There are two services I rely on. One is a mailing address. This is to keep my personal residence address out of public knowledge. This is therefore a priority to me. The second service is my metering service. I use a company called Stamps.com which allows me to print postage on a #10 envelope, or print postage on NetStamps (some restrictions apply). Both of these services cost money, but in my opinion – worth it.
Mailing Address
I don’t want 7.5 Billion people to know where I live. With that being said, I could either have a PO Box, or use a private mailbox service (PMB). I used to have a PO Box, but still had to use a PMB for packages. I then decided while a PO Box is more convenient, not worth the price since I had to have a PMB. Now, I just have a PMB on East Carson street in the South Side of Pittsburgh. The PMB is about $360/year to keep the address. They will also let me know when I have a package ready for collection. I can also drop off my postal mail in a box exclusively for the postal service.
Metering Service
I could theoretically walk into a post office, and ask for the stamps I will need. This will entail me needing to mark any mail that weighs more than 1oz, and wait in line which will aggravate my agoraphobia even more. I will then use cash or a credit card to pay for the postage, slap the appropriate stamp on the approbate envelope, and drop off the mail with the post office.
The second option is I use a metering service. This will allow me to print domestic postage on the envelope, and print specialized stamps where the stamp has the price noted on the stamp. For example, an international stamp will have $1.45 listed on the postage stamp. I can then place the postage directly on the mail piece, and drop off the envelopes at the mail box. The metering service is $18 + postage.