Small business owners who work from home may not want their private address publicly known. Using a virtual address service, you can protect your privacy and avoid unwanted visitors arriving on your doorstep. A UK Postbox address is also suitable for use when registering your company with HMRC, and we have a range of location options to increase your presence in cities around the UK. Here’s how home-based businesses are using UK Postbox to facilitate their business operations.

Address privacy

If you’re operating a business from home, you may be required to show your address publicly. If you’re registered as a limited company, then this information will also be freely available via companies house. Address privacy for many home-based businesses is essential; they don’t want clients, customers or other companies to have access to this information to use freely. For this reason, they opt for a virtual business address. A virtual business address can be used in place of a home address and protects your location.

Portray a professional image

Your business address can influence how your customers and clients perceive you. If a residential address is publicly shown, it may make you appear as less professional or established in comparison to a London address. Virtual addresses also allow you to select a location you’d like your business to appear in. For example, if your focus is on attracting London customers, you’ll have better visibility when someone searches for your service in London if you have a matching address.

Online mail management

With every UK Postbox address, customers receive access to our advanced mail management platform. When you use one of our addresses and we receive mail for you, we’ll scan the outside of the letter or parcel and send a notification to your account. From here, you have the option to have your mail scanned so that you can read it online, have it stored, destroyed or forwarded on to another location. This feature offers home-based business owners access to the tools to manage their mail on the move.

Low-cost flexible plans

We have a range of flexible address and plan options available to suit your demands. Choose a mail plan based on the number of letters you expect to receive or opt for a pay as you go plan if you’re unsure. We’re happy to advise you on an address type and plan if you’re not sure which is best suited to you.

Sole trader & registered business address use

Many home-based businesses start without the need for a business address. However, when the time comes to register as a sole trader or limited company, you’ll be required to provide HMRC with an address to use for correspondence. If you’re registering your business as a limited company, this address will be available publicly. Opting to use a virtual address can also protect you from future changes. If you move home or into a new office, you can avoid having to update your business address and set up a royal mail redirection service by continuously using a virtual address throughout the lifespan of your business.

E-commerce/ dropshipping

We offer additional services to e-commerce and dropshipping businesses to facilitate their operations within the UK. The following features are available:

1. Free returns address - A free UK address to use for all of your customer returns. There are no minimum volumes, set up fees or fixed-term contract, just update your information to point customers towards your UK Postbox returns address, and we’ll handle the rest.
2. Dropshipping & fulfilment - Shipping individual items to the UK from overseas can become extremely costly. Send us your products in bulk, we’ll store them for you, and when you receive an order, we’ll ship it on your behalf.
3. Same-day processing - Offering your customers same-day shipping of their orders can help you to stay competitive against other online retailers. We’ll process and ship all goods and products received by 2pm on the same day as the order is placed.
4. SKU management - Either use our advanced SKU management platform, or we’ll integrate your current solution into your UK Postbox account. Track your inventory, monitor the demand for your products and foresee demand before it happens.

What address & mail plan do we recommend for home-based businesses?

If you’re operating as a sole trader or partnership and you’re unsure on how much mail you expect to use, we recommend the following:

Dorset PO Box with Letter 10

If you’re registering your business as a limited company with HMRC, we recommend the following:

Dorset Business Address with Letter 10

If you want to appear prestigious or have a presence in the capital, we recommend the following:

London Business Address with Letter 25