In California must one provide return address when mailing with USPS?

Why wouldn’t you want to provide a return address unless you are shipping contraband material? lol

I don’t think you HAVE to, but, it’s an at your own risk thing.

A return address isn’t required when you use the USPS. I usually mail my bill payments without using one and I’ve never had any trouble getting them delivered.

However, it’s a good idea to include one if you’re not sure of the intended recipient’s address, or if you’re handwriting the address.

@Coloma @Brian1946 We have a T-shirt and Design company starting out of our garage. We wouldn’t want to ship out our personal address since we don’t feel its professional enough at the moment. Once we get our own P.O Box. we should do it.

USPS regulations are applied equally to all states. There are no state by state requirements.

And no, you don’t have to provide a return address.

Hey guys thanks for input. I can’t find a source to confirm this. I’m struggling with the USPS website. Possible to post links?

@whitetigress no company/organization ever provides you with a list of things you don’t have to do. The fact that you can’t find any reference to the requirement is how you know there isn’t a requirement.

(Would you also be expecting to see a USPS.com note that you don’t have to wrap your envelope in pink cellophane? Or that you don’t have to use a purple crayon?)

Also, I fail to understand your reasoning. It’s not like the return address would identify your business as being in a garage. It would just be a street address. Hell, you could even throw a company name on the top, as it wouldn’t make a lick of difference. Are you worried that someone’s going to go to Google Maps and see that the address is someone’s house rather than an office building? Have you ever Google Map’d a return address of something a company sent you?

@MrItty Yes I’ve Google Map’d in this situation before. I was born in 1987. We all grew up breathing technology so Google Mapping anything and everything is not seen as unusual with people around my age. Also, why we decide not to show our personal addresses is none of your business. I would appreciate your opinion had I asked that question however :) I do however really appreciate your point in your first answer.

@whitetigress Head on down to a Mailboxes Etc./UPS Store and rent a box. It’s not that expensive, it’s deductible for your business costs, and you’ll probably ship things out of there more easily.

Packages are different than letters, you should provide a return address. Especially if you want to insure the contents or track the package. If you don’t want to give out hour home address, go rent a PO Box to use as your business address. They are cheap so I am surprised you haven’t already gotten one.

One thing to consider, I won’t do repeat business with a company that does not put their name and address on their package.

I think a return address is important to spread the name of your business. People look for their package, and no bells that it is from you, promptly??
Nothing wrong with a home address. You dont run a business from a P O Box. from a building with stuff in it.

It is required in all states for return address, partially due to the reisen scare, sending unmarked packages with strange substances inside.

From what I know, return addresses aren’t mandatory, but they are helpful for having a package returned to you if it were to get misplaced in the mail and there are some places that will not accept an unmarked package.

@jazmina88 Many companies operate with PO Box addresses. It is actually a common practice.

The company I work for, which has its own private zip code, uses PO Boxes.

A return address isn’t required when you use the USPS. I have in the past mailed a bill or two s without using one and I have never had a problem, payments were received.