That sounds useful. Whenever someone is silly enough to send large packages to my PO box they just sit at the post office until the post office give up and return it to the sender since I have no way of getting to the post office when it is open to collect anything that doesn’t fit the box. I only use the PO box address for a couple of categories of mail that would be expected to fit the box so the only packages that get sent back are ones that shouldn’t have been sent to that address in the first place. The lock box idea would solve that problem but since the charge for PO boxes here is based on the size of the box implementing that would remove the difference between the box sizes.
Yes, our boxes are different in size as well, cost is different for those too. But the extra large boxes are part of the service, no extra charge. But they really only put over-sized things in there. If a person has a small box and gets normal mail that is too large on a regular basis, they have to purchase a larger box.
We actually like that we have to pick up the mail, that keeps the ugly boxes off the road, it also entices people to take a walk to the post office. It also is a great place to meet up with people that we normally do not see
It’s rather ironic this subject come up, I am wondering the same thing myself, I don’t want clients turning up on my doorstep (as I work from home rather than an office) but I want people to feel like they can write to me (if they want to use snail mail), in respect to phone calls I am considering using a SkypeIn number so people have a physical phone number to call which redirects to my Skype account (via voice), this eliminates the need for calls at 3am round my house, but for mail I feel unsure about using a PO box address as they are very limited and not actually that anonymous (in terms of helping reduce the chances of someone finding where you live) - not in the UK anyway that I am aware of. Are there any genuinely decent cost-effective solutions out there? 
UPS has a mail box solution. You can rent a box there, they notify by email when mail has arrived, they also let you use the street address that their office is located at as your own address. It is available in the US this way, I do not know about the UK.
See in the UK we only have the conventional post office (UPS do deliver in the UK but their a private courier / business delivery system rather than a provider of services outside signed mail delivery), and our post office system REALLY sucks, the UK’s mail system is pretty hideous 
bummer 
In the US there used to be a company, rather large actually with affiliate owners, called MailBoxes. UPS bought them out. They have storefront facilities where you can ship stuff, have things packaged for you, do copying and all the office stuff too. They have also a bank of mail boxes. They are all over the country. Maybe this system will be eventually adapted in the UK, unless your laws forbid this kind of competition… 
Well guys reason I ask is I have been reading a book called How To Be Invisible and the guy has some pretty good points. I think I will pick up a PO box this week or so.
I am thinking perhaps I’ll list my home address but just have a note attached to it that it’s intended for mail only (as I am a freelancer and don’t have an office). Most people will understand that (they wouldn’t want some client turning up at their house), but I think it’ll give me more credibility to have a “real” address listed for people who need to send me real letters (than to have some generic PO box address), I’ll use a separate phone number though.
If you have a professional sounding address and you have a home occupational permit then I’d stick with that. If not, then I’d use a P.O Box. They are inexpensive.
We don’t need one of those in the UK, over here you can work from home (without a license) however if you do more than use your house in the normal way you need to have the premises meet certain requirements. But as all my work is conducted through a computer I don’t need to comply with those regulations as my office is technically virtual (just conducted via my house). After all, using a computer isn’t just business for me, it’s a non-work thing too.
Until you get some nutjob client who is pissed at you about something and wants their money back knocking at your door and yelling at your wife about how you’re a crook and a hack.
It’s not the “most people” that are the problem.
Quite right this statement
I’ve never encountered anything that extreme before, but you can usually tell who the insane people are before you take up the project (behaviour analysis is something I’ve quickly adapted to after years of moderating chat rooms filled with script kiddies and nut-jobs). That and I’m not easily intimidated and probably crazy enough to counter anything they throw at me, when someone really makes me mad (on the rare occasion) I would probably appear more scary than them :x
I hope that it will not work for all your net stuff. only the mails can be delivered. the normal address will work far better.