can easily access your mail anytime you want by logging into your account and then accessing your account’s control panel. Users receive an email notification each time a new mail arrives, and they can then log into their account to see who sent the mail, when they sent it, and get an exterior scan of the front of the envelope to check the address.
After you check your mail, you can choose what happens with it. If you want to see what’s inside your mail, you can click to scan the contents inside, and they will be sent to you in a short amount of time as a PDF. Alternatively, if you need the mail to be shipped to you, you can forward it to an address of your choice. However, if you don’t have any use for the mail, then you can simply choose to shred and recycle it.
#2 Highly secure mail scans.
Mailbox Forwarding goes one step further. Unlike other virtual mailbox providers that only pay attention to providing high-quality scans, the company ensures that the scans are also highly secure. All pieces of mail are opened and scanned in a fully secure environment by a team of professional staff members. Mailbox Forwarding also makes special efforts to keep their mail protected and safe.
The scanning service is quite efficient—if you order a scan, you will have the scanned PDF copy in your account as quickly as one business day. All scans are high quality and feature full-color 300 dpi resolution, fully optimized for enhanced readability. You get a fixed amount of scans depending on your chosen plan, but further scans can be unlocked at a nominal fee.
#3 Shred/recycle mail as per your preference.
If you receive mail that is not relevant or useful, then you can simply choose to shred and recycle it. Alternatively, if you have a piece of mail’s online PDF copy with you, then you can choose to shred the physical copy and save yourself the cost of getting it forwarded to your current address.
Recycling your mail through Mailbox Forwarding is extremely easy and convenient and can be done with the click of a button or the tap of a screen. This is why Mailbox Forwarding proudly claims that over 80% of the mail that goes through their facility is recycled, which not only removes the hassle of dealing with the mail but also helps save the environment.
The best thing about this feature is that Mailbox Forwarding doesn’t even add the junk mail you get in your accounts into your plan’s mail shredding limit, nor does it even show up in your account.
#4 Reliable mail forwarding service.
Mailbox Forwarding offers one of the best shipping features in the industry, allowing you to manage how your mail is shipped to you at the lowest rate possible. They work together with delivery and make bulk deliveries, allowing Mailbox Forwarding to get special discounts on the shipping prices they pass to their users.
Not only that, but Mailbox Forwarding offers automatic package consolidation, i.e., they consolidate smaller packages into one large package whenever possible to help you save big on shipping charges at no extra cost. If you find yourself too busy to forward your mail, you can set up a regular weekly or monthly schedule to forward your mail to an address of your choice.
What’s more, if you are forwarding mail under 13oz, you get to deliver your mail with USPS First Class Mail at meager rates. Users can also choose the shipping speeds they want their packages to arrive to ensure they arrive at the right time and place.
#5 Efficient check deposit service.
If you receive checks in the mail and wish to deposit them online, Mailbox Forwarding can easily do it for you at a nominal cost. Whenever you discover that a piece of mail has a check inside, you can choose to deposit your check into any of the top 10 major banks in the USA, such as Bank of America, Capital One, Chase, Citibank, and others.
All you need to do is select the pieces of mail that have checks inside and provide a bank account number on Mailbox Forwarding’s website, and you’re good to go. Mailbox Forwarding also supports local banks as long as they support mail-in deposits. In such cases, Mailbox Forwarding can send your checks to the bank if you provide them with the name of the bank and the mailing address of your preferred branch.
#6 Dedicated fax line for users.
Mailbox Forwarding is one of the select few mailbox providers that provide users with a dedicated fax line feature, which can be especially useful for small businesses and businesspeople.
By simply sharing the company’s toll-free fax number (1-877-76-FAXIT) and putting your 5-digit box number somewhere on the cover sheet, you can immediately start receiving your incoming faxes. Users don’t need to pay extra to receive a fax. Each fax is counted as a scanned mail and is subtracted from your monthly scan limit.
However, if you are tired of using the same fax number and sharing it with other people, Mailbox Forwarding also offers dedicated toll-free fax numbers. This is useful for those who want their own unique fax number to eliminate the hassle of writing your box number for other users. This plan costs as high as $7.95/month, and all the faxes you receive are counted in your monthly limit.
Pros & Cons Of Mailbox Forwarding
Pros
- Affordable plans with great value considering the number of features each of them provides.
- Unlimited shredding and recycling of any mail you receive as well as unlimited mail recipients which can be useful for small to medium businesses.
- Extremely secure service with your online account protected by a 256-bit SSL certificate, each individual piece of mail tagged with a tracking barcode containing a unique 8-digit item number to track it, and the entire facility, including the scanning and processing areas, being under 24/7 video surveillance.
- Registered agent services for free for any business that might need it – Mailbox Forwarding will receive your LLC’s legal documents the same way they receive your personal mail.
