Frequently Asked Questions

Get answers to all of your questions regarding VPM's virtual mailbox plans.

Virtual mailbox

Q: What is a virtual mailbox?

A virtual mailbox gives you a dedicated online mailbox portal that allows you to store, manage, and organize your mail from any device.

You’ll get a permanent U.S. based address that you can use for receiving postal mail, LLC documentation, your website, and more.

Plus, gain access to more features such as remote check depositing and package forwarding.

Q: How does a virtual mailbox work?

When you sign up, you’ll be assigned a commercial address along with a unique mailbox number. Once you receive your new address, you can start having mail sent to your new address.

After your incoming mail is received at the VPM location of your choosing, your mail is sorted and uploaded to your account. You’ll be notified as soon as your mail content is available for you to read in your online mail management portal.

From there, you get to decide what to do with your postal mail. Learn more about how a virtual mailbox works.

Q: Is a virtual mailbox safe?

Yes, your virtual mailbox is safe to use.

Each VPM location is a central processing center, which means the company does not use third-party providers. All locations are secure mailing facilities for on-site storage, mail shredding, and monitoring. Your mail does not leave the facility at any time, and is not opened unless you request it.

Q: Is my data protected with a virtual mailbox?

Many security measures are put into place to protect your online account, your identity, and your physical mail. Check out a broad overview of our security management.

Q: Can I pick up my mail and packages at your locations?

Unfortunately, VPM locations are not open to the public, so you cannot pick up your items in person. If you need to obtain your mail and packages, you’ll need to create a shipping request to have it shipped to yourself.

Q: Does the mailbox address accept all courier services?

Your virtual mailbox accepts mail and packages from all couriers, including FedEx and UPS. Your permanent mailbox address is not a PO Box, which only accepts mail and packages from USPS.

Q: Do you sign for mail and package deliveries?

If your mail and packages require a signature for delivery, it will be signed for and inducted into your virtual mailbox.

Q: Can I automate my mail scans?

You can! There are two ways you can do this:

  1. Set your Smart Address Tag and enjoy having your mail processed and fully digitized without lifting a finger. This one allows you to have specific mail scanned.
  2. Enable "auto-scan all mail" feature in your mailbox settings. If you do this, all incoming mail will be opened and the content scanned.

Package forwarding

Q: Will VPM open my packages so I can see what’s inside?

Yes! If you are not sure what a particular package or shipment contains, a member of the VPM team can send you a photo of the package contents. Fees may apply.

Q: What if I don’t want a piece of mail or package opened?

When you create a shipment that contains multiple items, VPM will remove the outer packaging and consolidate all the items inside into one large box. This helps save on shipping costs and is typically how most people want it.

However, there may be times when you would like to ship a package unopened. If you would like to ship your packages unopened, you can choose one of the following options.

  1. Create a shipment with just one package. Unless the original box is in bad shape, it will ship out with the original packaging.

  2. Create a shipment and add special handling instructions to your online order specifically stating not to open the original packaging and to ship as is. Depending on the size of the packages, we may not be able to accommodate such requests. We will contact you if there are issues.

Q: Does VPM offer fulfillment services?

VPM’s mail and package forwarding service is focused on consolidating multiple packages into a single (larger) box to be shipped out.

However, VPM does not offer fulfillment services with your virtual mailbox. Fulfillment service is defined as splitting the contents of packages into individual units to be shipped out separately to different addresses.

We recommend that you look for fulfillment services that can do a much better job on this.

Q: Is there a weight limit for packages?

VPM accepts all packages that can be mailed out without using freight. So, as long as it doesn't arrive on some type of pallet OR require a special freight service for shipping, you will see the package land in your account.

A good rule of thumb is if the package can be mailed out using USPS, UPS Ground/Air, or Fedex Air, we can accept it.

Q: Can I receive perishables?

Yes, VPM can receive packages containing perishables on your behalf. However, there is no refrigeration at the VPM facility to store these types of packages for extended periods.

If a perishable package is received, you’ll be notified via email so you have the opportunity to create a shipping request and get it out as soon as possible.

Q: Are there shipping restrictions?

The short answer is yes. For a longer, more in-depth answer, feel free to check out the full list of restrictions.

Q: Are there restricted countries for shipping?

In general, VPM is able to ship to most international locations. However, there are a couple of restricted countries. You can find a full list here.

Check depositing

Q: Which banks are accepted?

You can deposit checks to any bank that supports mail-in deposits. The top five national banks are Bank of America, Chase, Citibank, HSBC, and Wells Fargo. Online banks and online brokerage firms also support sending check deposits through the mail.

If you are not sure whether or not your bank supports mail-in deposits, your best bet is to call your bank and ask them about this along with the address where checks can be sent.

Q: Are cash deposits accepted?

For your security, we do not support mailing cash deposits to banks. Many banks also dissuade customers from mailing cash.

If you do receive cash, you can ask to have the cash credited into your mailbox account as extra funds.

HIPAA

Q: Is VPM HIPAA compliant?

Yes, VPM is HIPAA compliant. VPM adheres to annual compliance assessments and checklists mandated by HIPAA. Additionally, all customer data is stored on HIPAA-compliant Amazon Web Services (AWS) infrastructure.

Q: Does HIPAA require two-factor authentication (2FA)?

While 2FA is not compulsory, it is highly recommended. VPM provides Two-factor authentication (2FA) support as an added security layer to protect your business and patient data.

Q: Does HIPAA have shredding requirements?

One of the safeguards is the proper disposal of protected health information (PHI), which includes the shredding of any paper records containing PHI to prevent unauthorized access or disclosure of the information. At VPM, all physical mail is trashed in locked trash bins. Any unwanted or discarded mail is destroyed on-site by a mobile shredding company.

Q: What are HIPAA rules for mailing medical records?

HIPAA requires that you send documents containing protected healthcare information through First Class postal mail. Some circumstances may require you to use certified mail, with the recipient providing a signature upon it being received. VPM accommodates this mailing requirement.

Q: Can VPM sign a BAA?

If you are on the Business Plan or higher, we can sign a BAA with you to satisfy HIPAA requirements. Please see our article on BAAs for more details.

Q: Do BAAs expire?

A business associate agreement (BAA) does not often have an expiration date. Once a BAA is established between parties, it remains valid until one party decides to terminate the agreement.