Getting Mail on the Road

Hello Folks! Was wondering what people are doing for mail, specifically packages? We are from NY and plan on having our mailing address be my parents. However, if we need like a part or something, is there a way we could ship it to a nearby post office or something?

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I have a friend or family member act as my “official address” for things such as car registration, jury duty notices, and receiving new ID or bank cards when my old ones expire. These are all easily anticipated however, and provide ample time to come and pick them up myself or deal with it in person. But if need be, they can pop it in a new envelope and mail it to a location near me for general delivery (see below), or to a friend or family member that lives close to my current location.

Package delivery is another animal however. The first trick is to minimize the physical stuff you order, both by living a simplified, streamlined life, and by going with digital versions whenever possible: books, magazines, movies, music, newspapers, games, etc.

Next, I try to meet my needs with widely available, generic options. A local bookstore (if I can find one), a local grocery, a local clothing store, etc.

Finally, for those things I simply have to have delivered, there are places such as Mail Boxes, Etc. that will accept packages for you on a “general delivery” basis, where you just have something sent to “Your Name, General Delivery”, and the name and address of the location. You have to call the specific location you want to pick up at in advance and let them know it’s coming and the expected delivery date, and sometimes they will charge a fee, but it’s usually well worth it. Unfortunately, many Post Offices seem to be doing away with this option, but I’ve heard UPS stores are generally open to this.

Never tried the general delivery thing myself though. I’ve always either just put off ordering until I can return to my “home base” friend’s address, or doing without.

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You could also get a PO box, they are like 10-20/month

Amazon now delivers to your car. However at the moment it is limited to Volvo and GM cars/ vans from 2005 onward.

Here’s a link on the article: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.theverge.com/platform/amp/2018/4/24/17261744/amazon-package-delivery-car-trunk-gm-volvo

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General Delivery at whatever Post Office you are near. Just be sure to call, or even better, stop in and introduce yourself at the P.O. and give them a heads-up that you will be receiving a package. Have the sender address the package thus:

Your Name
General Delivery
[Zip code of the post office where you want it delivered]

That’s it!

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I use yourbestaddress dot com. All my mail and most of my packages goes there, and they ship it general delivery to most any post office I ask them to. They also registered my vans and its a lot cheaper to insure and register than in Oregon where I’m from. I order from amazon a lot and for those packages I usually ship to a friend/viewers house or to an amazon locker. Those are super convenient, but only in bigger cities so far. I used to use my parents address for mail and residency (registering vehicles/voting/legal/bank stuff) but it was a hassle for them and found the your best address and it works a lot smoother. When I researched a few different south dakota companies that do the same thing a couple years ago they were the least expensive. Great service over the last few years, no complaints. They can help you get south dakota residency too if you want to switch your drivers license over. Its not required though. Hope that helps!

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So is yourbestaddress physically located in SD? I’m looking into changing my domicile, and since I’m 65 I need to keep in mind the different states’ Medicare, Medicaid and other government policies. If one needs any kind of health insurance, it becomes important to look at your state’s policies. I haven’t researched SD yet. Have you?

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General delivery to a us post office is the best thing for getting mail that is landing at your “address”. If you need to order something online and don’t have time for your mailing service it family/friends to ship it you, consider ship-to-store options.

Walmart is my go-to because I start in their parking lots on a regular basis. If I need something, I find it on their website and have it sent to a store I know I’ll be passing in a few days. Simple and no shipping costs. In the example of vehicle parts, you should be able to do the same thing with major auto parts stores. If your are driving something with hard to find parts ( like vw bus) you should just stick up on parts and carry them with you or you might find yourself stuck in the middle of nowhere.

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That’s awesome!!!

Looks like amazon started thinking about nomads now too :heart_eyes:

Good find!! :+1: do you know how much they will be charging?

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In NZ and Aussie at least, most caravan parks will accept mail for those staying or going to stay, so if you know where you may be in the next week or so they are a good bet. When in Asia several years ago I use to get mail sent to the local Amex office where I would be in a couple of weeks time. Never missed out on any and they never once asked if I had their card (which I didnt!). This was before email was popular!!

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