Frequently Asked Questions

Innbocks is private-label virtual mailbox software for mailbox stores, pack-and-ship shops, coworking spaces, and independent CMRA operators. It gives your business the same digital tools the big virtual mailbox brands use: mail scanning, forwarding, shredding, pickup, storage, customer notifications, online payments, and USPS Form 1583 workflows, all running under your own name and website. Your customers sign up with you, pay you, and see your brand at every step. Innbocks is the software behind the scenes; the customer relationship and your pricing stay yours.

No. Innbocks does not sell mailbox addresses to consumers and does not operate mailbox facilities. It is the software platform that mailbox operators use to run virtual mailbox services at their own locations, under their own brand. If you are looking for a personal mailbox address, a local mailbox store or CMRA can help; if you run one of those businesses, Innbocks is built for you.

Yes. Innbocks is built around the USPS Form 1583 process. Customers enter their details once, the form is pre-filled for them, e-notarization happens online, and completed forms and IDs are stored with each customer's record. The platform also tracks the ongoing work: ID expirations, quarterly certifications, and CRD record-keeping tasks, with reminders so nothing slips through the cracks. One important note: as the CMRA operator, you remain responsible for your own compliance. Innbocks organizes the paperwork and tells you what's due, but it doesn't replace your obligations to USPS.

Innbocks creates CRD tasks automatically from compliance events: when a Form 1583 is approved, a customer leaves, or an ID is replaced, the matching CRD task opens with the evidence you need to close it, and quarterly certification reminders assemble your roster before each deadline. Submissions to the USPS CRD system itself are completed by you through the USPS Business Customer Gateway, or you can use the optional managed CRD service, where the Innbocks team files the uploads for you. Either way, responsibility for CMRA compliance stays with the operator.

Innbocks is designed for businesses that physically receive mail on behalf of customers: pack-and-ship stores, independent CMRAs, coworking spaces and business centers that offer business-address services, and mailbox operators who want to add digital mail services without handing their customers to an aggregator. It also serves technical partners who want to run mailbox operations behind their own product through the Partner API.

When mail or a package arrives, your team logs it in Innbocks in a few taps, usually just a photo of the envelope. Your customer instantly gets a branded email or text and can log in to their portal or mobile app to tell you what to do next: open and scan it, forward it, hold it for pickup, store it, or shred it. Your staff sees every request in one queue, completes it, and the customer is updated automatically. Every action is recorded, so you always have a clean history of what happened to each piece of mail.

Innbocks charges you, the operator, a flat platform fee per active customer per month, so your software cost scales with your business instead of a big fixed license. Inactive customers don't count. Some optional services, such as certain scanning or shredding features, may carry stripe fees. You set the subscription prices and action fees, and you keep the margin between your prices and the platform fee. Current pricing is an introductory rate available for a limited time. Contact us for current pricing for your store.

Signing up and setting up your store is free. Billing begins when you start adding active customers to your account. Your monthly platform bill is based on your number of active customers and is reconciled automatically, so you are only billed for customers who are actually active.

No. Innbocks charges a flat platform fee per active customer per month and takes no percentage of your subscription revenue. Your prices and your margin are yours. Card payments are processed through your own connected Stripe account, and standard Stripe processing fees apply to those transactions.

You do. Customer records, contact details, mail history, and compliance documents belong to your business. Innbocks is private-label software, not a marketplace, so your customers are never pooled into someone else's directory. The relationship, the brand, and the data stay with your store.

Yes, entirely. You set your own customer-facing prices, and Innbocks never dictates what your customers pay. Most operators charge a monthly subscription for the virtual mailbox itself, then add per-action fees for things like scans, forwarding postage, extra storage, or shredding. You can also bundle digital access into your existing mailbox rental plans. Payments run through your own connected payment account, so the money goes directly to you and the charge appears under your business name, not ours.

No. Innbocks is cloud-based and runs in a web browser, so any computer, tablet, or phone with an internet connection works. Photographing envelopes is done with a phone camera or any scanner you already own. There's no proprietary scanner, label printer, or kiosk to buy, and no software to install. If you already run a mailbox or pack-and-ship counter, the equipment you have today is almost certainly enough to get started on day one.

