Virtual/returns address - help please

Gleeful

I'm looking to get a registered office and returns address for an online retail business.

The address would be displayed on my site and would also be the address to which customers would send returns (items of clothing so all small parcel sized)

I don't currently have a warehouse, all stock is stored at home.

I've been pricing up these types of services and have found that on a 6 monthly basis:

A PO Box is £23.82 per month
A Mailboxes etc address is £34 per month plus £35 per year to use as registered address
A registered business address is £29.99 per year (London or Manchester) - £2.49 a month

I'm not keen on just having JUST a PO box as an address although I think these are fine for returns. My current thinking is to have two addresses, a PO Box address for returns and a registered business address - both of these work out at less than the mailboxes etc box and is a little less blatantly hiding my address.

Is there anything I haven't thought of? Is there a way of doing it cheaper? Mail forwarding is cheaper but they don't accept parcels larger than a small jiffy bag.

Gleeful

http://www.cityaddress.co.uk/mailbox-services/mail-forwarding.html

This is also another option as it is £12.50 per month and then I just pay for fowarding. ie. if I don't get any, or just 1 or 2 returns a month then it is much cheaper than the PO box idea. If I am trading well and getting returns that mean that the forwarding is going to cost a lot of money, then I can review my business needs then and probably get a storage unit which will sign for customer returns (been quoted £60 per month for a 25sq ft unit) - I'm looking to get a unit anyway once it becomes cost effective

phill99

You only need a registered business address if you have a Limited Company. If you aren't limited, why do you need a registered business address?

Gleeful

To look professional and to avoid giving my home address

I'm hoping this business takes off, and then I'll need one anyway

I know consumers feel secure when ordering from a website that displays a legitimate bricks and mortar address. I am sure that by law they must display this anyway?

Aquamania

Gleeful wrote: »

I'm looking to get a registered office and returns address for an online retail business.

The address would be displayed on my site and would also be the address to which customers would send returns (items of clothing so all small parcel sized)

I don't currently have a warehouse, all stock is stored at home.

I've been pricing up these types of services and have found that on a 6 monthly basis:

A PO Box is £23.82 per month
A Mailboxes etc address is £34 per month plus £35 per year to use as registered address
A registered business address is £29.99 per year (London or Manchester) - £2.49 a month

I'm not keen on just having JUST a PO box as an address although I think these are fine for returns. My current thinking is to have two addresses, a PO Box address for returns and a registered business address - both of these work out at less than the mailboxes etc box and is a little less blatantly hiding my address.

Is there anything I haven't thought of? Is there a way of doing it cheaper? Mail forwarding is cheaper but they don't accept parcels larger than a small jiffy bag.

Yes, there is a cheaper way. Use your home address

As you already store stock at your home address, you presumably have already all the necessary things in place (e.g. insurance, etc)

After all, how much stock do you think will have to be returned?

Aquamania

Gleeful wrote: »

To look professional ...

Using a remote mailbox address (of any kind) does not make you look professional.

In fact quite the opposite. Such addresses are usually easily identifiable as such and portays you as a potential scammer who wants to avoid being contacted directly by disgrunteld customers.

Gleeful wrote: »

I'm hoping this business takes off, and then I'll need one anyway

If the business takes off and you require a separate warehouse, then you can then provide that address (if it's a location that has the facility to receive mail. e.g. because you then work there)

DKLS

Aquamania wrote: »

Using a remote mailbox address (of any kind) does not make you look professional.

In fact quite the opposite. Such addresses are usually easily identifiable as such and portays you as a potential scammer who wants to avoid being contacted directly by disgrunteld customers.

Not always, I am doing some consultancy for a large firm that uses Remote mailboxes for various business units, and they are a 12 billion quid turnover company with a global and respected reputation.

Savvy_Sue

grocott, please read the Forum Rules as advertising your own services is against them.

jjlandlord

If you setup a limited company you will need to provide a registered office address for the company and a service address for each of the directors, i.e. at least you.

If you do not want your home address to be publicly and easily available in relation to the company you need to provide alternative addresses for both these requirements.

The Mailbox, Etc. service (for example) that you mention let you use their virtual address for 4-5 names (don't remember exactly).
So for the price you get an address for your company and for up to 3-4 directors.

It's probably a good idea to discuss your requirements with any provider first. In your case you will probably receive packets on a regular basis, and perhaps sent signed for, so you'd want the provider to confirm that they could effectively and happily handle this at the volume you expect.

Note also that RoyalMail discloses the actual address behind a PO Box on demand.

AbbieCadabra

i thought you had to provide an actual address if it was physical goods to be returned? as per sale of goods act or distance selling regs possibly?

Gleeful

Seeing as my old thread has been resurrected....

I have signed up with a local independent business centre for their virtual office service - this is the 'contact us' address, it looks professional and is not identifiable as a virtual office as it is in this format:

Business Name
XXX XXXX Business Centre
XXXX Court
Anytown
Postcode

Returns go to a separate physical address (eg. mine)

Thanks for all your concerns but the issue is now resolved as I found the services I needed