Do you use USPS pickup, and if so, how are you securing your pickup location?

[bluewin_45]

I'm wondering what people do if they use USPS daily pickup for shipping out their sold items.  Do you have some secure way of putting these out for pickup on the porch or wherever?  Looking for ideas and trying to decide if I want to do this or just drop off at the PO or both.

[myescape]

I am home all day so designate knock on door/ring bell as pick up location then in notes put front door

[guangxi_hone]

Expensive items I take to the post office and have it scanned. 

All other put on the window ledge by the mail box or on the porch if large. They can be seen from the window so when I pass by - I look.

I had neighborhood boy mess with my packages so I took all to the post office. That was before pandemic. Now they moved out. 

[bigdeals.etc]

I specify for the mail carrier to ring the door bell. Then we just load my packages onto his truck.

[bluewin_45]

I will generally not be around when the mail carrier comes.  I work full time.  While I would LOVE to eventually get out of the cubicle world and just do online stuff for my living (Ebay and multiple other avenues), right now I'll probably either have to drop off at the PO or just leave the stuff on my porch.  Porch pirates are a concern, but I guess I could take that risk for inexpensive things only.

[xd-9]

I haven’t needed to do this but you can buy A large container that are sealed from the elements but also there is no way for anyone to see packages since inside. You just have to specify the packages are in there and letter carrier will get them out.  I know you can get some really big ones that almost look like seating on the porch.

[southern*sweet*tea]

My pre-arranged pickup spot is whichever truck is the last one parked in the driveway. 😀   Carriers can't get to the porch, we keep the gate locked unless we're actually outside. Our larger dogs know how to raise the latch, so to keep them in the yard we have to keep it locked.

Our mail ladies run anywhere from 0930 to 1100, so I just put my stuff out there in the morning when I get up.

[bramarlyn]

I never leave my outgoing packages in the mailbox even if they fit. I leave a note for the mail person to come to the front door. If I am home, I leave them out where I can watch them. If I am not at home, I have a chair on my front porch with a VERY large storage compartment when you lift the seat. I show it to the postal employee so they know to look there if I am not at home. If you are not at home and you wish to "hide" your packages, go to USPS.com, schedule a pickup for the next shipping day. The online form has an area where leave a note to the driver as to where you hid them. With that said, we have a frequent turn over in postal carriers. I take the packages to the post office to get a receipt until I am VERY comfortable with my carrier.

[lja440]

I have a Jumbo mailbox that a LFRB plus a few smaller boxes can fit in, I used to leave my Kubota down by the mailbox with packages loaded in the bucket when I was shipping a lot. But most of the time now I just take them to work with me (I'm a carrier). Mind I live on a rural dead end road so most days the mail carrier is the only non resident on our road.

On my mail route several have made spots from putting up Jumbo mailboxes to one that has a flowerbed with decorative outhouse (including occupied sign) where she puts her packages. A lot just put them in bags and hang them on the mailbox, like I said rural. One had a very long driveway (over 2 miles back to the house), when her kids were in school they would drive an old truck down to catch the bus. If there was a bandana on the radio antenna it signaled that there were packages inside. It was also where I delivered her packages if she had any. 

My uncle lives in Cleveland and has a couple chairs and a army trunk on his front porch, his packages go in the trunk on delivery. Porch pirates hit his area a couple years ago and missed nabbing his packages because they were in the trunk.

[bigdeals.etc]

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@bluewin_45 wrote:

I will generally not be around when the mail carrier comes.  I work full time.  While I would LOVE to eventually get out of the cubicle world and just do online stuff for my living (Ebay and multiple other avenues), right now I'll probably either have to drop off at the PO or just leave the stuff on my porch.  Porch pirates are a concern, but I guess I could take that risk for inexpensive things only.

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How many packages are we talking? And how much volume? I ask because if possible, would it be out of the question to just bring the packages to work and schedule a pickup for your work address? Or if you know your work mail carrier personally, you could probably ask him to accept your packages daily without even having to schedule a pickup.

[mtgraves7984]

I have my regular carrier pick up from my house. I simply hang my outgoing in a sack hanging on my mailbox. He knows I sell here and scans on pickup... no matter how many I have.

If your logistics allow for it, I'd recommend a chat with your carrier. Good luck!