The parcel shipping industry has surprisingly boomed in the post-pandemic era. However, home deliveries are prime targets for package theft. The greatest risk of stolen packages are those last couple of feet from the doorstep to inside your home.
Anything that happens in transit becomes the responsibility of the seller and they are liable to replace it or give a reimbursement if the package is lost or damaged during transit. However, a package is deemed delivered if a delivery contract doesn’t require the recipient to sign for the package and is placed near the front door.
In the other case, where the delivery contract requires someone to sign to receive the package, delivery is the seller's or carrier’s responsibility until the hand-to-hand transfer occurs after the completion of necessary formalities.
The Surge in Porch Piracy and Its Effects
Forbes reports that package theft, commonly known as porch piracy, has reached epidemic levels in the U.S., with 67% of Americans experiencing this crime. Furthermore, 22% of victims have had multiple packages stolen, while 11% have faced the theft of three or more.
Consumers have resorted to bait packages and doorbell video surveillance cameras to catch hold of porch pirates in the act. However, these solutions haven't provided evidence to help prevent the crime effectively.
For customers, package theft is more than an annoyance, according to an article published in Vox. “Customer angst was building,” says Sid Khattri, CEO of Stowfly, a startup allowing people to have their items delivered to a secure location, often a local business, for a few dollars per package.
Meanwhile, shipping companies are turning to new tools. According to national shipping data, UPS, Amazon, FedEx, and USPS account for nearly 98% of all U.S. packages delivered. These four major shipping companies are using artificial intelligence and analytics to determine high-risk deliveries and help prevent loss through the entire process.
Solutions to deal with UPS stolen packages and Amazon missing packages can be found here
Tips to prevent Stolen Packages in your Neighborhoods
Here are a few things that are experts recommend to help prevent package theft:
Specify Conditions for Signature on Delivery
While choosing the option of signature on delivery, specify that only the person whose name is on the package sign for it to receive packages.
Connect with your Delivery Carriers or Agents
Getting to know your shipping carrier or delivery agents can help you get better service. Most often it is the same agent who delivers to a particular route, which can prove to be a blessing in disguise as staying in touch with them can help avoid stolen packages in your neighborhood.
Hang a sign on your Front Door
Package theft can be avoided to a large extent by hanging a sign on your front door requesting the delivery agent to ring the doorbell instead of leaving packages outside the front door.
Keep Yourselves Updated
FedEx Delivery Manager, UPS My Choice, and USPS Informed Delivery offer text, email, and app notifications, helping customers to stay updated on their shipments. This proactive communication helps you plan your day better and enhances your overall delivery experience, allowing you to take immediate action if necessary
Reroute or Reschedule your Deliveries
Carriers like FedEx and UPS provide options to reroute deliveries to an alternative address, such as a neighbor's, hold packages temporarily, or reschedule for another day.
Shipping your Packages to Another Location
Making use of services like package receiving and package acceptance is a great way to avoid stolen packages. These services have physical locations with verified location partners who receive and hold packages on your behalf as your alternate address. You can always pick up your parcels from them whenever it is convenient for you.
Stowfly is one such package storage service that receives packages in locations that are conveniently present in your neighborhood. You can have your parcels safely delivered to them instead of shipping packages to your home to avoid potential risks of missed deliveries and lost packages.
Where can you find Package Receiving and Package Acceptance Services in your Neighborhood?
If you’re wondering where to look for package-receiving services closer to you, look no further. It's very simple and easy. All you have to do is visit stowfly.com, which is our mobile-optimized website, and find a location that is closer to your home or office and begin receiving your packages there.
Package receiving services can be easily located in the form of either a coffee shop, convenience store, or even a restaurant in your neighborhood.
Stowfly package receiving and package acceptance is available for package storage with ample locations in neighborhoods across cities like NYC, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston, Chicago, Seattle, Dallas, Austin, Washington DC, Miami, Boston, Denver, Las Vegas & Philadelphia among many others.
You can select any one of our flexible pricing options between one-time use or one of our monthly subscription options. Once your package arrives at our verified package acceptance location, we will notify you with a unique pick-up PIN code which you will need to show to our location partner when you arrive to pick up your parcels.
Package storage services by Stowfly also offer functional ways to avoid FedEx lost packages and USPS missing packages by offering $1000 insurance on all bookings.
Take advantage of our limited time offer and enjoy a free month of Stowfly! With our service, you can securely receive up to 15 packages at a convenient location near you. Click here to find out more!
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