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Ask HN: Any good mail scanning services you can reccomend?

by balderdash on 1/11/25, 6:26 PM with 4 comments

• by pwg on 1/11/25, 6:40 PM

  > I’m not sure I want friends and family opening my mail, I’ve been thinking about subscribing to one of these mail scanning services, but was curious I’ve anyone had experience with them? I’m a little concerned about security and privacy, but not sure what my other options are.

  1) You could have it sent to friends/family, they could repackage it, unopened, and ship to your current location at that time. This is a cost (postage) and effort (friend/family repackaging and mailing) and you do need to be careful to coordinate near "moving times" so as to not have a package in transit when you move locations.

  However, depending upon how often you have the "repackaged package" sent, you add that much latency to your mail delivery time. As well there is a work/effort/cost tradeoff. More frequent mailings of accumulated mail is more work/effort for friend/family member, and more cost to you (postage cost per unit of weight goes down considerably as the package weight increases). More frequent mailings will be lower weight packages, and will thereby be higher cost per unit weight overall.

  2) You could switch your bills to "electronic delivery" where you download a PDF from the various billers websites that is your mailed statement. This avoids the "burden friend/family with effort" part, but adds to your effort (because unlike the mail, where 20 companies do their thing and then bills arrive to you, you now have to go, to 20 different websites, to download 20 different PDF's, each billing cycle).

  This option will only work for those companies that do offer e-bills. If you have even one without an e-bill option then this will not work alone (you'd still need somewhere for that "one" to be mailed).

• by brudgers on 1/11/25, 11:38 PM

  You have two challenges

  One is change of address.

  The other is forwarding.

  If you are in the US, a change of address is straight forward with USPS and you can sign up for Informed Delivery for a bit of insight.

  If you are in the US, talk to a local Mailbox Service about scanning and forwarding. Someone probably offers it if you are in a significant metro. Expect to pay a business rate because they need to stay in business.

  It is in your interest that they make money.

• by rozper on 1/15/25, 5:51 AM

  Mail scanning services are a convenient solution for managing physical mail digitally, especially for businesses and individuals frequently on the move. Companies like Earth Class Mail, iPostal1, and Anytime Mailbox are popular providers offering features like mail scanning, forwarding, and secure shredding. These services let you view, manage, and store your mail online, ensuring you stay organized and efficient.

  When choosing a mail scanning service, consider factors like pricing, service locations, and additional features like package handling or integrating with tools. Some providers may also offer customer support via a phone number for quick and direct assistance.

• by ttymck on 1/13/25, 1:51 AM

  St Brendan's Isle