There are loads of evil right out there. And that extends to those packages you likely got delivered to your doorsteps either through Amazon or any other foreign logistic corporation.
With the internet being well saturated here and there, it’s certain that it’s needed in transacting business goods and services. But one hurdle is handling those gigantic piles or even a tiny box sitting right in front of your home while you’re probably away at work.
With this, your delivery would be an easy catch for “Porch Pirates” some who are known to follow delivery trucks while they bring your goods right at your doorstep. This thing I’m talking about right now had caused way more serious trouble than it might appear. According to a recent Comcast Xfinity Home survey, some 30 percent of Americans have had a package stolen from outside their home and those estimated figures are very huge if you can get it from the point of view of owners of those goods.
But there should be a way of averting these issues despite the fact that not all services re completely perfect in their entirety, there are still way lots of things that can still be done on the side of the owner of those goods. So let’s consider the following.
Use an Amazon Locker
This is a really smart way of securing your product from Porch Pirates. Rather than having your products delivered straight to your Porch, it can be delivered to your own Amazon Locker which are usually located in various High-Profile locations which are usually private enough and kind of secured to some great extents. Upon delivery, you’ll receive the combination needed to retrieve your package.
While the purpose of getting deliveries is to ease you of the stress of moving from one place to the other to retrieve products, but the purpose of the Delivery Lockers are to ensure security of your goods which is a good move assuming your products ends up on your porch. Mind you, there isn’t an official charges (none at all in fact) for using the Amazon Lockers and it’s way better than queuing at Post Offices or UPS stores for product retrieval.
Use a Trustworthy Neighbor
Yeah, if you have someone you can trust, then you can get them enlisted as a delivery address for your products. The whole point here is to get someone who is mostly home that can get enlisted and that would save you the time and hassle of going to public locations to retrieve your goods because they’re right there beside or in front of your home.
Just that the hassle for them would be dealing with delivery drivers, keeping your stuff piled by their door, the aforementioned pickup logistics and so on but if you’re nice enough, some tips or depending on how close and great your relationship with your neighbor is, they might not mind stock piling your delivery for you.
Or Just Deliver them to your Office
I’ve done that couple of times before with my current smartphone and other personal small boxes with which my products were. Getting your products delivered right to your work would be a great idea in some cases. But mind you, there could be some hustle if you don’t have a car and a big fridge is delivered to your office…you get the point I’m making here.
But it’s still the best or safest place to get your goods delivered because you’re the direct recipient and you get the chance of checking for the quality of those products in fact.
If you work in a large building, you may be subject to the whims of the mailroom — boxes can just as easily get delayed or misplaced between there and your desk.
Finally, it’s not uncommon for delivery attempts to happen in the evening, after the building is closed. That could lead to packages getting returned because there’s no one to receive them.
You can use BoxLock
Yeah a BoxLock could be a smart move. Considering the fact that some might not be limited to Amazon. So even if a product will be delivered all the way by BangGood from china or AliExpress, you still get the security of your product being delivered straight to safety that’s the idea behind BoxLock, a smart padlock that scans packages so that delivery drivers can unlock a storage box on your porch.
From your own end, you make provision for the box to be locked and then BoxLock handles the scanning and connectivity. The whole operation happens over Wi-Fi, with the lock checking the bar code to make sure it’s a box you’re expecting and one tagged “out for delivery.” If so, presto: the lock opens.
Sounds like a pretty solid solution, but time will tell: The BoxLock started shipping just a couple weeks ago…pretty new idea and pricing is quite as high as $129.
Get an Amazon Key
The Amazon Key helps delivery officers to deliver packages just inside your front door by using some smart lock and security cameras. The delivery is then done within inside your home. This means that a complete stranger will have an access to enter into your home and then drop off whatever it you ordered right in there.
The camera completely monitors the delivery officer which is quite a good idea right? It’s just that the Key kits starts at about start at around $250, which includes the professional installation. The solution is available in many cities in the US while more locations are planned to be added in subsequent time.
There’s another version of this that just rolled out: Amazon Key In-Car. Instead of delivering inside your front door, the carrier delivers inside your trunk!
Sign up for Delivery Alerts
Some companies auto enlist you on their delivery alert system which tells you when and who will deliver your package to you. You can do the same with Amazon. The difference with the Amazon Alert system is that it tells you the exact location where the package is being dropped off (front door, back porch, wherever).
Whenever possible, then, sign up for delivery alerts. Amazon, for example, can notify you via text message when a package is shipped, out for delivery and delivered — and also if there’s a problem along the way.
To subscribe to this option, access your Amazon account settings, look for the Email alerts, messages and ads section, click Shipment updates via text and then click Subscribe.