Post office box availability in Puna?? (Hilo, Keaau: apartment, rentals, how much)

[haoleexpat]

While Pele was baring down on Pahoa, there was a 'run' on post office boxes in Keaau and Kurtistown for folks wanting to have a back-up. I applied at both post offices, but I was a bit too late as there was already
a long list but I signed up anyway.
Last week I checked and the lady searched a long stack of applications and found mine that I submitted in Oct/14 and rough estimate is that there were 150 ahead of mine and at least twice that behind mine and she said no plans for adding boxes.
I'm wondering if there is any way to petition the govmt to actually expand the number of boxes in the post offices??
Any other ideas??

[hotzcatz]

You could start your own post office box service. It's not hard, get an office or small storefront, install boxes and have everyone send their mail to you. You then put it in all the little boxes. They'd also then have a valid street address for package delivery: "100 Keaau Street, Apt. 304". Of course the "apartment", "suite", or just plain "#" would just be a little box in the wall, but the shippers wouldn't need to know that.

Hmm, figure $100 a year for the service x 200 boxes, that's only $20K per year. But you could do other things while you were hanging out at the mail service office/storefront.

Or you could get a PO Box in Hilo? Wouldn't you be going into Hilo frequently?

[smarino]

That's an intriguing idea on the post office business. I wonder if there would be any application or license fees to do that? The office on the link below looks perfect, and the rent is about what I expected downtown.

https://honolulu.craigslist.org/big/off/5112899937.html

$800 a month times 12 would be $9600 a year. Then there's the federal and state taxes on profits, and it might take a while to fill all of the 200 boxes up w/ customers. I think this is why these sort of businesses have other services available, as it might be difficult to show a reasonable profit w/ just a mail drop service, unless you got that 200 up to maybe 400, assuming the market is there for that. You'd have to shell out a pretty penny for all those post office boxes too, which probably have to be up to a certain code.

We used to have schemes to make money w/ rental housing, but w/ the property taxes, state and federal taxes, upkeep and maintenance, advertising, fixing up tenant damage, etc, we gave up on it. Bankrate.com had an article once that said the surest way to go bankrupt was to have one rental property. The successful folks had a lot of rentals, which averaged things out from tenant vacancies and such. Our experiences dealing w/ just one tenant made the thought of having multiple tenants.... let's just say that idea was a non starter.

I'm always shocked when I see ads like this w/ that sort of rental price attached to it. To me, having been out of Hawaii for a spell, that looks like a run down shack sort of thing that should rent for $150 a month anywhere else, but that's what Pahoa looks like, and that's what Hawaii rents look like.

You might be successful here. Number 11 on the list has a nice website if you click on the small link that says "website" on the far right.

http://www.yellowpages.com/pahoa-hi/...pping-services

[haoleexpat]

Good idea.
Keaau would be the best location for a private post office as it is the real hub of Puna, but unfortunately someone has beet me to the punch, as there is such a business that just poped up in the old Verna's[?] drive in on the Pahoa side of the old hiway. I did a quick pop in and inquired about monthly rental and walked out when they quoted what I thought to be outrageously high price.................forget how much and will enquire when I have time.
They do seem to be doing good business as many are as desperate as me and I see more traffic there as I drive by.
One concern is that IF the real post office ever expands their boxes, then your business will fall flat. Also, think of the security you would need to have for such a business............

That business for rent in Pahoa wouldn't work as well because most of the people seeking P O Boxes are from the Pahoa area and Pele could easily return.
Might be a good location for another restaurant............

[terracore]

There is a private box in Keaau: "Local Local Mail & Ship" offers box holders a “physical” address, making it easier for e-merchants to deliver items and end standing in long lines for general delivery mail. 16-566 Keaau-Pahoa Road, Suite 188, across from Keaau Middle School.

I have not tried their services but it seems a pretty hard business to screw up.