Within the United States, a commercial mail receiving agency (CMRA) is a private business that accepts mail from the Postal Service on behalf of third parties. A CMRA may also be known as a mail drop.
A customer of a CMRA can receive
mail
The mail or post is a system for physically transporting postcards, letter (message), letters, and parcel (package), parcels. A postal service can be private or public, though many governments place restrictions on private systems. Since the mid ...
and other deliveries at the
street address of the CMRA rather than the customer's own street address. Depending on the agreement between the customer and the CMRA, the CMRA can
forward
Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward.
Forward may also refer to:
People
* Forward (surname)
Sports
* Forward (association football)
* Forward (basketball), including:
** Point forward
** Power forward (basketball)
** Sm ...
the mail to the customer or hold it for pickup.
Unlike a
post office box, a CMRA operates independently of the national
postal administration
This is a list of postal entities by country. It includes:
*The governmental authority responsible for postal matters.
*The regulatory authority for the postal sector. Postal regulation may include the establishment of postal policies, postal rat ...
and is therefore able to receive courier packages or other non-mail. CMRAs typically provide ancillary services such as facsimile, copy or courier.
A customer may wish to use the services of a CMRA for privacy. A customer in one community may contract with a CMRA in another community with a better known or more prestigious address. A business located near an international border may use a CMRA as a point of local presence to receive cross-border freight or correspondence at domestic (instead of international) rates.
The use of a CMRA may render the delivery of mail at a later time of day than it would at a Post Office box. Some CMRAs offer a
virtual mailbox A virtual mailbox is a service that receives physical mail on behalf of the addressee and usually scans the outside of the mail. Some providers also scan the inside contents of the mail as well. These scans may be photos, PDFs, or text-searchable PD ...
, or
online post office
An online post office is a commercial mail receiving agency that implements the concept of hybrid mail, enabling conventional mail to become electronic, or electronic correspondence to be printed and mailed at a remote location. As paper correspo ...
, providing a means to access mail over the internet.
History
In 1970, there were estimated to be as many as 1,500 CMRAs, costing on average $7 per month for a small mailbox. The private mailbox business grew as a result of shortage of
P.O. Box
A post office box (commonly abbreviated as P.O. box, or also known as a postal box) is a uniquely addressable lockable box located on the premises of a post office.
In some regions, particularly in Africa, there is no door to door delivery ...
es.
As of 2000, the
USPS
The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal service in the ...
regulated 466 private mailboxes in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
alone.
Use as a business address
Most
business entities
In law, a legal person is any person or 'thing' (less ambiguously, any legal entity) that can do the things a human person is usually able to do in law – such as enter into contracts, sue and be sued, own property, and so on. The reason for ...
are required to register an official mailing address with the state, and that address is part of the public record. A business's use of an invalid address or an inappropriate third party as its official mailing address could result in legal problems, such as the
loss of limited liability protection. If a business does not want to disclose its physical location, it may permissibly use a CMRA as its publicly known address.
Fraud alert
Any person or entity claiming to receive postal mail for a third-party must be properly licensed and registered with the
US Postal Service
The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal service in the U ...
, and such an entity must properly fill out USPS Form 1583. There are specific requirements all CMRA's must adhere to, including granting certain rights to CMRA customers.
Any entity, including third-party
registered agent
In United States business law, a registered agent (also known as a resident agent, statutory agent, or agent for service of process) is a business or individual designated to receive service of process (SOP) when a business entity is a part ...
services, permitting you to forward mail to them without following CMRA requirements should be viewed as a red-flag. This could be inadvertently exposing important mail, including checks and credit cards, to an unauthorized entity.
Examples
*
PhysicalAddress.com (Company)
*
The UPS Store
The UPS Store (formerly Mail Boxes Etc.) is a subsidiary of United Parcel Service which provides, according to its website, shipping, shredding, printing, fax, passport photos, personal and business mailboxes, and notary services.
Histo ...
*
Mail Boxes Etc.
*
PostNet (company)
PostNet International is the franchisor of PostNet centers, which provide graphic design and printing services for businesses and consumers. In addition, PostNet centers offer professional packing services and shipping with UPS, FedEx, DHL and th ...
See also
*
Virtual office
A virtual office is part of the flexible workspace industry that provides businesses with any combination of services, space and/or technology, without those businesses bearing the capital expenses of owning or leasing a traditional office.
Virtu ...
*
Customs broker Custom brokers or Customs House Brokerages are working positions that may be employed by or affiliated with freight forwarders, independent businesses, or shipping lines, importers, exporters, trade authorities, and customs brokerage firms.
North ...
*
Freight forwarder
A freight forwarder, or forwarding agent, is a person or company who, for a fee organizes shipments for individuals or corporations to get goods from the manufacturer or producer to a market, customer or final point of distribution.
*
Post office box
*
Private Mail Bag A private mail bag (PMB), locked bag or caller service is a term for a special form of postal delivery in some countries, usually a government department or large private company, which receive large volumes of mail. Private mail bag addresses are o ...
*
Virtual mailbox A virtual mailbox is a service that receives physical mail on behalf of the addressee and usually scans the outside of the mail. Some providers also scan the inside contents of the mail as well. These scans may be photos, PDFs, or text-searchable PD ...
References
{{reflist
Postal systems