36% of Americans have experienced mail package theft at some point in their lives. 187 million pieces of first-class mail are handled every day in the US, giving potential thieves nearly 200 million chances to steal your mail every day.
Keeping your mail safe can be difficult, even if you’re using high quality business mailboxes, so it’s essential to take some extra step to keep your commercial mailboxes safe from grabbing hands.
Here are 5 tips to keep your commercial mailboxes safe:
1. Put up surveillance cameras to deter thieves
It sounds like such an obvious solution, but put up some surveillance cameras around your mailbox. 1 camera should do, but multiple camera angles would be ideal – you don’t want any blind spots! Catching someone on camera is the easiest way to get to the bottom of any thefts or mysterious disappearances.
For a lot of thieves, the mere sight of cameras would deter them from stealing your packages in the first place. Some people even put up dummy cameras that don’t work as a deterrent – the potential thieves don’t know that they’re not connected to anything.
2. Make sure you’re there for the drop-off
If you’re concerned about people stealing your mail and packages, try to have them dropped off at an appropriate time when you’re going to be around to pick them up. This way, thieves never even get the chance to steal your package because it goes straight into your hands.
Most couriers these days allow you to choose your delivery time slot window, so try to choose one which is best for you or reschedule it if you know you’ll be away at work or out of town on the date.
3. Specify signature upon delivery so the mail can’t be left alone
If you specify that you want a signature when the mail is delivered, it cannot be left alone or unattended in your commercial mailbox. This is the easiest way to ensure that mail delivery people don’t leave your valuable mail unattended.
On the flip side, it means that you’ll have to be around to sign for deliveries a lot, which can be annoying and distracting if you have a busy lifestyle like many of us. Your mail will be safer, but constantly signing for things can become inconvenient.
4. Use coded locks so thieves have no chance
Some people protect their commercial mailboxes by using locks that have a numbered code you must enter to unlock them. On the delivery notes for your deliveries, just write the code as a note for the mail person and they should be happy to comply.
The risk here is that your courier won’t read the note, but usually they will. After all, many couriers need to read delivery notes when making deliveries to apartment buildings for access codes and whatnot. It’s the same principle here.
5. Get commercial package insurance to cover any losses
Yes, it’s more money you have to fork out, but insurance for your commercial packages is relatively cheap and can be a lifesaver if the worst happens and your mail does indeed get stolen. For the sake of a few dollars, you could save your company a lot of money.
Insuring your packages is especially a good idea if they’re high-value items (such as PCs, laptops, etc) which are worth a lot more than stolen documents or contracts. The more tempting it is to steal, the more you should consider insuring it.
Mailbox theft is unfortunate, but with these simple yet practical tips, hopefully you can keep it at bay!