What is the point of a PO Box? Why do people use/have them?

One reason could be if you don’t want people to know your address, but still want to be able to get mail.

For status. Way back when I started my first business, it was located on Wilshire Blvd in Los Angeles. The fact that I was a thousand miles away at the time was of little relevance: I had a prime address.

It’s all about perception.

Not all people have mailboxes attached to their places of residence, so they need PO boxes to get mail.

Also, people that own home businesses may use a PO Box to get business related mail, rather than have it sent to their home.

Also, if someone doesn’t have a set address, or knows they will be moving around a fair bit (eg. a post-secondary student who takes various co-op jobs during the summer), they will use a PO box so they don’t have to keep changing their mailing address with banks, credit card companies, relatives, friends, etc, etc.

I have one because there are no mailpeople to deliver the mail to my house so there is no choice!

I live in a rual area that is covered by the post office, but I have a private PO box which will accept packages for me. I hated it when UPS would leave something at the doorstep and it would get rained on, also its kind of hard to get to our house in the winter UPS and FedEx trucks get stuck by my house.

The private mailbox also acts as a mailing address for my business.

Way out here in the subrubs of the suburbs the pony express delivers the mail to the PO but no one will deliver it to the houses.

For people who travel a lot like @rottenit, they’re a must, otherwise your packages will get rained on or stolen. They’re also quite handy for people who move a lot.

There was a rash of mail thefts all up and down my road. Impossible to steal mail from P.O. box. Also, and this may seem eccentric, I prefer not getting mail every single day.
Pickup every 3 days or so seems to be enough. Also, if I’m out of town briefly, they just save it for me behind the counter. Don’t have to ask them.

Can a corporation use a po box?