6 Mailbox Tips to Protect Your Packages and Letters
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While it might not feel like “snail mail” plays as important a role in life as it did even a decade ago, the reality is that we’ve come to count even more on physical letters and package deliveries in many ways. Unfortunately, the increase in online shopping and changes in technology in recent years have made the items in your mailbox and on your front porch prime targets for criminals. Last year, an estimated 260 million delivered packages were stolen across the U.S.—up from 210 million the year before, according to a report from safety product guide SafeWise. Luckily, there are a few ways you can secure your parcels and postage to ensure they don’t wind up missing. Read on for mailbox tips to protect your packages and letters, according to experts.
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Even though it’s most often a receptacle for items coming to you, your mailbox is actually a two-way vessel. This can sometimes be helpful if you don’t have time in your schedule to make it to the post office.
But if you’re sending potentially sensitive items or letters containing personal information, you may want to think twice about leaving it for pickup. According to Michael Martel , a U.S. Postal Inspector and the National Public Information Officer for the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), using letter slots inside your local post office instead of a blue box on the street is best. If you’re still pressed for time, try handing your paper mail off to a letter carrier on the spot.
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Technological changes may have given rise to package thieves, but they’ve also made it easier to keep them at bay. Now, experts say it’s never been easier to get set up with a relatively sophisticated and effective solution.
“Installing a video doorbell allows homeowners to see everyone who approaches their home, whether it’s the kids getting home from school, the mailman, or delivery drivers,” says Gilad Epstein , CEO of home security company Lorex Technology . “Homeowners should look for video doorbells that offer clear resolution, color night vision, person detection, and mobile notifications, to name a few.”
RELATED: See a Sticker on Your Mailbox? Don’t Touch It, USPS Says .
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Martel says it’s best to pick up your mail and packages promptly after delivery and not to leave anything in your mailbox overnight. If you’re expecting checks, credit cards, or other sensitive items and are not at home to catch the mail carrier, ask a trusted friend or neighbor to pick up your mail instead.
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Of course, you won’t always be there to wait for the mail carrier with your deliveries. If you’re taking a trip, Martel recommends telling your local post office when you’ll be out of town so they can hold your mail until you return.
If anything slips through the cracks, you can still be proactive by reporting any suspected mail or package theft to a Postal Inspector by calling 1-877-876-2455.
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A traditional mailbox may keep your letters contained and relatively safe from the elements, but they’re far from thief-proof. That’s why it might be worth considering upgrading to something more durable.
“The best way to secure your mail and packages is through the use of a package delivery safe, which allows homeowners to safeguard all deliverables in one place, including special deliveries like medication,” says Jeff Kutas , CEO of mailbox company MB Sentinel . He adds that it’s also helpful to work a camera doorbell into whichever delivery safe you choose that can attach right to the box, too.
There are even more seamless options that can blend in with your home and its features. “Homes with gates can actually have a package delivery safe installed within a column, eliminating the risk of a freestanding mailbox at their roadside, says Kutas. “Those without a gate can have them installed into the side of their home so that all packages are securely delivered into the house, eliminating the threat of porch pirates, weather, and other dangers.”
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Staying on top of your packages and mail with technological upgrades can help give you peace of mind. But for a long-term solution, it can also help to rely on your community to keep things safe.
The USPIS recommends starting a neighborhood watch program to stay vigilant. By exchanging work and vacation schedules with trusted friends and neighbors, you can watch each other’s mailboxes and ensure things stay safe.
- Source: https://www.uspis.gov/
See a Sticker on Your Mailbox? Don’t Touch It, USPS Says
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Your mailbox serves a very simple purpose: receiving mail and leaving outgoing mail for a carrier to pick up. Still, some of us enjoy sprucing up our mailboxes, adding personal flair, color, or even decals to help an otherwise standard mailbox stand out. But if you notice a paw print sticker on your mailbox that you didn’t add, don’t start peeling it off just yet—it’s likely part of a program run by the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to help keep carriers safe. Read on to find out what these stickers mean and why you shouldn’t remove them.
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In 2023, more than 5,800 Postal Service workers were attacked by dogs while delivering mail, up from 5,300 in 2022, according to a USPS press release.
Larger cities had the highest numbers of attacks, with Los Angeles, Houston, Chicago, St. Louis, and Cleveland claiming the top five spots.
“Even though a customer’s dog is friendly to most people, it can always have a bad day,” said letter carrier Tara Snyder . “I know, from experience, even when a dog is in the house, customers need to make sure their door is secure so their dog can’t push it open and bite the letter carrier.”
To her point, the USPS writes that “all dogs can bite, even those perceived as nonaggressive.” In fact, many of the attacks that letter carriers report are by dogs whose owners told them, “My dog won’t bite.”
Such an attack can result in consequences for the homeowner, too. According to data from the Insurance Information Institute, the average cost per insurance claim for a dog bite is $64,555, the USPS states.
“When a postal employee suffers an injury, the owner could be responsible for medical bills, lost wages, uniform replacement costs, and pain and suffering for the employee,” they explain.
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To combat dog bites, the Postal Service shared tips on how pet owners can “support safe mail delivery.” These include keeping dogs inside the house or behind a fence, away from the door or in another room, or on a leash.
“Pet owners also should remind children not to take mail directly from a letter carrier as the dog may view the carrier as a threat to the child,” they state.
Mail carriers also follow protocol to keep them aware of areas where dogs might be present, and they’re equipped with scanners to remind them of possible dog hazards, as well as dog warning cards that are added during mail sorting.
In 2020, the USPS added another preventive measure: the PAWS Program . First introduced in Pennsylvania, the program uses mailbox stickers to keep carriers safe.
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The PAWS Program uses color-coded stickers affixed to mailboxes to inform mail carriers about dogs in the area. An orange sticker with a black paw print tells carriers that there is a dog at this home, while a yellow sticker with a black paw print tells them there is a dog at the next house.
Citizens are informed ahead of time that the stickers may appear on their mailboxes. In a notice sent to Lakewood, Ohio, residents, the Postal Service wrote, “Carriers will soon be placing a paw sticker on mailboxes to indicate that a dog or dogs live in the area —yellow indicates dog nearby/orange indicates dog at residence. The sticker will act as a reminder to the carrier that they should proceed with caution, especially when delivering packages to the door.”
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Removing these stickers may do more harm than good, as your mail service can be halted if your carrier feels unsafe. Not only does this affect the home of the dog owner, but it also applies to the entire neighborhood, the USPS said in a previous press release . Service isn’t restored in these instances “until the aggressive dog is properly restrained.”
At the end of the day, these stickers are put in place to “reduce the risk of dog bites and attacks that occur while delivering mail,” which is just another reason you should leave the sticker on your mailbox.
“We all love our dogs,” Kimberly Tilley , acting postmaster for Winston-Salem, told WGHP. “We love our animals, but we … have to take responsibility to protect the carrier and the people around us as well from our animals.”
Tilley added that dog bites are more common than you think, and they can be traumatic for carriers. “Once a carrier has been bit, it sets some fear in them long term for the rest of their life,” she told the outlet.
However, although these stickers are strongly recommended, if you object to having a sticker placed on your mailbox, you can opt out , Kyle Stevens , Southwest Carrier Annex station manager in South Dakota, told KELO in 2021. To do so, the first step would be to contact your local post office.
This story has been updated to include additional entries, fact-checking, and copy-editing.
