Originally Posted by
Savage25
If you talk in person to your local post office supervisor, they will hold mail for longer than 30 days. They held mine for 2 months last summer in Ann Arbor.
I'll recommend friends give that direct approach a try. I know they did that without prior permission in a way a few years ago by having a friend with an authorized letter pick up mail after one month and put it back on hold again with their signed form. The USPS didn't like it (and let them know in no uncertain terms when they returned finally to pick up last month of mail), but at least they still held mail instead of dumping it or overloading the mailbox.
Think my folks have also played dumb once and just submitted online form using 3-month absence but, again, got dressed down by USPS upon return. Guess USPS did hold mail, so if one doesn't mind the "talking-to" upon return it might be worth trying it again if a direct inquiry with postal supervisor or postmaster doesn't work.
Originally Posted by mbreuer
They will also forward for longer - they send your mail via priority mail. This does cost money, but I believe it costs less than using a third-party... and if they're going to lose mail at the post office it wouldn't get to the third party anyway.
Well, friends don't really want mail forwarded to their European address unless something urgent and unexpected arrived; just want mail held. They plan to put all bills to "paperless statements" where possible, suspend subscriptions, etc. So should not receive anything urgent needing to be forwarded to Europe. Just mentioned "Mail Forwarding" in OP since find that those companies offering that include the mail holding service, and finding few online discussions (just like here) of just the "Hold Mail" issue.
I was hoping some local Mail Boxes Etc, Postal Connection or the like would offer to hold mail for several months, but finding none do locally. Thanks for everyone's advice all the same.