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Another possible address for me to receive packages?
 

We just got the word at my office that we will be moving in a month.
I will obviously take advantage of the new address to set up new ebay & Paypal accounts, but I have a question as far as the USPS change of address system is concerned.

If I fill out a change of address form at the post office can I (and if so how long) have mail (particularily packages going through customs) sent to the old address and still show up at the new address?

I've often thought that this would be a great way to set up stealth accounts using other addresses, but still be able to receive items to your real address.

Has anyone tried this? Will it work?

BTW, the accounts at my current office uses a variation of my name and my items and mail in that name always gets to me...will do the same thing with a slightly different variation at the new location.

It's nice sometimes to have a name that often is mis-spelled

For 12 months the USPS will forward all first class mail to you. For the six months after that the mail will be returned to sender, but your new address will be listed on it.

However, none of this makes you invisible. Especially not to law enforcement, if that is what you mean.

Not at all talking law enforcement.
The concept is simple:
Make a stealth account with a "New" name and actual physical address on it. I would think a vacant house that has been foreclosed on would be a good one...or even a condemned house.
Then have the mail forwarded from that "Name" and address to somewhere that you can actually receive it,
This way you could set up a stealth account, buy a few items like packing materials, inkjet cartridges, other stuff you need to do business and have then sent to the old address and then forwarded to a place that you will actually receive them at.
It would be a nice way of building some quick and "legitimate" fedeback and ebay being none the wiser that the address is not yours.
Make sense to try this?

OK... Sorry about that! I thought you meant something else.

I really don't know what the consequences of this might be, but I *DO* know that it is illegal to provide false information on a change of address form. Whether this is a slap on the wrist, or the death penalty, I don't know.

Maybe someone with more experience in this area will chime in.

Well assuming that the address it ends up at has no one there in that name, how would they ever find out?
Otherwise you could fill them out for your enemies and let them deal with them when the chips would fall.
I think as long as it doesn't involve fraud, identity theft or some other malicious activity the penalties would be as severe as pulling the tag off of your mattress

Filling out a change of address doesnt work that way.....say you try and use a vacant house address and then do a change of address to an actual address it wont go through...all items will be returned to sender because your name was never known at that address...there are ALOT of steps involved in doing a change of address...when you do.....a letter goes to the old address FIRST AND if it passes that step then another to the new address....if the letter carrier sees it is a vacant address they put ANK on the letter and send it back to USPS headquaters and you will never even see it and that stops all mail from being forwarded to that post office and immedietly sends it back to the sender. There area alot of 'safe guards' put in place when it comes to change of address that is why it takes usually 2 weeks before mail even starts being forwarded.

Thanks for clearing that up...I have always wondered about it.
I'm assuming if you have a PO Box for say 6 months and want to do a change of address that that would work? Assuming of course that you did receive mail to that PO Box.

Yup, that would work....but just remember that USPS only forwards mail for 12 months and that mail would have to have the exact same name/spelling on it....say your name is Charles Barkley.....if a mail piece comes Charlas or Charlie it wont be forwarded and it will just be returned to sender.....this is because the forwarding once it passes the steps of being accepted is all done by computer....that is why you will find the yellow sticker on mail pieces when mail has been forwarded.

How about if you received mail at the old address for Charles, Charlie, Chuck and Chuckster? Would all of those show up at the new address?

The 12 month thing isn't a big deal. After that there will be no reason to receive forwarded mail to that address.

Yes, you would have to do a change of address with each of those variations of names. The system will only forward exact names....even if your name was Charles Barkley Jr....if the piece of mail did NOT have Jr. on it....it wouldnt be forwarded. Just remember before it gets to the computer level actual people have to verify change of addresses, so just be careful.

The postal services of USA,Australia and UK require the names of each addressee to be listed on change of address paperwork. :pop2:

Makes sense

Sadly it also makes it a pain in the 'tosh :rolleyes:

Although I assume everything you are doing is on the up, and up, if the Feds wanted to make a case about something, they would probably charge you with wire fraud. This is sort of a "catch all" for mail crimes.

But if your small potatos, I wouldn't worry about anything. If someone comes knocking on your door, just play dumb!

Woah! Dont ASSUME about another poster. The comment from jeffweico in no way suggested HE was doing anything. Edit your post accordingly. :peace:

Hey people, may I know what happened to the thread "Package held in U.S. customs" where i posted
why it's gone?

@MyWay, it's being reviewed.:pop2:

GB, the way you say it sounds like eBay / PP . Scary

:eek: The thread went scary

Being reviewed by whom? And why? That thread went scary??

I'd like my postings there to get deleted :>