8 Ways To Protect Yourself From Porch Pirates

8 Ways to Protect Your Holiday Deliveries This Season
The holidays are a special time of year. You may get to visit with people you rarely see and celebrate Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the New Year, all within a short amount of time. During this festive season, it's not unusual to give and receive all kinds of gifts. In fact, thanks to modern technology you can holiday shop from the comfort of home and your gifts are delivered to your door. However, with this convenience also comes a few problems (like porch pirates). Here are 8 ways to keep your packages safe from would be thieves this year.

1. Ask for a signature upon delivery.
"Signature upon delivery" means a package cannot be dropped off at your house unless someone signs for it. It may be an added inconvenience but it will help to keep your purchases safe.

2. Have your packages delivered to a friend, relative, or neighbor that will be home.
Do you have older relatives that are home during the daytime? Why not ask them if your packages can be delivered to their house instead of yours? You can add a signature request to increase the security of your deliveries, if you like.

3. Set up a specific delivery date and time.
Most parcel delivery services allow you to choose the time and day of your package delivery. In fact, you can go online and take care of the matter in just a few minutes time. This way, you won't have to wait all day for a package and you can be assured someone will be home for the delivery.

4. Pick your packages up at the carrier's office.
Most companies have no problem if you wish to pick up your parcels at one of their offices. In fact, you can have it sent there and if it is on the way home from work, it is a convenient way to pick up your packages. You will not have to be concerned with boxes or envelopes sitting on your porch just waiting to be taken. You also can have packages sent to your local post office for pick up.

5. Schedule package deliveries to your place of employment.
Talk to your boss. You might be able to receive your holiday packages right at the job. You can be assured that someone will be there when there is a delivery.

6. Make sure your porch light is on at night.
Install a photo cell that turns on your porch light after dark. During the holidays, it starts to get dark around 5pm and many deliveries are made after the sun sets. Thieves are not fond of lights and this may keep your packages safe from porch pirates until someone gets home.

7. Use a high tech door bell.
Did you know that some door bells are very smart and they will send you a text message when someone rings the bell? This may be a viable option for those hard of hearing or people away from home.

8. Take out shipping insurance
If your purchase is valuable, consider adding insurance. It is not usually expensive and if the package is lost,
stolen, or damaged, you will be reimbursed for its value.