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A rant about stolen packages and an invention

J

JOCCO

Well-known Member
Guys this must be me but every time I watch the news there is a story about a "porch pirate" stealing packages. Usually a urban setting, packages get dropped off at the door and the pirate steals them during the day while home owner is away. What gets me is they can not come up with a drop box, where package goes through a small door and into the house. Even some kind of lock box on the porch bolted to it, or held at post office for pick up. I realize it is a problem and cost companies lots of money but there does not seem to be any real solutions. Stuff like Put package around back beware of when its coming. I am wondering if it is possible to invent some solutions and make a million. No I have not had a package stolen as some one is generally here and I live very rural.
 
Guy down the road a few places puts out a box of dog crap once in a while. It's been taken twice in the past year or so. Now that I'm getting surrounded by housing developments, I'm hearing of packages getting taken pretty regularly. My place is far enough back from the road that they can't see my porch.
 
We had one of those idiots down here last month. Guy tried to cross the field to avoid the owner who came home. Buried his truck up to the floor board. I wish I could have heard his excuse to the sheriff.
 
Daughter and SIL had a very "protective" dog- so they put up a box on a pole, so delivery guy could drive up to it and put package in the box without getting out of the truck.
 
Maybe a drop box that is unlocked and opens easily but after it's been opened and closed once it locks and needs a key to be reopened. Downfall to that idea is it can only be used once per time.
 
A few problems, it would have to be awfully big to accept a large package.

That would make it bulky and expensive.

It's hard to design something like that that is really theft and vandal resistant. No guarantee the delivery driver would even take the time to put the package in the box.

About the best solution is to have the packages delivered to your work place, or held at the post office or local UPS/Fedex sub station.
 
I am thinking about building a new garage in the next couple years. A package drop will be part of the design. We don?t really have a theft issue, but a weather problem. Deliveries either get left out on the porch in the rain. Or, the driver decides to slide it under the current garage door into a puddle. (We leave the door up about 4 inches so the cat can get in and out.)
 
(quoted from post at 20:24:23 02/10/19) Guys this must be me but every time I watch the news there is a story about a "porch pirate" stealing packages. Usually a urban setting, packages get dropped off at the door and the pirate steals them during the day while home owner is away. What gets me is they can not come up with a drop box, where package goes through a small door and into the house. Even some kind of lock box on the porch bolted to it, or held at post office for pick up. I realize it is a problem and cost companies lots of money but there does not seem to be any real solutions. Stuff like Put package around back beware of when its coming. I am wondering if it is possible to invent some solutions and make a million. No I have not had a package stolen as some one is generally here and I live very rural.
Click to expand...

"they can not come up with a drop box, where package goes through a small door and into the house"

YES, than can!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yovSz8ltaa4
There's secure drop boxes available, as well, form Amazon and many other sources...

https://www.amazon.com/b?ie=UTF8&node=17572893011
 
i saw a video a while ago some tech. guy rigged up a package for porch pirates. he put a shipping label on it. he then put a switch to turn it on when it was picked up. inside were 4 old cell phones with cameras to watch the action. when the package was opened there was a spinner that threw glitter all over. a few seconds later a timer hooked to a can of fart spray started spraying. he put a gps in it so he keeps finding the package. funniest thing ive seen in a long time
 

I noticed a bank of lockers outside a 7-11 store in an inner-city setting. Asked one of the young guys who works for me what that was all about. He told me it's for the companies like Amazon who will send a package to that locker, and the recipient receives a code to retrieve the package. The lockers are used again and again. I guess the logjam might occur when people don't retrieve their packages for one reason or another.
 
I had situation lately when FedEx said they delivered package. I found they can ping scanner of driver and saw it was actually delivered to wrong addess. Picture clear as day.
 
I bought a rear bumper for my truck and a trailer hitch. I would need a large security box.

Sorry, you can't make everything IDIOT proof. A smarter IDIOT will prove you can't..

