Last update on June 4th, 2022 at 02:01 am
Over thousands of complaints are filed weekly to Postal Services regarding mailbox overflow issues. Mailbox overflow means your mailbox jams with too much mail, and there isn’t any space for new mail to be delivered.
Each mailbox has a limit according to its size, and the amount of mail received. If your mailbox is too full, your postal mail carrier will stop bringing your mail and leave you a notice. This notice confirms that your mailbox is overflowing and will take your old and new mail and return it to the Local Post Office.
The Post Office will hold on to your mail for around 15 days before returning it to the sender as “unclaimed.”
Another complication, you are receiving a package that doesn’t fit in your mailbox. Your carrier may try to stuff it in, possibly damaging your package. Sometimes, your mail is returned to the Post Office anyway if left too long without even overflowing!
Mailbox overflowing not only means you won’t receive your mail and need to have it resent costing money and time, but it can also raise the chances of identity theft and lead to lost or missing mail.
How to Prevent Mailbox Overflowing?
1- Check your Mail Regularly
Every day, checking your mail can be inconvenient, especially if your mailbox isn’t nearby and you have to walk a distance to reach it. Sometimes this is the case in small towns or suburbs.
Regularly checking your mail is the safest option, even if just three times a week. Leaving mail unattended can lead to it falling into the wrong hands and exposing you to identity theft.
In most cases, junk mail is the main reason your mailbox overflows, so always be on top of your mail to clear it out and avoid this from happening.
2- Place your Mail on Hold if away
When traveling or on vacation, it can easily slip your mind to contact your Post Office and place your mail on hold. If your mailbox overflows in this case, your carrier will either leave a note stating that your mail was put on hold or while taking all your mail back to the Post Office.
To avoid this, try to set a reminder for yourself to place your mail on hold when away, even if just for two weeks. It’ll save you the trouble of reaching out to all senders and having them resend your mail again.
3- Using a Virtual Mailbox
All your mail will be delivered to you online under your complete control by renting a virtual mailbox! The Postal Service is error-prone and can lead to many complications, but you won’t need to check your mailbox every day or drive down to the Post Office with a virtual mailbox. You’ll be able to log into a user-friendly interface, sort & filter your mail however you like. You can choose to open & scan, archive, forward, shred or recycle it.
Providers like PostScan Mail, Anytime Mailbox, and iPostal1 offer an unlimited amount of scanned mail, meaning mailbox overflow won’t ever be an issue. Furthermore, the mailbox size or the amount of mail won’t matter anymore with a virtual mailbox because any packages delivered will be stored at highly secured facilities, waiting for your command.
Offering a virtual mailbox with physical storage space, you’ll receive mail and packages regularly without needing to notify anyone or worry about your mailbox overflowing ever again!
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