The dawn of more affordable security cameras has put a face to the cause of missing doorstep package deliveries: porch pirates. These thieves swipe your goods before you’ve had a chance to claim them, but there are solutions available to keep your packages off of their radar.
Utilize a virtual address
A virtual address is a legal street address where packages can be delivered and stored, often with digital notifications sent upon receipt and options for scheduling forwarding or pickup. This digital tool is especially beneficial for entrepreneurs who don’t currently have office space but need a formal address for mail and package deliveries. Overall, a virtual address can provide the security of a P.O. box without the same size, weight, and carrier restrictions.
Ship to a pick-up locker
The rise of porch pirates has prompted retailers like Walmart and Amazon to build a network of storage lockers for their customers. You place the order online and receive instructions for picking up your items at one of their self-serve stations nearby after a given date.
Schedule your deliveries
Most online retailers now give you the option to choose how and when your packages are delivered. In some cases, you can pick a day you know when you’ll be home. In others, you can minimize the number of deliveries and, therefore, potential thefts. Amazon, for instance, offers day delivery, whereby all packages in your order will arrive at once. Many retailers now have apps that can even help you track the time of day your package should arrive.
Deliver to your work
If your place of work is amenable, consider having work-week deliveries sent to your offices instead. This course of action will be far more secure than allowing a package to sit at the front doorstep for hours on end. Additionally, this option is exceptionally more convenient than having to leave the office to stash your delivery away.
Recruit your neighbors
The only thing better than home security cameras watching out for your packages is the neighborhood watch. If the folks next door are willing to lend a hand, you can let them know a general time in which your packages should be dropped off and have them stash your goods at their place until you can properly retrieve them.
Strategic landscaping
With porch piracy becoming a much more visible issue for consumers, many delivery drivers have made an effort to do their part, sticking parcels behind porch furniture and plants to obscure them from the street.
Whether it’s planting a few bushes next to your door or positioning a small outdoor loveseat that can serve as a shield for dropped-off packages, you can do your part in protecting your deliveries from theft.
Final word
Porch piracy isn’t new, and these swashbuckling hoodlums are probably not going anywhere any time soon. You can protect yourself from their antics, though, with these very simple and effective steps.
