If anyone has ever seen the show "It Takes A Thief" .... last night I heard a piece of sage advice that probably hasn't occurred to many.

It went somehting like this....:

"Run a busness from Home?
Have a website?
List your home address on your website.
Go on! Make it easy for me to find you.

If you run a business from home, chances are you have a lot of valuable stock sitting around somewhere. If you sell on the web via a website, and you have your home address listed on your website, you are making it very easy for me to find you.

The Advice:
Get a P.O. Box.
It not only hides your home address from me, but it also looks more professional.
DON'T include your home address on your website!"

["Me", of course, is the thief.]
This nevber occurred to me before hearing it, it may not have occurred to a lot of home-based business runnig a web site.

Something to think about...

Very sound advice.

Yep very sound indeed. I use a PO box and don't regret it.

I've been meaning to get a PO box... *searches calendar for time*... might have to wait till... 2012...

Yes! I have a PO box too...best investment!!!!

How do PO boxes work?

A PO Box is just like having a letter box at the post office. Any mail addressed to your PO box is held at the post office until you go collect it.

I don't use a PO box and look how unprofessional our address looks!! Saying this I'm no here for long so a PO Box would be a wast of money.

In the UK customers see PO Boxes as "dodgy" and it takes exactly 2 minutes to get the real address behind one, if you have the right telephone number.

Another option is a shared office address - usually nicer looking than your own (ie the Suite 43, the Connaught buildings). I forget the exact term.

More expensive (5x?) but also better against burglars as you're not even there except to collect your post.

Postal "returns" is another PITA with a PO Box as they only accept letter post. Probably ditto with shared office too though.

That said, I do use a PO Box, but only because I'm so dodgy I can't afford a shared office address - LOL
(I'm kidding except for the afford bit, OK, no really, oh god ....)

Hmm, There is more then one benifit in having a PO BOX, if you decide to move you dont have to change your address with everyone unless of course you move interstate.

I do however think that a PO BOX makes you look a little unprofessional but it depends listing a home address in a suburban area can appear unprofessional to some people as well, who may be expecting a full office.

In the U.S., P.O. boxes appear unprofessional for a business. If you don't want to use a home address, there are companies that offer mail boxes (just like po boxes except not provided by the U.S. postal service) and most allow you to list your address as Suite #xxx, and some allow you to not put a number at all, just the address. This is a better alternative.

Which is exactly what I do.

But in Canada.... not the US

I thought Canada was in China?!?!




---------- Joke

it comes down to this.

If you are going to get taken you will no matter what.

I can track people down in the US with just a First and Last Name.

People can Still you bank acct info from a Check ( dont need to be blank )and empty it.

No Matter what you do if they went it they will get it.

But a PO BOX is good thinking it just make it a bit harder to find you ( Not Much )


Just my 2 cents

Many think so, but it's really tucked down below Antarctica.

I saw the show too. Made me wonder couple of things about "home business".

Hmmm It is relativiely easy to get information about people in Austrlia in Business, because we have the Australian Business Number, if you want to do business you have to have this. And it is suppose to be displayed on all correspondence, the problem is many many many people register there personal name for the ABN and then register a Business name (same as DBA) so you look up the ABN gives you there name look up the phone book gives you there address and phone number.

I'm gonna have to report this post to the administrator!!

www.abr.gov.au and the white pages, a powerful combination meh, im insured, if u wanna steal my stuff, GO AHEAD!

umm...

Could you save me the trouble and maybe just ship me some of your stuff

aaw c'mon, now wheres the fun in that?