Mail Forwarding Service Demand

[capcook]

A another finance guy and I were thinking of setting up an accounting shop in Florida (I am a Florida Licensed CPA). One of the services I was thinking of offering (because I would need it too) would be a REALLY Cruiser friendly mail forwarding service. A bonded place you could trust to open and even handle some routine transactions for you. A place that would actively keep track of your movements and let you know what mail came in via email and act on your instructions e.g. pay that send this one to me, respond as... etc.. Might even offer a virtual office service which could answer a phone line and act as your secretary "Hello, Myers Inc, Mr. Myers is out of the office today (as in REALLY out of the office in the Med), could I take a msg?"...

I was wondering if there is a demand for such services or if they are pretty widely available already...What would such a service be worth to a Cruiser $100/mth ? Thoughts ?

cheers

[Euro Cruiser]

I suggest you benchmark St. Brendan's Isle. They have by far the largest number of cruising clients and also service RV clients and professional temps who travel for extended assignments. They are very highly thought of (use the 'search' function on the SSCA Discussion Board to learn more about this vendor and others) and SBI now offers a 'scan mail' service which is an excellent alternative to moving snail mail between mail handler and recipient.

Jack

[Hud3]

I'm with Jack on this one--SBI is the standard. I pay them about $20/month to sort out the second class junk mail each business day, and scan each of the envelopes that are left and post the images to my account so I can view them. My choices then are to have them open and scan the contents (downloadable) for a small per page charge, or mail the envelopes to me, or shred them. The founder/owner, Doug, was a cruiser himself, and knows the ropes so to speak. If I ever have any special needs, I just email and they take care of it. It's a great service, and very well-run.

[GordMay]

At St. Brendan's Isle, there are no sign up or yearly fees. You open your mail forwarding service account with a $100 deposit. Then each month a service fee of $13.99 is deducted along with any mailing charges you have incurred. When your account balance drops below $10 you make another $100 deposit in your account. Typically this is done through a credit card transaction. Each month you receive a detailed, easy to understand, statement itemizing every credit and debit to your account. When you no longer need our mail forwarding service, your remaining balance is refunded to you. You can sign up over the phone or use our Internet Mail Forwarding Sign Up form. Our toll free number is 800-544-2132 or if you are calling from an International location, 904-284-1203.

Cruisers Home Port™ Mail Service ➥ St. Brendan's Isle - Cruisers Home Port™ Mail Service
See also "Add-Ons"

[capcook]

Thanks guys... I figured there had to be a good service out there already... Good to know as I will hopefully be needing one..

Cheers

[Quickstep]

Just to give equal time - we've used Voyager Mail Service out of Islamorada, FL for the last 10 years. They do a great job - very reliable. They also sort and dump the scam mail, and will do a 'wait and search' if you are expecting something you need in a hurry. They also adjust what they ship out as you request. So when we are aboard they hold our magazines and catalogues for when it is more convenient (ie back in the US) to send. And Seth is always fun to talk to when you call for your mail. Phone number there is 800-860-9256