[notgoingtouni]

Does anyone use them and what are the advantages? Apart from discreet address if you work from home + professional look.

[Littledot]

What is your business? Personally I would be put off by a pobox number.
I don't think it makes you look any more professional at all. I think people like to know that business are real when they are on the internet.

[Indizine]

Definately as Gemma says, it has the opposite effect - when used in general smaller businesses this can make the business appear vague, dodgy, something to hide.

Many businesses with premises have an address with a street or road number and name that could equally, sound like a home address, but is usually prevceded with something like a business centre name or name of a building. Therefore all you have to do, and you dont need council permission or to pay for this, is give your house a name.

Likewise if you live in a property that already has a name then great, use that. Dont however, use names that sound daft like DunRoaming, Gildave (ie owners names merged which is popular) as that wont sound like a business address of course! Something a little more approrpriate and perhaps relevant to where you live, such as Yew Tree Lodge, Derwent House. For flats and apartments, use Unit A, followed by your flat/apt numebr and normal address.

As long as you use your normal full address so that your post can find you properly, then this should be fine. Check also, the rules for your local council on hosue naming, but this should be pretty standard throughout. Ther may be some exceptions but thats for you to check out.

If you are a limited company, you ,must legally display the registered address and if you are vat reg you have to display the principal trading address. On this note as a side issue, I would add that the vat man told me few weeks ago that virtual addresses and PO boxes are in fact one and the same as far as they are concerned, and must not be used as the principal trading address i.e. that you must state the address where you are physically based which is likely then, to be your home address.

Also, ensure you meet the distance selling regulations if you are an ecommerce site and take payments over the internet with regards to stating your business address.

[notgoingtouni]

Cheers for the responses, great info, I think I'll take your info on board Indizine!

[mrh]

Originally Posted by Indizine

Definately as Gemma says, it has the opposite effect - when used in general smaller businesses this can make the business appear vague, dodgy, something to hide.

Just to offer a different point of view, I use a PO box for our general mailing and have never had anyone complain about it.

Saying that many of my users are small businesses and sole traders rather than the general public so that might be an important factor.

[IP2]

Totally agree that a PO Box does not give a professional image at all.

Additionally from having had to use one many years ago while I was traveling, I discovered I would get a lot of other peoples post and not much of my own.

[PremierPDS]

Also worth noting- PO boxes are used only by Royal Mail so anything delivered via any other means i.e. Parcel Force etc cannot be delivered to PO Box numbers

[Indizine]

Its not a thing to complain about but what you cannot tell or know, is how many people spot the PO box and move on. That cannot be measured except when you get opinions of what you think when faced with doing business with a company you dont know already, who uses a PO box.

Im a consumer and a business owner and it puts me off. The exception is if I knew the company already, or were aware of them being established for a while and ok to use.

[Paul Norman]

P.O.Box - to be avoided if possible.

[notgoingtouni]

I suppose it's a bit like 0870s etc