- Dedicated toll-free fax line for free on all plans, with each piece of received fax only counting towards your monthly scan limit.
- Dedicated check deposit service that can help you deposit checks you receive in your postal mail into any bank account that accepts mail-in deposits.
- Automatic package and check consolidation to help you save money while forwarding your packages or checks.
- Free cloud storage as long as your account remains active and free envelope and parcel storage for the first 30 days.
- Automatic and free junk mail filtering on all plans.
Cons
- While the basic plan is budget-friendly, the premium plans are too expensive to justify the number of features they provide, especially the limited amount of mail scans.
- The website looks and feels old when you use it, degrading the overall user experience.
- There are only two available locations to choose from—Los Angeles, CA, and Pompano Beach, FL—apart from their headquarters in Michigan.
- Users are charged extra monthly for using the Los Angeles, CA, and Pompano Beach, FL addresses at $15/month and $10/month, respectively.
- Their addresses have been known to shut down without prior notice forcing you to miss out on important mail and change your address.
- Bad user rating with an average rating of 1.8/5 stars on Google and 2.5/5 stars on Trustpilot.
- Rudimentary customer support is only reachable by mail.
- No dedicated Android or iOS app.
Pricing
Mailbox Forwarding offers many free features that apply to all their plans, and the only benefits you get when upgrading are for your incoming mail and mail scanning limit. The plan differences are summarized in the following table.
| Basic | Professional | Premium | |
| Incoming mail limit | 50/month | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Mail scan limit | 15/month | 50/month | 150/month |
| Extra mail charges | $0.25 each | None | None |
| Extra mail scan charges | $1.00 each | $0.75 each | $0.50 each |
| Cost | $14.95 | $24.95/month | $49.95/month |
Apart from this, users also need to pay a forwarding fee of $0.75/item ($1.25/item for international), a check deposit fee of $4.95/deposit + $0.75/check, and a physical storage fee of $0.10-$0.25 if you don’t ship your mail or packages for more than a month. Their locations in California and Florida also charge an extra monthly fee for accessing their service there.
Their most popular plan is their basic plan which offers the most value for money in the long run. However, the premium plans are more popular amongst businesses mainly because of the company’s first-month free offer and business address. Mailbox Forwarding’s terms and conditions clearly state that all the payments made to the company are completely nonrefundable.
Mailbox Forwarding has decent pricing compared to its competitors, especially its basic plan, which is quite affordable. However, other virtual mailbox providers, such as iPostal1 provide much better features and value on their premium plans than Mailbox Forwarding does.
Related: If you' want your ‘re looking for an ecologically-responsible company handling your mail, you won't do better than SnapMailbox.
Mailbox Forwarding – Is It The Best Option For You?
Mailbox Forwarding is a good company that offers tons of free rewards and features for its users, especially those who sign up for the first time. Their dedication to their customers shows through the sheer amount of automatic features they offer, such as junk filter or package consolidation, for which other virtual mailbox providers charge a hefty price.
Mailbox Forwarding also offers excellent free features on all their plans, such as unlimited shredding and recycling as well as free cloud storage. And while their website does feel old, it is still quite functional and more intuitive than many websites out there.
The problem is that the company is quite old and struggling, judging from the bad user reviews, and this can affect your own user experience. Their locations in California and Florida are known to shut down from time to time, forcing you to change your address and miss out on important mail. They also don’t have a dedicated customer support team ready to answer your call or chat message and can only be contacted through mail.
We only recommend Mailbox Forwarding if you are okay with an address location in Michigan, are happy to trust a struggling business and value great dedicated features over a slightly premium price in the long run.
The Bottom Line
Mailbox Forwarding might have been one of the best virtual mailbox providers at some point in time. Sadly, it’s now only viable for users that appreciate dedicated free features, are okay with using one location, and don’t mind a lack of dedicated customer support.
Mailbox Forwarding FAQs
How much does Mailbox Forwarding cost?
Mailbox Forwarding costs anywhere from $14.95+ to $49.95+, depending on your chosen plan and features.
Does Mailbox Forwarding offer a referral program?
No. Sadly it doesn't. In fact, one of the only virtual mailboxes to offer a referral program is Americas Mailbox.
Is Mailbox Forwarding worth it?
That depends. Mailbox Forwarding is worth it if you’re looking for a mailing address in Michigan and don’t mind a struggling company with poor customer support.
Is Mailbox Forwarding safe?
Yes, Mailbox Forwarding is safe because it uses a 256-bit SSL certificate to protect your online accounts, and the entire facility is under 24/7 video surveillance.
Is Mailbox Forwarding legit?
Yes, Mailbox Forwarding is legit because it is a registered Michigan corporation and has enrolled with the USPS as a CMRA (Commercial Mail Receiving Agency).
