3 Effective Ways To Prevent Package Thefts This Holiday Season

Buying stuff from the internet isn’t going anywhere, but this has given rise to an additional problem: package theft.

Package theft, often known as “porch piracy,” is a problem at hand as the Christmas season is approaching.

Porch piracy is a crime that escalates around the holidays, according to a report by IMPD (Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department).

However, you may discover reports about package snatchers on Nextdoor message boards and local community organizations. A report by Shorr found out that at least 43% of Americans were the victim of parcel theft in 2020.

Another survey carried out by PackagingStartegies.com found out that at least 36% of Americans have reported package theft.

Parcel Package Theft Statistics C+R Research

20202019
Had package stolen43%36%
Know someone who had a package stolen61%56%
Neighbor had package stolen43%31%

Because of a surge in online shopping during the lockdown period, package theft is also at its peak. That’s why we have found some effective methods after a lot of research to help you prevent package thefts.

This article will also tell you about things you can do if your package is stolen.

Three effective ways to prevent package thefts are listed down below. 

1. Use the Amazon Key program to get the package delivered to your garage

If you sign up for the Amazon Key program, this will let the delivery boy place your package in your garage, in your car, or even inside your house.

The concept behind this is that the delivery person will scan the code on your package, and an alert will be sent on your mobile, and you can look at them through the video when they deliver your product.

Many of you don’t like the idea of letting an unknown person enter your home that too when you are not present at your home.

Still, this method has one major benefit- you can watch the delivery person the entire time they are in your home delivering your package. They know they are being watched so that they wouldn’t think anything.

But if you are totally against letting an unknown person into your home, then you can also have your product delivered in your car or garage.

Amazon Key costs vary based on the security items you choose. For example, a Schlage Encode Smart Wi-Fi Deadbolt + Blink Indoor Camera costs about $310.  

2. Video Doorbell Cameras and Other Security Measures

You can’t prevent thefts from using security cameras, but they can help in discouraging porch pirates.

You can monitor your property from distant places and record any suspicious behavior using a security camera.

Some cameras can even detect the presence of parcels, such as the Ring video doorbell and the Arlo Pro 4 security camera.

These services come along with a monthly subscription.

The best video doorbell out there without a subscription is the Eufy Video Doorbell 2K.

Some people prefer porch cameras over doorbell video cameras because they cover more areas and are also more visible, which helps deter porch pirates.

Nest, Ring, and Arlo also have larger porch security cameras.

Other manufacturers to consider if you want to buy a porch security camera include Logitech, SimpliSafe, Vivint, and Amcrest.

These cameras can cost anything from a few hundred dollars to several thousand dollars.

You can also get a porch security camera through monthly membership of $10 to $20 to get the extra benefit of being connected to a professional security system, where specialists watch your house and notify the cops if anything goes wrong.

On the other hand, Logitech gives you access to an infinite number of cameras for free, as well as limitless streaming and downloads.

For a single camera, you’ll pay $3.99 per month for cloud storage of 14 days.

You can also choose a plan of $6.99 per month or $69 per year for cloud storage of two weeks for up to five cameras. SimpliSafe offers a basic package for $182.50 per year.

In addition, SimpliSafe provides you with an excellent monitoring service that includes features such as sending alerts to your phone.  

3. Smart Parcel Lockers: the best tool for package theft prevention 

You may have deliveries delivered to a lockbox on your property instead of leaving them unattended at your front door.

dVault, for example, creates lockboxes that the delivery person can open using an access code you provide.

When something is placed within the box, it automatically locks. (After the delivery, you can alter the code.) dVault lockboxes range from $500 to $800 in price, depending on the size of the lockbox.

You can also get your orders from Amazon.com delivered to an Amazon Hub locker available in over 70 cities and towns for free (!).

You need to insert the location of an amazon hub as your delivery address while checking out. You will receive a 6 digit code to open your locker when your product is delivered. You will get a time frame of 3 days to pick the order.

Again, this service is free of cost.  

What Can You Do if Your Package is Stolen 

Actions are taken after C+R Research stole a package

Contacted Seller/Amazon 83%
Contacted Delivery service 60%
Checked with neighbors 48%
Called police 13%
Viewed neighbors camera 7%
Other 5%

Here are the steps to take if your package was stolen:

  1. Simply try contacting the retailer. Various retailers have different procedures for dealing with parcel theft. For example, some retailers, such as Target, have fine-print terms that state that the risk of loss shifts to the consumer when the item is given to the delivery provider. On the other hand, Amazon also often covers you if there wasn’t a signature on delivery needed.
  2. If retailers aren’t listening to you, you should contact the delivery company right away because there is a certain period for filing a claim.
  3. Try contacting your credit card company because many credit cards companies refund the amount of a stolen product bought using their cards!
  4. Examine your insurance coverage. You may recover the cost of your stolen package from your homeowners or renters insurance as a last option. However, these policies often have $500 to $1,000 or more deductibles. Therefore, your insurance may not be useful depending on the worth of the items in the stolen package.

Consider getting the help of cops because you may require a police report if you’re claiming with a store, a shipper, a credit card company, or an insurance company.

Of course, it does help if you have the thief on video!


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