What does P.O.Box really mean?

Question

Ok. So there's my question, but the reason that made me asked, is deeper. I have a relative that has been in the USA for over 16 years now, and when I recived the letter, I noticed it had a P.O.Box. What does this actually stand for? Is it a rental thing where you can recive your mail? Or is it the mail box that you keep outside your house in which the postman places the mail?
Please help me out, because whenever I wrote her, I never recived an answer. Which I supposse means that she does not recive my letter. [-o<

Answer 1

A Post Office box is a uniquely-addressable lockable box located on the premises of a Post Office station.

In many countries, particularly in Africa and the Middle East, there is no delivery of mail to street addresses, and renting a PO box is the only way to receive mail.[citation needed] In some rural areas of countries like the United States, Canada, and Australia, mail is not delivered so the rentals are often discounted or free.

Generally, Post Office boxes are rented from the post office either by individuals or by businesses on a basis ranging from monthly to annual, and the cost of rent varies depending on the box size. CBD PO boxes are usually more expensive than a rural PO box.

In the US, the rental rate used to be uniform across the country. Now, however, a postal facility can be in any of seven fee groups by location; in addition, certain customers qualify for free box rental.
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Reasons for using PO boxes
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Even where there is an efficient 'door-to-door' delivery system, there are additional advantages in using PO boxes.

* PO boxes allow anonymity. This can be abused by companies of dubious credibility.
* PO boxes allow mail to be picked up when sorted, rather than when it is delivered to the physical address, which will be some hours later.
* A mail user who regularly receives large parcels or items that must be signed for may find it convenient to pick up the rest of the mail at the same time.
* A mail user who moves frequently can keep a mailing address.
* A mail user may desire a more famous or prestigious address. For example, in Washington, D.C., many large P.O. box facilities are located near or even outside city limits.
* A business receiving large volumes of mail may maintain separate post office boxes for separate departments (such as one for sales, one for customer service) to reduce the need to sort internally.
* PO boxes are more secure than many home mailboxes, preventing mail theft and identity theft.
* If you live on a boat, PO boxes serve as your address.

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The standard method of addressing mail to a Post Office box in the United States is as follows:

John Smith
PO Box 6789
Anytown ST 12345-6789

In the ZIP+4 code, the last four digits (the "add-on" code) are typically either the last four digits of the P.O. box number or 0 followed by the last three digits. However, since there is no uniformly applied rule, the ZIP+4 code for each box should be looked up individually.

It is common practice in the U.S. to assign a ZIP code just for P.O. boxes at a postal facility, distinct from the ZIP code for deliveries from the same facility. Such a ZIP code is officially known as a "PO box only" ZIP code.

In the handful of U.S. cities (typically in the Northeast) that still number P.O. Boxes from 1 at each station of the post office, the name of the postal station should be set forth after the P.O. box number.

Answer 2

It stands for Post Office Box. In other words, the mail gets delivered to a Post Office, and they collect their mail from a locked box or locker. You can even find out at that particular Post Office if the mail was received by the Post Office, and weather it was then collected by your family. They will also be able to tell you if the box is still in use, or weather there is now a new address. Good luck.

Answer 3

P.O. Box stands for Post Office Box. You can rent one either at a local post office or at some private companies (like Mailboxes Etc). It is a box at a remote location that receives your mail. A mail box outside your home is just a mailbox and just has your street address.

Answer 4

It means post office box and yes you rent it out for instance if you travel alot or stay in an RV you might get one so you can still have so place to get your mail. If you ever go into a post office and see all those grey boxes those are p.o. boxes.
Hope this helped

Answer 5

It is a Post Office box. You rent the box from the post office. You could live anywhere but rent a post office box in a different area. If you don't pay your rent and don't leave a forwarding address, I suppose nobody gets the mail.

Answer 6

It means P.ost O.ffice box. It is a box rented at the post office to recieve mail.

Answer 7

It's a POST OFFICE Box, Which means the mail is delivered to a numbered box at the post office. They have to go there to get their mail.

Answer 8

Postal Office Box, is a rented box where you receive mail at the post office. Its a sure place to receive mail, and if you are moving in a city constantly, don't have to notify the change of residence. It can have other meanings too.
If she doesn't receive your letters, they would have been returned to you.
Now that you have more information, make you own conclusions.

Answer 9

P.O. Box, simply means, "Postal Office Box." It is a box that you rent to keep your mail before you pick it up if you do not have a mail box.
I hope that you now know what P.O Box really stands for. It is just a shorter way of saying and writing it . You can write it on an envelope either way.
I hope this helps you when you struggle.... Your welcome! :)

Answer 10

It stands for Post Office Box, meaning that any mail that gets sent to that PO Box number can be picked up from the post office, I THINK....dont quote me on it though!