Interesting video on Stopping Package theft

area651

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Ok, I've started following CNBC on youtube and noticed that they tend to have some sort of thought-provoking news videos. Here's one that I think the forum might find interesting. It does talk about Amazon but it really applies to all delivery and goes into the other ways to secure packages and even porch cams that this forum tinkers with. Vid is about 15mins. I especially liked how one lady/analyst said "ok,....now you have a picture of the person stealing something....now what?" which is something I've echoed a couple of times. Yes, I like the idea of catching video of someone but unless you have a way of identifying them, the police aren't going to put out an "all points bulletin for a 5'1", overweight hispanic female" in Texas. That would encompass about 1/2 of the overall population. lol! (the joke there is that at best you'll get a race, sex & weight description that's common to whatever area you're in)

anyways, enjoy -
 

ulikeme

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Yeah, this can be a very big concern in some areas. It makes sense that the crooks would target the more affluent neighborhoods.

Thanks for sharing this video.
 

th182

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Interesting. I've pondered a locking box as well. Costco has one i looked at but it felt flimsy and could probably be popped open in seconds with a screwdriver.

Anyone use a locking box? We get nearly weekly Amazon deliveries. I wonder if theyed even lock it in a box for me.. they already ignore the instructions to leave it at the back gate.


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sebastiantombs

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What gets me is when did simply dropping a package off on a porch become an actual delivery? Granted, I fart dust but when I was younger and delivered things I had to insure the item was actually in the hands of a responsible party. Up until a few years ago UPS always wanted a signature. Now, just throw it in the general direction of a door, take a photo and call it delivered who cares if it actually gets to the intended recipient?
 

area651

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Interesting. I've pondered a locking box as well. Costco has one i looked at but it felt flimsy and could probably be popped open in seconds with a screwdriver.

Anyone use a locking box? We get nearly weekly Amazon deliveries. I wonder if theyed even lock it in a box for me.. they already ignore the instructions to leave it at the back gate.


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A lot of people are scared of it but I use Amazon Garage Delivery. I figure I have a camera (that's why we're on the forum) and in the dozen or so times I've had deliveries made, they've never even stepped foot inside the garage. The garage door opens, they set the package inside the door and then close it.

Something that people may not know is that the garage delivery doesn't give just any delivery person access any time they want it. They can't come around any time other than delivery and just open and rummage the garage. The access looks at their location and if you have a garage delivery scheduled and they're in front of the house, and the package hasn't been delivered, only then will it send the open command (via the internet) down to the opener and then it will close it as well. It cost me like $50 for the Chamberlain opener to add onto my existing old opener and I figured hell, I already have the camera...

Of course that's only good for Amazon deliveries though. If you're getting deliveries from someone else then (imho) that's your responsibility to be there to have it securely delivered.
 

area651

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What gets me is when did simply dropping a package off on a porch become an actual delivery? Granted, I fart dust but when I was younger and delivered things I had to insure the item was actually in the hands of a responsible party. Up until a few years ago UPS always wanted a signature. Now, just throw it in the general direction of a door, take a photo and call it delivered who cares if it actually gets to the intended recipient?
Good point and I agree with you. I believe it comes down to what you pay for. If you're buying the cheapest delivery possible then yeah, a drive-by & throw it out the window is the type of delivery you're going to get. Not knocking what you're saying. I'm just pointing out that ultra-cheap shipping that the seller pays for (or if the buyer chooses) is what you're gonna get. As weird as it sounds, I agree with the video in that it says the delivery responsibility really should stop once its on your porch. If the buyer doesn't have means to secure receive it (via a dropbox, or an amazon garage delivery or the like, or even a person available to accept it) then why should the seller be responsible?
 

IAmATeaf

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Good point and I agree with you. I believe it comes down to what you pay for. If you're buying the cheapest delivery possible then yeah, a drive-by & throw it out the window is the type of delivery you're going to get. Not knocking what you're saying. I'm just pointing out that ultra-cheap shipping that the seller pays for (or if the buyer chooses) is what you're gonna get. As weird as it sounds, I agree with the video in that it says the delivery responsibility really should stop once its on your porch. If the buyer doesn't have means to secure receive it (via a dropbox, or an amazon garage delivery or the like, or even a person available to accept it) then why should the seller be responsible?
In the old days here in the UK if you weren’t in you’d get carded and either arrange for redelivery or arrange to pick it up from the depot but now they simply leave it on your doorstep. This change must all be to down to costs and margins.
 

mikeynags

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Is that an Amazon driver at 1:15 chucking boxes like they are frisbees?
 

area651

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Is that an Amazon driver at 1:15 chucking boxes like they are frisbees?
uhhhh.....yeah. That's completely normal inside of any UPS/Fedex/USPS sorting center. I always chuckle when I get a package from a relative with "fragile" written on it. As if a delivery service looks at every single package (there are MILLIONS daily) and says "oohhh... this one is fragile!". lol...

Seriously, its not just the amazon driver. Good catch though. It's so common to what I've seen that I didnt think twice about it.
 

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I've always found this baffling. The whole idea of leaving packages on the doorstep seems absurd to me, except perhaps in rural areas. Package theft is near zero here in the Netherlands as leaving package on the porch/doorstep unguarded basically just doesn't happen in the Netherlands and never has. In the old days (and still today) packages were often left with a neighbor (something you can opt out of if you're not comfortable with that).

They also used to come back a second or third time but these days (depending on the carrier) it often just gets delivered to a pickup point in a shop nearby if you're not home. There are also some of those automated lockers these days but still very few.

What's also done here quite often is to have personal items delivered to your workplace. Most employers are fine with that it seems, especially if you work in an office or something.
 

SkyLake

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Have a look at Mark Rober's youtube channel, what he did to annoy package thiefes. Nice package with integrated cameras, glitterbomb, fart spray etc etc :D

 

SecuritySeeker

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Have a look at Mark Rober's youtube channel, what he did to annoy package thiefes. Nice package with integrated cameras, glitterbomb, fart spray etc etc :D
I remember that, was great fun to watch. Was somewhat disappointed to find out later on it was staged.
 

sebastiantombs

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Well, based on the "you get what you pay for" theory of deliveries, the next step will be dropping packages like bombs from a drone flying at 20 or 30 mph. That's where it's heading, eventually.
 
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