Could A Parcel/Delivery Box Fix Your Delivery Woes?

Online shopping has been a popular trend for some time now, but it received a significant boost during the COVID-19 pandemic and has been constantly growing since then. While it’s definitely convenient to click on an item on your laptop or mobile device, pay for it with a credit card and have the item appear at your door a few days later, that convenience creates certain problems— some problems that only a parcel/delivery box can solve.

Among those problems are inclement weather, which can damage your delivered goods, and privacy concerns, because parcels sitting on your porch alert neighbors to your comings and goings. And of course there’s theft. Porch piracy affects both the recipient and the shipping company, which can be held responsible for missing packages.

“We analyze each stage of the delivery process to identify where thefts may occur,” says Bohdan Khomenko, the business director for a global shipping firm. “Based on these insights, we implement additional security measures — for example, closer monitoring of delivery points or replacing contractors in areas where incidents are more frequent.”

Because a parcel/delivery box makes your deliveries more secure, it benefits both you and the shipping company. Here’s what it is and how it works.

What Is a Parcel/Delivery Box?

A parcel/delivery box, sometimes known as a porch delivery box, is a weatherproof metal or plastic container large enough to hold parcels. It sits on your porch or wherever you receive shipments, and it may be anchored to the surface on which it sits for extra security.

Parcel boxes come in a variety of sizes, and some are lockable via a key, digital keypad or app. You may not need a lockable box if you’re only interested in keeping your parcels sheltered and out of the prying eyes of neighbors, but most of them lock.

What’s Inside a Parcel/Delivery Box?

That depends on why you need one. If it’s simply to keep deliveries out of the rain, the parcel/delivery box may be empty to maximize the space available for parcels. Here are some features you might find on more sophisticated models:

• Insulation designed to keep perishable items like groceries and meal kits fresh.
• A chute that allows delivery drivers to drop parcels into the box through a flap on the top while preventing anyone from retrieving the parcels via the flap.
• Anchoring hardware to secure the box to the porch so that no one can carry it away.
• WiFi-enabled sensors and/or cameras that alert you when a parcel is delivered.

How a Parcel/Delivery Box Works

A parcel/delivery box is like an oversized mailbox, but it isn’t necessarily a mailbox (more on that below). If you have one with a lid on top—like a travel trunk—the delivery driver simply opens the lid and drops in the parcels, and you retrieve them at your convenience. You must supply delivery drivers with the means to open a lockable box, whether that be a key, digital code or app, and that could be a problem when you receive parcels from multiple shippers like FedEx, UPS, Amazon and DHL that frequently change drivers.

An easier solution is to install a box with an upper flap and a chute, such as the public mailboxes you find on the street or in front of the post office. The top flap doesn’t lock, so anyone can drop parcels at any time, but you can only retrieve the parcels by opening the locked door on the front of the box.

Are Parcel/Delivery Boxes Allowed?

Parcel/delivery boxes are generally legal but may be subject to community or HOA standards, depending on where you live. Some HOAs may even provide them.

When it comes to using a parcel/delivery box as a mailbox, the rules are more stringent. The USPS has specific requirements regarding design, placement and ease-of-use for mailboxes. Generally, a parcel box with a top flap and chute can fulfill these requirements, provided it’s in an approved location, but it’s best to check with your mail carrier before you decommission your existing mailbox.

About the Expert

• Bohdan Khomenko is the International Business Development Director at Meest China, part of the Global Meest Group.

The post Could A Parcel/Delivery Box Fix Your Delivery Woes? appeared first on Family Handyman.

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