lack of P.O. boxes

[blizzardwizard]

It seems that none of the 6 post office's in puna have any PO boxes available.
I don't really want a PO box, but I'm under the impression I need one for vehicle registration.
Any advice appreciated

[Obie]

Local Local in Keaau has boxes, I think. Had a bunch a week ago.
$30.00/ month and worth it.

16-566 Keaau Pahoa Rd.

The old Verna's.

[kalianna]

If you have mail delivered to your house, I don't know why you'd need a PO box too. If you don't have mail delivered to your house, you'll need a PO box anyway. Get on the wait list at Pahoa if it's not too far. Keauu's list used to be much longer. Ask them how long the wait is. PO box is $74 for six months, much cheaper than Local Local if you don't need it right away.

[randomq]

If you live somewhere not served by USPS, you can get a free box at the nearest PO, though it may take a year. In the meantime, use general delivery at that same post office. Fedex and UPS will also hold parcels sent to general delivery for pickup, or deliver to your physical address.

[kalianna]

The downside of that is you'll have to wait in the ridioculoudsly long line each time you want to pickup your mail. I'd follow Obie's approach, to pay for a private box until you can get through the wait list to get a box at the post office.

[terracore]

We had a free box at the Keaau PO. On first year anniversary got a "final notice" nastygram that they were going to give the box to someone else because we hadn't brought in our annual proof of where we lived (tax bill if I remember right). Problem is, we never got a "first" or any other notice so I asked politely about that. They accused me of making that up and turned it around on me like I was accusing them of not doing their job.

Second year, never got first, second, OR final notice. They just changed the lock on us. So asked them about it and accused us of lying again and said we would have to get back on waiting list. My guess is that somebody's uncle needed a box and didn't want to wait in line. It was a choice box too (one of the larger ones). I pay for a box in Hilo because its convenient to where I commute rather than dealing with Keaau drama for free box. (There was regular drama there).

The other benefit to paying for box is that you can get UPS and FedEx packages at your PO box. It's expensive though, I think the cheapest box is around $130/year now.

Whatever the case, if you get a free box, put the date on the calendar and make sure you bring in your tax bill or whatever every year or they might give your box away.

There is a UPS store opening in the Puna Kai center. I don't know when but they rent boxes. I was thinking of trying them out.

[blizzardwizard]

If you don't have mail delivered to your house, you'll need a PO box anyway.

Im pretty much all online even with banking these days, I just need a mailing address for the dmv.

In the meantime, use general delivery at that same post office. Fedex and UPS will also hold parcels sent to general delivery for pickup, or deliver to your physical address.

Thanks, I will definitely look into this

It blows my mind that there are private sector PO boxes charging 30 dollars a month and the post office still wont build more and charge a premium.

Thanks for all the response guys it really means a lot.

[leilanidude]

If my place didn't have mail service, I would gladly pay $30 a month for a private box rather than standing in the long lines of smelly hippies at the post offices.

[terracore]

The COVID social distancing makes the fragrance much more tolerable, though it does send the line out into the weather. I wasn't a smelly hippy when I got into the line but after standing in the sun for 25 minutes I became one.

[Obie]

I went to Local Local today and was there about 2 minutes to pick up packages.
The line at the Keaau post office went around the building and ended up in a maze in the back parking lot.

$30.00/month is looking good.