Creating your account and branded portal takes minutes. A realistic full rollout usually takes a few days to a couple of weeks, depending on how many customers you're bringing over. That includes setting your plans and pricing, connecting payments, inviting existing customers, and training staff. Most stores start with a small group of customers first, settle their in-store routine, then invite everyone else. Our team provides setup help and training along the way so the transition is smooth for you and your customers.

No. Innbocks runs alongside your existing point-of-sale and shipping systems and doesn't require replacing them. It handles the virtual mailbox side of the business: the customer portal, notifications, mail actions, compliance records, and recurring billing. If you want your systems talking to each other, the Partner API and webhooks connect Innbocks to your POS, CRM, or accounting tools.

You don't have to rip anything out. Most operators start by creating an Innbocks account, adding their store and mailbox details, and inviting existing customers by email. Each customer sets a password and their portal is live. If your customer data lives in another system, you can import it, and the Partner API and webhooks let you connect Innbocks to your CRM, accounting, or point-of-sale tools whenever you're ready. Our team can help plan the rollout so your day-to-day operation isn't interrupted while you switch.

Yes. Innbocks has a Partner API that lets you connect your own systems: create and manage customers, list mail items, trigger mailbox actions, and pull billing usage. Scoped API keys keep each integration limited to just the access it needs, and signed webhooks push events such as new mail and customer changes to your systems in real time. It's a good fit if you run your own website, CRM, or automation stack and want Innbocks working quietly underneath. See our Partnership API page for docs and details.

You do. USPS holds the CMRA operator responsible for meeting its requirements, including Form 1583 collection, record retention, and CRD registration. Innbocks supports that work by organizing the forms, tracking the deadlines, and keeping inspection-ready records, but it does not replace your obligations to USPS. Always verify current rules against official USPS sources.

For you and your staff, the operator workflow is specially designed for our mobile devices. Your customers use the Innbocks mobile app, available for iOS on the App Store and for Android on Google Play, to see and manage their mail from anywhere.

Your team runs the operator dashboard from any phone, tablet, or computer browser. At the counter, that means photographing and logging new mail and packages in a few taps, assigning items to the right customer, working the request queue for scans, forwarding, pickup, storage, and shredding, and messaging customers. Staff accounts have role-based permissions, so team members see only what their role allows.

From the app or their portal, your customers get an instant notification when mail arrives, view envelope images and scans, and request actions: open and scan, forward, hold for pickup, store, or shred. They can also complete their USPS Form 1583, update payment details, view invoices, and manage their subscription, all under your brand.

Innbocks is built with security in mind. Connections are encrypted, mail images live in access-controlled cloud storage, and card payments are processed by Stripe, so full card numbers never touch our servers. Mail is logged from the outside of the envelope, and contents are only opened or scanned when your customer requests it and your procedures allow it. Every mail-handling step is recorded in a tamper-evident chain of custody log. And because Innbocks is private-label software, your customer data belongs to your business, not to a marketplace.

Email support is available around the clock, and setup help is included when you onboard. Our team will walk you through configuring plans, connecting payments, importing customers, and training staff on the day-to-day workflow. There's also a library of helper guides covering common tasks in both the operator dashboard and the customer portal. And because Innbocks is a founder-led company, you can reach the team directly at ralph@innbocks.com, and feedback from operators regularly shapes what we build next.

Yes. The built-in Communications Center lets you send email and SMS to a single customer or a whole group, all under your own branding. You can save reusable templates for common messages like pickup reminders, policy updates, and holiday hours, and track delivery status so you know what was sent, delivered, opened, or bounced. Automatic notifications like new-mail alerts, action confirmations, and payment receipts also go out under your brand, so customers always hear from your business, not from Innbocks.

Yes. Innbocks supports personal and business mailboxes on the same platform. The Form 1583 workflow collects the right information for each: individual details for personal accounts, company information for business applicants. You can also create separate plans and pricing for each type. Many operators serve a mix: travelers, remote workers, and expats on personal plans, alongside LLCs, home-based businesses, and out-of-state companies on business plans with higher scan or storage allowances. Both types get the same portal, notifications, and mail actions.

There are two sides to billing. Your platform bill from Innbocks is monthly and based on your number of active customers. It's reconciled automatically, so you're only billed for customers who are actually active. Your customers' billing is configured by you: subscription plans, action fees, storage charges, and prepaid credits if you offer them, all charged through your own connected payment account. Failed customer payments are retried automatically with reminder emails, and you can see every invoice and payment from your dashboard.