One time I thought someone took an item USPS delivered. I found out the mailman put it in neighbors mailbox. What if my neighbor just kept it? That has happened a few times.
 
Steve I realize no system is perfect but I was going one the assumption that if its hard to obtain the thief will move on. If it is in the house it is now a case of a burglar also. A lock box would require cutting tools.
 

Here in NH this is a Christmas time story only. Why are you not building drop boxes built in to front doors or beside front doors? You should have a dozen crews going hard!! It could be as simple as having the homeowner choose from a few options when your salesman visits, you have a guy pick up the doors at Lowes daily, your shop crew fits the drop box into it and then one of your install crews installs it. Major world problem fixed. You are rich, and go on to the next major world problem.
 
If you want a lock box, there are options. Just get out your credit card, write a check, pay cash...

I get the feeling though that the expectation here is for the SHIPPER to pay for the lock box... Fedex/UPS/USPS.

First off none of them are going to pay to have lock boxes installed at all customer sites until such time as the cost of theft exceeds the cost of installing the lock boxes. It's simple economics, and it is going to be a LONG LONG time before that happens.

They will start refusing to deliver packages to locations where excessive theft occurs long before providing lock boxes to customers. They can't steal it if you don't deliver it, so either be there to accept delivery, or come to the depot and pick it up yourself

Second off, you get packages from all three carriers. Which one should pay for the lock box? You know they're not going to cooperate with each other and share the cost. That means someone has to get in the middle and make them all play nice, and that someone would end up being the GOVERNMENT. Do you really want that?
 
A better and cheaper solution to all the ones below. Do like I've heard some of the Arabs do. Cut off a hand the first time. Or maybe the second. There won't be a third.
 
(quoted from post at 07:45:01 02/11/19) A better and cheaper solution to all the ones below. Do like I've heard some of the Arabs do. Cut off a hand the first time. Or maybe the second. There won't be a third.
Click to expand...

Two dogs. This is by far the most time consuming and expensive solution yet. Many lawyers for many years.
 
The Post Office is slowly phasing out door to door delivery in favor of cluster boxes distributed through out the new developments. Have done it for years at trailer parks and apartment complexes. Each bank of cluster boxes has a few parcel lockers that work like bus station lockers. Carrier places the package in the key release and is placed in your mailbox. You see the key retrieve your package and the locker keeps the key.
No need to re invent the wheel change is coming.
 

Amazon has numerous drop locations all over so that you do not have to get your packages at home. You can also sign up to give them access to inside your house so packages can be put inside.
 
Assumming you are taking a crack at me. Well first off I would not live in NH if they gave me the place!!! Second I bet a company/crew would make more than you or I doing this service.
 
(quoted from post at 10:09:41 02/11/19) Assumming you are taking a crack at me. Well first off I would not live in NH if they gave me the place!!! Second I bet a company/crew would make more than you or I doing this service.
Click to expand...

Jocco, Why would I care if you ever live in NH or not? I wasn't taking a crack at you, I was just suggesting that here is the American way: See a need; fill the need; get rich. Don't just rant and let someone else make the money.
 
Go on you tube -- there are people who have shot gun shells explode when the thief picks up the package or the one is a bomb that blasts glitter all over the thieves car then sprays fart gas.
 
It was the way you came off! I do see an oppertunity with all this. I always wanted to invent something or facilitate something like this! I cannot believe that there is not a simple solution to this issue! Most people want there package delivered to their house.
 
(quoted from post at 21:09:20 02/10/19)
I noticed a bank of lockers outside a 7-11 store in an inner-city setting. Asked one of the young guys who works for me what that was all about. He told me it's for the companies like Amazon who will send a package to that locker, and the recipient receives a code to retrieve the package. The lockers are used again and again. I guess the logjam might occur when people don't retrieve their packages for one reason or another.
Click to expand...


Most likely drug shipments or drug drop offs.

Gene
 
Thats got to be as ugly as a sack of buttholes at your front porch and actually if you have a fridge in your yard around here it better have the door secure so it want open or it better be off the fridge.
 
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