[978675]

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[Guest]

This has been discussed before. The Can-Spam act, and a great deal of international law, requires a business address for all email subscriptions.

You have a few choices:

Get a PO Box for your business and use that for your business correspondence.
Get a virtual mail box service for your business and use that for your business correspondence.

In either case, so long as you are using the PO Box or virtual mail box for your actual business, it would count as your business address. You can write off the cost as a business expense at the end of the year.

 

[Allyson J.]

I don't think you can. I believe the emails legally must have an address at the bottom. I'm in the US. I got a PO BOX and use that as my business address. Any stalkers will be sadly disappointed when they show up at our dingy Post Office in a sketchy area of town!

 

[J.A. Sutherland]

This is US law -- there has to be a physical address for people to contact you, opt-out, etc. Because ... Congress.

PO Box or virtual mail are options.

http://www.ftc.gov/tips-advice/business-center/guidance/can-spam-act-compliance-guide-business

 

[dianapersaud]

Get a PO box and then you can update the settings in your MC account. I forget where it is. Under Account, I think. You can always email MC once you get your PO box.

 

[sophia ann]

How did you solve this? i live in the UK and had the same problem. In the end I didn’t attached my a mailing list at the end of the book because I couldn’t find a way to get around it.

 

[Paul_Stephenson]

Yeah, I'd like to know a way round this too, if there is one?

 

[Lydniz]

I use these people:

https://www.scanmypost.co.uk/

 

[PearlEarringLady]

For UK people:

I use these guys: http://ukpostbox.com/

There is (or was) a free option. And they also gave me a Glasgow address to use, which is cool (for those of us who live in the land of men in skirts).

 

[Kenzi]

For US peeps, try Viabox:
https://www.viabox.com/

You get a free US address.

 

[Reaper]

For UK people:

I use these guys: http://ukpostbox.com/

There is (or was) a free option. And they also gave me a Glasgow address to use, which is cool (for those of us who live in the land of men in skirts).

Very useful to know!

 

[Scott Bartlett]

Does anyone know of a Canadian option? Just sprung for a PO box a couple weeks ago, but I'd love to switch to a free option next year, if there's one available.

 

[yo]

Can I just jump in here as well and ask if any knows an option that would work in New Zealand? It's too expensive for a PO box here for me to get one.

 

[A. N. Other Author]

I'm with http://ukpostbox.com

They do a pay as you go option which is free unless you start receiving a lot of physical mail. Which I won't.

 

[Joanna Wentworth]

Could I, as a non US or UK resident, sign up for one of those alternatives? To put it simply, a PO box in my country costs a ton, and there are none free in my city, and I couldn't find a service (in my country) as the ones you guys linked to. I could, of course, use my real address, but I want a low profile on the net, and it feels a bit... iffy to have my street name and number out there for the world to admire. (Even though no-one could probably pronounce the name of it properly.)

Edit: I see now that UK Postbox also caters to people living in the EU.

 

[Guest]

Could I, as a non US or UK resident, sign up for one of those alternatives? To put it simply, a PO box in my country costs a ton, and there are none free in my city, and I couldn't find a service (in my country) as the ones you guys linked to. I could, of course, use my real address, but I want a low profile on the net, and it feels a bit... iffy to have my street name and number out there for the world to admire. (Even though no-one could probably pronounce the name of it properly.)

Edit: I see now that UK Postbox also caters to people living in the EU.

This is the thing:

There is nothing to PHYSICALLY stop you from using something else. But it would not technically be legal under the letter of the law.

The law requires that the mailing address be your address. If you are NOT using the address for business and are just using it to circumvent the law, you are still in violation of the law. This is why I always say even if you are using a PO box or virtual mailbox, don't use it ONLY for your mailing address because if you ever get tagged you can end up with being accused of trying to circumvent the law. Use that address as your general address. Put it on your website if people want to write you for more information. Actually use it so that it is a real address to you.

Moreover, you may be inadvertently making yourself susceptible to laws in other territories by creating a fake address in those territories. For example, let's say you set up a fake address in ************* as your address to avoid using your own address, and you start selling stuff online directly from your website. Because the state of NJ thinks your address is in NJ, guess what? You are now subject to collect NJ sales tax because you are operating a business in NJ. You can fight it, of course. But the money you will spend fighting it will no doubt be much more than the actual tax owed. Or someone reports you for spam to the NJ Attorney General, and they discover you are using a fake address. Now you have all sorts of legal problems because you were trying to save a few bucks.

A legal PO box or virtual office address is a legitimate business expense. If you don't want to use your physical address, bite the bullet and spend the money. This is your business. Do things right on the front end to protect it can save you a thousand-fold more money down the road.

 

[katrina46]

I just left my home address. I'd be so flattered if someone loved my books so much they drove across the country to misery me. Of course, I live in Texas and have a gun.

 

[katrina46]

Thank you for making me snort tea out my nose.

Welcome. I'm good for that sometimes.

 

[JETaylor]

I just left my home address. I'd be so flattered if someone loved my books so much they drove across the country to misery me. Of course, I live in Texas and have a gun.

This made me smile. I did the same thing and the only difference... I live in Connecticut - otherwise it's a complete "ditto" moment.

 

[Flay Otters]

Well yeah, I too live in Connecticut and I too have a gun (or several) but I still don't want nutters knocking on my door.