Pros: Highest level of control of what gets sent, least expensive shipping charges, wide range of account types to meet your needs. No annual fee.
Cons: Site navigation could be easier
Bottom Line: A great value for your money. With their account control, monthly plan options and relatively low shipping charges, you'll get everything you need and more.

USA Box offers a Miami, FL based address for your mail deliveries. They provide the most control over the delivery of your mail with their online account system. The system enables you to look at exactly what you have received and decide how you want them to handle it for you.

For example, when USA Box receives a package for you, they send you an email with a web link to that item in your account. When you access the link, you can decide when you want the package sent and most importantly, you can also provide USA Box with the declared value. To save on your customs fees and taxes, it is best to declare the fair market value of the contents in the package, rather than the amount you actually paid. The amount you paid can include domestic shipment, taxes and resellers charges that will make your customs fees higher than they need to be.

USA Box prepares the commercial invoice with the value you provide. Then you can mark the items you would like to get shipped and those that you would like to get discarded. We loved this level of control in managing the size of the deliveries you receive. USA Box ships via UPS, DHL, TNT Express, Airborne Express or USPS and they provide you with an email confirmation at the time of shipment.

They also offer a repacking service in which allows you to consolidate different items in one single shipment. When you have this level of control, you are able to decide when to process your shipment. Often you may decide to wait on a delivery as you wait to receive other itmas that can be placed in the same shipment. Consolidating your shipments pays big dividends on your overall costs.

The extra control USA Box provides can save you a bundle on your shipping charges. Why get 2 Kg of junk mail sent to you when you just end up tossing it out anyway. Their reasonable monthly account charges (you can even get a basic plan without the monthly charges, although it doesn't include the online account management) and reasonable shipping costs provide a winning combination.

Additional Services

In addition to their mail forwarding services, USA Box allows you to track all of your shipments online. They also allow you to physically pick-up your mail if you plan to be in Miami. In addition, two people can share the same account. Other services include:

• A list of online shopping sites
• Discounted magazine subscriptions
• The option for USA Box to find shopping items for you
• A phone forwarding service for a local Miami based phone number

Rates

As with each of the services, the rates vary by country, but with USA Box you can get a basic plan with a $25 set-up fee and no monthly charges. If you get lots of mail, their other plans, many of which include a free shipment, may be your best bet at rates between $9.95 per month and $195 per month. Check their web site for full details on their pricing for your country.

Our Tests

For our tests, we chose plan A which has a modest $15.00 setup fee and monthly costs of just $9.95.

Brazil
One 4.55 Kg (10 lb.) express package delivered per month costs $45.25. So your overall costs for one year of the service would be $641.40 (setup fee: $15.00 + monthly fee: $9.95 x 12 + monthly 4.55 Kg shipment: $42.25 x 12).

Canada
The shipping costs are $70.50 for these monthly shipments. So your overall costs for one year of the service would be $980.40 (setup fee: $15.00 + monthly fee: $9.95x12 + monthly shipment: $70.50 x 12).

England
The monthly shipping costs are $59.50 each. So your overall costs for one year of the service would be $848.40 (setup fee: $15.00 + monthly fee: $9.95 x 12 + monthly shipment: $59.50 x 12).

Japan
The shipping costs are $59.50 for these monthly shipments. So your overall costs for one year of the service would be $848.40 (setup fee: $15.00 + monthly fee: $9.95 x 12 + monthly shipment: $59.50 x 12).

Singapore
The monthly shipping costs are $59.50 each. So your overall costs for one year of the service would be $848.40 (setup fee: $15.00 + monthly fee: $9.95 x 12 + monthly shipment: $59.50 x 12).

That sure beats trying to handle it yourself, or relying on someone you know to so it for you.