Self-storage by mail

Centralized storage in the “cloud” is becoming an increasingly ubiquitous option for consumers’ digital belongings, but tangible goods are still typically hauled off to expensive self-storage units when they can’t be accommodated at home. New Jersey-based StorageByMail is a company that aims to change that, however, with a service that lets clients send their possessions through the mail to the company’s central warehouse for flexible offsite storage. Similar in many ways to Garde Robe‘s service for clothes and Dorm2Dorm‘s solution for college students’ possessions, StorageByMail maintains a world-class storage facility that’s also used by brands including Bloomingdale’s and Tommy Hilfiger. Customers of the service begin by creating an account and an online description of any package of goods they’d like to send into storage. Next, they print a custom, prepaid USPS shipping label for each box they’d like to send; for users on the go, there’s even a mobile app to send a label to the nearest fax machine. Either way, those labels ensure safe passage for the goods through the U.S. Postal Service to StorageByMail’s warehouse. When the customer wants them back, he or she simply requests return delivery and the company will ship them out the next business day. Storage pricing ranges from USD 4.99 per month per cubic foot for a pay-as-you-go option to USD 249 per month for an annual plan including 100 boxes of any size and free return-trip shipping. For consumers with just a single box to store, there is no charge. A video on YouTube explains StorageByMail’s concept in further detail. We’ve already noted on many occasions the ownership-averse nature of today’s transumers, who don’t want to be tied down with possessions when they aren’t currently using them. Mobile consumers, however, are likely to find StorageByMail’s location-independent service equally compelling, as are space-strapped urban dwellers. One to partner with or emulate in your part of the world? (Related: Personal data storage with emergency access — Consolidated storage space for product warranties — More ways for consumers to rent out unused space — A virtual vault for information-age valuables — Online receipt organizer thinks inside the box — Key storage & delivery service in Manhattan.)