Dealing with deliveries (and a locked farm gate)

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You could put up a small shed or weather proof wooden box or a plastic deck box. Something the package delivery person could secure with a padlock or something after making a delivery.
 
Well, if you are near to where Fedex/UPS does such things, you could look at the "express" box they use. It's really a lot like the on-the-street USmail box, except with a bigger opening. You could build one from wood and a few makeshift steel parts pretty easily.
 
Get a locking parcel box. It comes with a lock the the postman uses upon delivery and the other side you have a key for.
For UPS and FedEx you could build a box that has an attached security padlock. They may or may not lock it but the option is there.
 
The standard rural mailbox comes in a larger size. I've know people who had both, the smaller for letters, etc. and the larger for parcels.

I would also consider something similar to what Sentry mentioned: a lockable box. I have seen where people have them specifically for packages. I saw one and once saw the woman who lived at the house where it was. She said they always had packages disappear until they got their delivery box. It has the ability to lock, but once it had been there for a while, people got used to it. They no longer lock it and packages no longer go missing.
 
How do you handle deliveries of large packages that won't fit in a standard mailbox when you have a locked farm gate at the road? I'm trying to think of solutions, particularly in wet weather.

Although we know its not wise we have had a locked gate here for 23 years and our packages get left at our gate,if raining they put them in plastic bags.
Our dogs do bark if anyone gets close or stops in front of our gate.
We've thought of getting a box for packages but we'd have to cut a whole thru the gate or fence. Maybe a box inside with a shoot on it. Sloped enough to slide deliveries into but far enough away so they can't reach in easy to get them.
 
I use an old chest freezer for my deliveries. My UPS guy knows the drill. The USPS guy just takes them by my other place and leaves them on the back porch.
The Fedex guy is a lazy retard. He has told the office that I don't live there and he wont deliver to the freezer of down the driveway. EXAMPLE: Of lazy. When my step mom died friends from over the country sent flowers by Fedex. We didn't know they had been sent. 3 weeks later I found them in the wood line by halfway down the driveway. I had to call and apologize to all of them for not acknowledging the gifts flowers.
 
Thieves don't go to every door, only to the ones where they can see a package. Any box could hide the presence of presents. The risk of checking makes it less desirable without a guaranteed gain. At my last home we had an arctic entry and the FedEx and UPS were trained to leave the packages inside the entry porch. Even an ell shaped raised flower bed could hide the packages.
 
Those drivers are not vetted by the company for criminal background so giving them access is a bad Idea. It would be better to give them a time schedule and meet them at the gate - armed - to pick up your package. If that is problematic then arrange to pick up your shipment in town.
When you have the item tracked you can request a specific time or to pick up the item at their location in town. If that is not possible or difficult to make work then see if a business in town will accept the item and hold it for you. Then you can go into town and get it. (choose a place that you do business with and has become a friend)
 
Our gates are never unlocked unless we’re going through. We used to have packages just set over the gate behind the gate post. That did well for many years. Then the drivers started being followed by the thief’s. We added a big package box with a lock and it’s been great. No more issues. There’s a small sign explaining that all carriers are to use it and lock it when finished. However for really large packages they are set in an empty “decorative” old livestock trough. We have one on each side of the gate for “decoration”. So if there’s multiple deliveries or to large of a package they just stick it in the trough and it’s hidden in something that doesn’t look like it’s for packages. We no longer have issues. It’s been quite a few years now. Neighbors packages are still stollen but ours so far have been safe. We do have a camera pointed at the box/troughs in case there ends up being an issue. Out of sight is a huge help for sure. Locks help even more. Package thief’s want quick and easy.
 
