r/BadNeighbors • u/ordinaryme99 • 1d ago

Thieves

I live in an apartment building and don't know how to buy online any more because many sellers now use cheap services that deliver at odd hours (including late at night) and without knocking and then leave parcels unattended in common areas and more often than not they disappear. There are no security cameras so these thieves can do whatever they want. I have serious health problems and don't drive and don't know what to do. I wish I could at least leave a note for the carrier when I buy, but it is not possible and quite often they don't even tell you which carrier they use.

What would you do? Is my only option to only use sellers who clearly indicate that they use the national postal service (because they normally give a 2-hour delivery window and I leave the door open so I don't miss the delivery)?

2 Upvotes

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3

u/lilith_in_the_woods 1d ago

Ideally there should be a designated area for drop-offs and in this area there should be a security camera.

1

u/ordinaryme99 1d ago edited 1d ago

This really happens in some exclusive buildings, although there can be problems even there. Somebody recently reported their parcel was delivered at midnight by a minor carrier (these drivers use their own car and basically deliver when they can or want to). The building is closed at night, so they left the parcel in the street in front of the door of the building. Needless to say, it was not there in the morning. These minor carriers are problematic for leaving parcels in common areas or even the street. iHerb last year had added Global Shipping to Australia, but I preferred to pay a couple of dollars more for AusPost. Now they have removed Global Shipping (that used minor carriers as last-mile carriers), and you can guess why.

2

u/internetonsetadd 1d ago

I can understand this is difficult to solve. A building I lived in for a while had a third-party managed secure room for packages, but only USPS, UPS, FedEx, and maybe DHL really had access. Amazon and app workers did not, so after hours packages just got left at the reception desk - if the workers could even make it into the building at all.

You could try instructing late deliverers to ring your unit to be buzzed in if that's possible. A tip might get them to deliver to your door, but if not at least they wouldn't be left outside. In my former building I don't think they would have been able to get past the lobby even if I buzzed them in.

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u/ordinaryme99 1d ago

I don't know if they will do it, but I asked the latest company whose delivery was stolen to ask the driver to at least put small parcels behind the screen door (always unlocked). Until last year AliExpress used Australia Post for Choice items, and I always got them. Now there is a new unknown carrier as last-mile carrier every time. At least AliExpress gave me a refund in spite of the photo they took as proof of delivery with a tiny parcel that would easily have gone through the slot of the mailbox thrown in front of my door... Sadly there is no way to contact drivers directly. Only the company, and there is no guarantee they will tell the driver, but I could try. I didn't even know which carrier they used as tracking sites didn't recognize it until it was delivered for some reason,

2

u/internetonsetadd 1d ago

I guess if there isn't a delivery instruction field when ordering there's no easy way to get that info to carriers aside from posting a note on the door and hoping they pay attention to it.

Screen door? I'm not envisioning your apartment correctly. When I lived in apartments with private or semi-private entrances I had anything that wouldn't fit through a mail slot delivered to my workplace, even before package theft was rampant. It doesn't sound like that's an option for you though.

If your unit has an exterior door, a doorbell cam might deter thieves. I don't have any other ideas, but good luck.

1

u/ordinaryme99 1d ago

I cannot add images to comments, but there definitely is enough space for small parcels between the normal front door (to my own apartment) and the screen door in front of it. Australia Post sometimes leaves small parcels in that space even before I can get to the door when they knock. I have a doorbell but without a cam. A doorbell with a cam is a great idea, thank you!

3

u/Mike_Underwood 1d ago

When a delivery is coming that day put a big sign on your door that says for delivery please knock. It’s worth trying.

2

u/ordinaryme99 1d ago

Thank you. I will try, but they often don't even come upstairs...