How to Prevent Package Theft: 10 Effective and Easy Ways (Perhaps Funny!)

Statistics show that nearly 1/3 Americans have had a package stolen off their front porch.

And over 11 million homeowners have had a package stolen last year.

Yes, package thieves are rampant especially in holidays or shopping festivals, like Black Friday, Christmas, etc.

For not being one of the package theft victims, you’ll need to take some effective measures to prevent your package from being stolen.

We have summarized the below top 10 ways to help you prevent package theft from front door.

If you have any useful or unconventional tips to prevent mail or package theft, please leave them in the comment below. We will feature your insights in this post so that more readers can get your genius ideas!

Top 10 Ways to Prevent Packages from Being Stolen from Porch

Way 1. Deliver Packages to Workplace

Way 2. Request a Signature

Way 3. Use Shipping Courier’s Box

Way 4. Build Your Own Lock Box

Way 5. Install a Smart Video Doorbell

Way 6. Deliver to Your Neighbor or Corner Stores

Way 7. Re-Route Your Package Delivery

Way 8. Set up a Vacation Hold

Way 9. Purchase Insurance for Your Packages

Way 10. Prank the Package Thieves

Way 1. Have Your Package Delivered to Your Office or Workplace

If the delivery man delivers your packages on working days, you can ask the man to deliver your items to your office.

You can schedule the delivery time with the shipping company, like during the lunch break, so that you have free time to pick up your package without delaying your job or interrupting your meeting.

If you would have an emergency meeting, or go out for business during lunch break, you can ask the delivery man to leave your packages in the security office. So you can pick up your packages later.

Way 2. Request a Signature Upon Package Delivery

Always remember to request a signature for your package. By doing so, you can always confirm you’ve got your package delivered.

You can also tape up a note on your front door asking for a pickup notice like “Please don’t leave my packages on my front porch without my signature. Thanks!”

Also leaving a note that you request the signature when you place the order online.

Way 3. Use Amazon, USPS, FedEx, UPS etc. Lockers for Your Package Delivery

Amazon, USPS, FedEx, USP and other shipping couriers provide a locker delivery in some regions, and USPS offers to have your packages stay at the post office where you can pick them up.

Before you’ve placed the order, you can ask the staff to see if they offer locker delivery or can put your packages at the post office.

After that, you can go pick up your packages after work. Thus thieves have no chances to touch your packages!

Way 4. Build Your Own Parcel Delivery Lock Box

You can invest in a mail or parcel lock box to prevent packages from being stolen from your front door.

When Amazon, USPS, UPS or FedEx delivery men deliver your packages to your home, they can put your packages inside your personal parcel lock box.

It would cost a little bit. But compared with the total values of your packages in the long run, investing a personal lockbox is undoubtedly a cost-effective deal!

Way 5. Install a Video Doorbell with Hidden Cameras for Your Front Door

Nowadays the demand of smart video doorbells is increasing since they can help you watch out for your front and back door or porch.

When someone presses the doorbells, or activates the sensor of your smart doorbell, you will receive the instant app push notifications.

You can open the app on your smartphone to see who and what activated the alerts. If it’s a delivery man, you can ask him to place your package in somewhere hidden or less accessible, like behind the plants, under the doormat, at the back door, on the tree, etc.

These places are good positions to hide your packages.

The delivery man will try to hide your packages less obviously to deter opportunistic thieves. He will also leave a “missed delivery” post-it with the location.

Putting up smart doorbell for your front porch can deter a great number of coward packages thieves. Those opportunistic package pirates tend to skip homes with smart alarm devices.

If the thief tries to steal your package, you can use the two-way audio to shout at him or her and scare the bad guy off.

If the worst situation happens — your package got stolen, you can play back the videos recorded by your smart video doorbell to see who stole your stuff.

You can hand over the videos to the police. With such clear evidence, the police can help you catch the bad guy more easily.

Way 6. Have Your Packages Delivered to Your Neighbors or the Corner Store

If you have a good neighbor, you can ask the delivery man to give the package to your neighbor. So do remember to form a good friendship when you moved to the community at the beginning. And also do the same thing for your neighbors.

Neighborhood watch is also a nice way to help secure your front door.

You can also ask the corner store or convenient shop by your house if they can hold packages for you (probably best to get friendly and buy some lotto tickets before you ask).

Way 7. Re-Schedule Your Package Delivery Time

You can download the Parcel App and register with the major parcel carriers. The app should allow you to track, re-route or put deliveries on hold.

You can also contact the online store staff to re-schedule the delivery time, so that you can get your package by yourself. That’s also a good idea to prevent package theft.

For example, Amazon allows you to add notes for the delivery person (it’s under your account -> Edit address).

You can choose if you can receive packages on weekends. If you have a special request (i.e. leave it at the rear door, with a neighbor, gate code, etc.), type it in and the delivery person will see it and hopefully will follow the instructions.

Way 8. Set Up a Vacation Hold for Your Packages

If you go traveling during your holidays, you can require a vacation hold for your packages for later pickup.

If you are a UPS member, the UPS Store can hold your package for up to 7 days at no additional charges.

In terms of FedEx, you can suspend your residential deliveries for up to 14 calendar days.

You can follow the step-by-step guide here to set up UPS and FedEx vacation hold.

Way 9. Insure Your Packages

If you order expensive electronics and high-dollar items, you should consider insuring your packages.

Normally, USPS, UPS, FedEx, etc. provide declared value coverage and insure.

USPS: You can purchase insurance for your packages up to $5,000 in indemnity to protect against loss or damage.

UPS: Based on UPS, its liability is limited to $100 on items with no declared value. If your package exceeds $200, you can purchase a higher value (up to $50,000 per package).

FedEx: If your packages worth $100 — $300, the insurance cost is $2.1; and items valued over $300 are charged $0.7 per $100.

You can also purchase third-party insurance for your packages. Companies like Shipsurance and Stamps offer insurance coverage for your packages.

If your package is damaged or stolen, you can file a claim with a necessary document so that you can get your money back without any loss.

Way 10. An Unconventional Tip to Prevent Your Packages from Being Stolen During Holidays

When I was wandering forums for searching some effective tips to prevent package theft, a poster’s idea made me laugh.

A famous YouTuber, Mark Rober, shared a video on how he pranked the package thief.

You can watch the video below:

Again, make sure not to use any harmful tools to do harm to a person’s personal safety.

Tired of your UPS, USPS, FedEx, Amazon, eBay packages being stolen by awful pirates?

Still bothered by “neighbors keep stealing packages, someone keeps stealing my Amazon packages”?

How to prevent my packages from being stolen from my apartment building during my vacations?

Why not try the top 10 ways now to beat the package thieves!

If you have any ideas on how to prevent packages from being stolen, share them in the comment below! We will add your tips here!