PO box vs home address for deliveries
I’ve gone back and forth on this one. For me, home address works if you actually get reliable parcel delivery status from your carrier, but PO box is a lifesaver when stuff lands weird or you’re worried about neighbors. I had one order stuck in ISC for a week and the tracking number update kept stalling—probably would’ve been smoother with the box. Now I just pay for the express shipping option when it’s something high-end and use a box. Makes things less stressful.
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Tried both options across multiple orders. The right choice depends on factors that are specific to your situation, and there is no universal answer. Here is my honest comparison.
Home address delivery
Convenient and requires no extra setup. If you live somewhere with a secure mailbox or a doorman building, packages arrive without any additional effort on your part. The downside is that the delivery address is directly tied to your identity, which matters if you are thinking about what information trail an order creates.
For most people in normal circumstances, home delivery is fine. The practical risk of using your home address for a novelty ID order is low — these packages look like ordinary international mail at the carrier level and nobody is cross-referencing delivery addresses against order contents on an ongoing basis.
PO box delivery
A USPS PO Box costs around $80 to $180 per year depending on size and location. It provides a delivery address that is not your home, and you control who knows it. USPS delivers all carriers to PO boxes; UPS and FedEx also deliver to PO boxes under their "Street Addressing" and UPS Access Point programs respectively, though FedEx has limitations.
The main practical advantage is that if a package is ever inspected or questioned, the only address associated with it is the PO box. The downside is the cost and the requirement to physically go to the post office to collect packages rather than having them delivered to your door.
Mail forwarding services
A third option: virtual mailbox services like Traveling Mailbox or Earth Class Mail provide a physical address (a real commercial suite) that receives mail and packages on your behalf. You view contents digitally and request physical forwarding. These are more expensive than a PO box but offer flexibility and a legitimate commercial address with no personal connection.
If privacy matters to you, a mail forwarding service is the most complete solution. If it does not, your home address is simpler and costs nothing extra.