Today something happened that did not make me happy.. I am in Florence Oregon and only hanging out here until the January Southwest Desert comes around again. I got a temporary box at a "one off" appears to be a family run place called Shipping Solutions here in Florence who advertises their services as "looks like a street address" like so many do these days.. The price was good and the people are great but today I went to the Lane County Library to get a new card and of course had to show picture ID and 2 pieces of mail with local address all of which I did. She stared into her computer screen and said "oh looks like this is a shopping mall..?" Of course I told her the truth and explained how we need to do that since home is where we park it and she turned me down for a library card and tried to sell me a special permit to use library services.. I looked at her screen and it actually showed pictures of the mall and the Shipping Solutions storefront..Does anyone know if the higher end places like a UPS Store box shows up this way too because my California DMV will not send tags if they see this...

If they plug your mail forwarding address into Google Maps satellite or street view, they'll get a pretty look at the address location no matter what the address is. Their software may even look that up automatically to validate residency.

I use 'My Home Address' in Emery, SD.On Google Earth, it looks like a residential house on a street.AND...they are good folks to work with.

ccxnola wrote:I use 'My Home Address' in Emery, SD.On Google Earth, it looks like a residential house on a street.AND...they are good folks to work with.2X on My Home Address. However, leave the PMB # off any address that you want to look like a home. For example my mutual funds require a "home" address and will not accept the PMB # in the home address. So I leave it off and then give a mailing address which is the same but with the PMB# and all works.I have also replaced the PMB with Apt XXXX and this works.

Quite often libraries really do want your home address to use that library. Home owners pay state taxes for that library. It's rare to be able to get an out-of-state card and since your address is a mail service that doesn't mean the same as having a home address there. Some libraries give temporary cards for visitors.Your mail service probably won't be an issue for other things. Ours certainly wasn't. We used the Escapees RV Club mail forwarding and it gave a street address.

We always tell local libraries that we are full-time RVers visiting their town for X months / weeks.Some are very helpful, some say they can't do anything for us as far as a temporary card. We appreciate their courtesy. Often they don't have much discretion about folks that are temproary residents.

Mail Service for RVers that Looks Like a Street Address :::

19 Replies

monkey44
Nomad II
Aug 31, 2016
IN Florida -- St Brendan's Isle works fine for us - We put the address, and our "Suite Number" when we give it out.

Good bunch of folks there - available via phone or email. And take care of business if you have a 'glitch' somewhere that needs attention. They accept and forward FedEx and UPS as well, and sing registered mail - and then call you if something looks important.

A higher level service they provide will open your mail and scan it to you.
First class folks - and ship mail all over the world -- they provide service for RV, Boaters, Planes, Snowbirds, and just general travelers.
BarbaraOK
Explorer
Aug 31, 2016
For a lot of things it doesn't matter what the address is - if it is a mail forwarder, it will come up in a lot of databases as a mail forwarder. You will learn to live with it. There are some financial institutions that will go around the bend with a mail forwarded, others that could care less.

Barb
Lexicon7
Explorer
Aug 31, 2016
Thanks to all for the great responses.. My feeling on a US Post Office box was that the address actually reads PO Box and I am certain Ca DMV will not send to one.. I had forgotten about Escapees.. I think I'll take a closer look at them...
Ed_Gee
Explorer II
Aug 31, 2016
Interesting. I wonder if you had considered trying on getting a regular Post Office Box? Probably cheaper than Shipping Solutions.....whom I am not aware of, I am a resident of Florence, Oregon. Libraries are notorious on their ID requirements for a card.
PawPaw_n_Gram
Explorer
Aug 31, 2016
We always tell local libraries that we are full-time RVers visiting their town for X months / weeks.

Some are very helpful, some say they can't do anything for us as far as a temporary card. We appreciate their courtesy. Often they don't have much discretion about folks that are temproary residents.
2gypsies1
Explorer III
Aug 31, 2016
Quite often libraries really do want your home address to use that library. Home owners pay state taxes for that library. It's rare to be able to get an out-of-state card and since your address is a mail service that doesn't mean the same as having a home address there. Some libraries give temporary cards for visitors.

Your mail service probably won't be an issue for other things. Ours certainly wasn't. We used the Escapees RV Club mail forwarding and it gave a street address.
TenOC
Nomad
Aug 31, 2016
ccxnola wrote:
I use 'My Home Address' in Emery, SD.
On Google Earth, it looks like a residential house on a street.
AND...they are good folks to work with.

2X on My Home Address.

However, leave the PMB # off any address that you want to look like a home. For example my mutual funds require a "home" address and will not accept the PMB # in the home address. So I leave it off and then give a mailing address which is the same but with the PMB# and all works.

I have also replaced the PMB with Apt XXXX and this works.
ccxnola
Explorer
Aug 30, 2016
I use 'My Home Address' in Emery, SD.
On Google Earth, it looks like a residential house on a street.
AND...they are good folks to work with.
Dutch_12078
Explorer III
Aug 30, 2016
If they plug your mail forwarding address into Google Maps satellite or street view, they'll get a pretty look at the address location no matter what the address is. Their software may even look that up automatically to validate residency.

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Mail Service for RVers that Looks Like a Street Address :::

19 Replies

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