5 Best Ways to Prevent Package Theft

5 Best Ways to Prevent Package Theft

Its on the rise and everyone is talking about it. Package theft has become a big concern among shoppers, retailers, carriers, and police. More and more reports are seen on news articles as the word gets out it seems to be getting worse and not better. As online shopping soon takes more and more of a bite out of brick and motor stores a larger amount of packages will be showing up on peoples door step. 80% Americans are now shopping online, according to a new study from Pew Research. U.S. consumers who shop on the web or on their phones, is up from just 22 percent back in 2000. According to a recent report from the US Department of Commerce, e-commerce sales brought in $394.9 billion in 2016. All this means that thieves will have more opportunities for stealing and packages are an easy target. According to a report published by August the smart lock maker; 11 million homeowners have had a package stolen in the last year. This is way to many and undermines the trust of our system. What can be done?

Package Theft Report

1. Video Cameras

Many homeowners choose to install doorbell video cameras like Ring or Nest. This can be a deterrent to theft but of course it is just video and the thief can hide their face to avoid recognition. 

2. Be home during the delivery

You can make it a point to stay home and wait for the delivery carrier to show up. This is one of the most effective measures to prevent package theft. However this is not very practical and tough to manage given all the responsibilities we have in this modern world.

3. Use a delivery Locker or pick up from a store

Many carriers like UPS offer a pickup locker for your delivery to wait until you have the time to pick it up. This is a strong measure to prevent package theft however like other options this can be very tedious to manage. Many people order from several different websites which all may have different carriers. Having to manage each possible delivery is a headache most people would find very difficult. For one time high value deliveries this is a good option.

4. Use a Parcel Drop

There are many types of mail or parcel drops sold in the market place. These can be very useful and easy to use. The delivery person simply puts the package inside the storage container. Then when the homeowner is ready they unlock the storage container and retrieve their package. Most parcel drops are very expense exceeding 300 dollars or more and what is worse is they are small and cannot fit everyday purchases.

5. Package Vault

The good news is that Package Vault offers an innovative solution. It was designed with online shoppers and homeowners in mind. It is cost effective, strong, and easy to use. It can handle the majority of package sizes and offers effective theft prevention. This solution also helps customers have peace of mind because they can simply buy online and not worry about the packages being stolen. The Package Vault stores the packages until the owner is ready to pick them up.