I always wanted to try a glitterbomb to get thieving neighbors, but for the most part, I always knew who took my packages and went straight to their trailer to demand my stuff back. They would pretend that they took it out of the kindness of their hearts and intended to bring the packages to me. It's one of the advantages of living at a dead end on the end of an unpaved road. It's not easy for people to follow the delivery truck or even get to my place. My brother-in-law once caught his neighbor on his porch trying to take packages. Neighbor made some excuse about wanting to see if one of his packages had been delivered by mistake. My brother-in-law said "If your f*ing package got dropped off, I'd f*ing bring it to your f*ing door! So you have no f*ing business being on my f*ing porch! Get the f* off my porch and don't come back!" He's from New Jersey & doesn't even realize when he's swearing. LOL.
He's got cameras and good security system as well as multiple firearms but he lives in a suburban area in a HOA area. I could never live in a place like that. I don't want to see my neighbors, hear them, or have to put up with HOA rules.
 
How do you handle deliveries of large packages that won't fit in a standard mailbox when you have a locked farm gate at the road? I'm trying to think of solutions, particularly in wet weather.

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/delta-chest-tool-box-48-in?cm_vc=-10005

pour a small slab of concrete. bolt the box to the concrete
in the delivery instructions for the package when you pay with your card.
tell the delivery person to put in box and lock th lock.
 
Our gates are never unlocked unless we’re going through. We used to have packages just set over the gate behind the gate post. That did well for many years. Then the drivers started being followed by the thief’s. We added a big package box with a lock and it’s been great. No more issues. There’s a small sign explaining that all carriers are to use it and lock it when finished. However for really large packages they are set in an empty “decorative” old livestock trough. We have one on each side of the gate for “decoration”. So if there’s multiple deliveries or to large of a package they just stick it in the trough and it’s hidden in something that doesn’t look like it’s for packages. We no longer have issues. It’s been quite a few years now. Neighbors packages are still stollen but ours so far have been safe. We do have a camera pointed at the box/troughs in case there ends up being an issue. Out of sight is a huge help for sure. Locks help even more. Package thief’s want quick and easy.


Good idea DoubleR.
 
So far I've been lucky where I'm at. The drivers put packages on my enclosed porch, If it comes in mail we have locked mail boxes at the end of the road. If the box happened to be too big for the larger boxes here, I get a note to pick up a package at the post office in my normal mail box.

Just a heads up...this virus potentially can stay alive on surfaces for around 9 days. I started a few weeks back letting any amazon boxes or whatnot sit unopened for well over a week. I glove up to move them to the back room and dont touch them again untill at least 9 or more days have passed. Junk mail gets thrown in the stove immediately, bills.. dealt with with gloves on and anything I ordered recently sits.
It would be a real bummer to get this cootie by mail..I heard a seattle amazon employee and some mail employees in washington state tested postive..yikes..
 
How do you handle deliveries of large packages that won't fit in a standard mailbox when you have a locked farm gate at the road? I'm trying to think of solutions, particularly in wet weather.
I keep an old lick tub up buy gate. My mail delivery lady puts the larger packages under it. The Amazon guys caught on to it too. UPS and FedEx still just dump it under my fence.
 
How do you handle deliveries of large packages that won't fit in a standard mailbox when you have a locked farm gate at the road? I'm trying to think of solutions, particularly in wet weather.

We had a Rubbermaid type trash can I picked up from Walmart. It worked great for awhile, something like a year. Until someone decided to take the entire can and packages. I drive a truck so I’m gone a lot, and we just got a PO Box.
 
this is being used at my post officer for after hour deliveries

20200507_082448.jpg
 
We haven't implemented it yet, but our plan is to get an automatic gate opener with a lock and give the temporary unlock code to the UPS/FedEx driver to open the gate to enter. Not sure how well it will work, but hopefully we can figure it out.
We give our ups guy a code made up for UPS and we made up a different code for fed ex. They both have access from 7 am to 8 pm daily. If something ever goes wrong we can at least narrow it down by whose code was used to get in the gate.
 
Leave a message to driver to call for delivery.If that is possible on all orders,I know some you can leave a special message for deivers.
 
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