Mailbox shipping/packing/printing store, UPS Franchisee, etc?

[jeromedawg]

Hey all,

Curious if anyone here has owned/operated a store like Mailboxes Plus or has done a UPS Franchise. Just another thought that crossed my mind... what are the upsides and downsides?

[travel2020]

Never owned or operated one but have looked at financials of some businesses of this type from an acquisition perspective. Overall it seemed more like buying a job paying $50-60k vs a business.

[lilsaver]

I can share the experiences of family. Basically, don't do it. It was a mail box store, but not a franchise (not UPS). The mail box rentals income they had basically paid the rent. The owner's son worked it, but they also had to have an employee. They also had an assortment of other products for sale, in addition to packaging boxes and supplies, but nothing really took off. Eventually, after a year, they sold it for a loss. I've been to the shopping plaza since, and its been many years - its still a mailbox store, but I've heard its changed hands a few times since.

[Michael in ABQ]

I've been using a couple of UPS stores recently to ship packages. I used to use FedEx and there was almost never a line and it was quick in and out. With the UPS store there are a lot fewer locations in the city and it seems like there's always a line and the hours are not great. For instance the closest one is only open from 11-3 on Saturday. I feel like they're leaving money on the table right there but I guess they figure people will just come back another time and they'll still get the business.

I don't know how much the franchise store gets (if anything) every time someone drops of a package with a pre-printed label. Or what cut they get if someone comes in to mail a box and it costs $10.

It seems like they try to push other services like printing or document prep but I think Fedex/Kinkos has UPS beat in that area. I really don't see much upside potential unless they get a cut of every package that comes through there - which is something that's kind of out of your control as a business owner.