PO Box

[Amy]

I was wondering about your opinions on PO boxes.

They're kind of expensive, $20-$30 a month. I'm in high school and I don't have a job right now.

What has been your experience with this? Are PO boxes usually worth it? Have you ever had a creeper show up on your doorstep and ask for a free issue?

[Shawn Granton]

Amy, are you talking about an official government USPS P O Box (if yer in the US), or are you talking about a "Private Mail Box" (PMB) that are in UPS Stores, Postal Annex, and the like? $20-30 per month sounds a tad high for a P O Box.

[Amy]

oh that was $30 for six months. Lol. nvm. Still. Is it worth it?

[Shawn Granton]

$30 isn't bad for six months at a PO Box, especially since it breaks down to $5 a month. Whether it's "worth it" or not depends on what you want out of it.

I find PO Boxes worth it for a few reasons. One, it makes you less wary about putting your address in your zine, especially if you're worried about creepers and such. (I've never had a problem with that when I used to provide a home address, but I can't say for sure it's never been a problem with anyone.)

Two, if your house/apartment changes a lot yet you still live in the same city (me), you'll at least have a stable mailing address and not have to worry about scribbling out addresses in old zines and all that. (In the seven years since I've had my PO Box, I've had at least nine different home addresses!)

And for you (since you're in high school), it might be worth it if you're worrying about your parents hassling you about all this "weird and strange" mail you'll get from doing a zine. Though they may have to consent to you opening the box if you're under 18, that I don't know for sure.

[Amy]

True. Problem is, there's no open small boxes at the post office near me, which means I might have to wait months before there's an opening. And I wouldn't be first on the wait list...

Of course, if someone wanted my adress, they'd just have to pick up a phone book or a school directory...

[Shawn Granton]

Amy said:

True. Problem is, there's no open small boxes at the post office near me, which means I might have to wait months before there's an opening. And I wouldn't be first on the wait list...

If you're in a large-enough city, you might want to look around and see what the other Post Offices have. Not all are that backed up. It's also good to find one with 24 hour lobby access so you're not restricted to limited hours to pick up your mail.

Amy said:

Of course, if someone wanted my adress, they'd just have to pick up a phone book or a school directory...

If you use a pen name or give yourself a "punk rock" last name they're less likely to find you that way. And using a P O Box would make an even bigger disconnect, if you're worried about people finding you.

[Amy]

I'm not that worried about people finding me. I was just wondering about the wisdom of using my home adress in a zine. Hmm. My parents may or may not have a fit...

[Amy]

And I'm not sure if it's worth $60 a year. I get a miniscule allowance.

[Amy]

no. Who's that?

[Shawn Granton]

Amy said:

I'm not that worried about people finding me. I was just wondering about the wisdom of using my home adress in a zine. Hmm. My parents may or may not have a fit...

And that's the slippery slope. Do your parents know what a zine is, and the fact that you do one? Are they cool with it?

If they're not, having a PO Box may mean that they don't find out about what you're doing.

If they are cool with what you do, they still may be weird about you providing your home address for mailing. Check with them on that first. If they support what you do, they might help you with the P O Box fees.

[Amy]

They know what a zine is, cause I get em from the library.I think they may or may not know I'm starting one; I haven't printed anything yet.

That'd be funny. "What do you want for christmas?" "I want a post office box!" lol.

I'll ask... don't know if they will thoug. Hmm. But theres still a long waitlist.

Shawn Granton said:

Amy said:

I'm not that worried about people finding me. I was just wondering about the wisdom of using my home adress in a zine. Hmm. My parents may or may not have a fit...

And that's the slippery slope. Do your parents know what a zine is, and the fact that you do one? Are they cool with it?

If they're not, having a PO Box may mean that they don't find out about what you're doing.

If they are cool with what you do, they still may be weird about you providing your home address for mailing. Check with them on that first. If they support what you do, they might help you with the P O Box fees.

[Amy]

oh. I've only been here 'bout a week.

Mulnix said:

He's a zineteen on this site who lives in Canada. He posts a lot here. Thought you might know him.

[Shawn Granton]

Amy-
http://wemakezines.ning.com/profile/Zac

As for your parents reaction, you're the best judge as to how they might handle your involvement with zines and getting stuff through the mail. If they're the type that are overly worried by internet predators and the like, they might not take it good. Of course, you might want to present it as getting mail from"pen pals". They might get all warm and fuzzy with that idea, since it's sooo old-fashioned.

And if you can't ask for a P O Box for Xmas, you can always ask for a long-armed stapler!