Bad idea to let a friend use my mailing address if they don't live here?

It's a major favor to do for someone and it exposes you to a certain amount of risk and hassle. However, that may be OK depending on the person. I would do this for some friends of mine, I would not do this for others. It's your call.

I also wanted to add that - speaking as somebody who was exposed to more criminality than most people in my childhood - one of the more interesting scams you can run (from an intellectual perspective) is to establish two sets of identities with the government, and thus get two social security numbers. Then you work under one identity while collecting unemployment with the other, and switch every six months or so for +50% income. (Getting new jobs using fabricated resume info is apparently easy compared to fabricating an alternate identity for citizenship purposes.) I would be remiss in pointing out that a good way to start the process is to have an alternate address which proves you're a different person. "No, I'm not Mr. Derringiere, I'm Mr. Derringierre! See, our addresses are completely different." That's just one of the many dangerous liabilities you are exposing yourself to - I'm sure there are many more.

People that I let do this usually are required to have the mail addressed C/O myself. This to avoid someone claiming tenants rights. Others above are right that allowing someone to have a mail drop can be the difference between falling of the cliff into homeless and hanging on. I wouldn't do it if my mailbox was not secure. If people can get mail here, and pick it up themselves, they can have items delivered that aren't paid for etc. I will do it occasionally if I know exactly why it is needed, and have reason to trust in this person.

I also wanted to add that - speaking as somebody who was exposed to more criminality than most people in my childhood - one of the more interesting scams you can run (from an intellectual perspective) is to establish two sets of identities with the government, and thus get two social security numbers. Then you work under one identity while collecting unemployment with the other, and switch every six months or so for +50% income. I guess if you really think this individual person is so sketchy that he's going to run some kind of intense scam on you, then don't do it - but there are social costs to living your whole life on the assumption that your friends who help you out with stuff are looking to scam you and that their requests are thin fronts for dishonesty.

Thanks everyone, I knew I could count on you guys to sort out this issue and make a decision. Right now I'm thinking more on the side of "it will be a really big pain" more than "he is trying to scam us." I don't know the reason yet but I think it's that he doesn't feel secure getting mail anymore where he lives and shares the mailbox with other roommates who are not too trustworthy. I REALLY don't want extra crap filling up our tiny mailbox, and that will most likely be my primary reason for saying no. I would like to add that he has a full time job and vehicle, so I think he can get a po box. Maybe he just didn't know about that, since he is young and lived with parents before. I think one of the problems I would have is that it isn't just going to be one package mailed here, which I would be fine with. I wouldn't be able to control who gets hold of the address and I know I'll be getting his junk mail for years. I hate having to make these kinds of decisions, my husband knows him better than me but wanted me to say yes or no because I guess I am in charge of mail and stuff. He hates to say no so he asks me! LOL

I think I would say no unless it was a really close friend and there was a good reason. Otherwise, PO boxes are extremely affordable. If it were just like a package or 2, I might be ok with that. Receiving their junk mail for the next 10 years? No friggen way. I still receive mail from previous roommates and people connected to them that have never even lived with me (their brother or SO). Once stuff starts coming addressed to someone at your house it will be next to impossible to stop the flow of mail. Also consider the fact that in most cases it is illegal to just throw all that mail away. You are suppose to give all back to the post office with "does not live here, return to sender" on the mail. At that point you will start to irritate you mail person which puts your own mail in jeopardy. There really is no reason for you to collect mail for a friend that I can think of. Unless they are trying to claim your address is theirs, I don't see the point of doing that over just using a PO box.

Your husband should be able to tell his friend 'no' and not have to blame you for that decision... btw....

The only time I have let someone else who wasn't living in my apartment use my mailing address was when a guy who was subletting my spare room for a month had to order some textbooks, and even then it was only because his permanent address was in Sweden. Other than that, not a great idea.

Probably true Nickerbocker :) But years of being together have led us to realize that he will always say yes in these situations and I am the reasonable rational one. (Ask me about when he said yes we could take care of a friend's cats for a week without asking me or thinking it through. LOL! It did not end well because my cat hated them, which I would have predicted and said no.) I don't make all the decisions, but he doesn't always see possible problems when offering help to casual friends and acquaintances. Also, I am the "bill payer and mail getter" and he is the cook and handyman primarily. It works for us :)