ᐅ Mailbox with or without a parcel box?

WilderSueden schrieb:

Many drivers just leave it outside the door without ringing the bell, regardless of whether you agree or not. The tracking then states "handed over to a household member."

That happens to me often as well. Something has actually gone missing here once, though it is very rare in this village. It was only a pair of leggings for €15. But I was able to contact Amazon, and since I a) was at home and b) did not agree to leave the package unattended, I received a replacement.
With a package locker, you usually (depending on the system) automatically agree to unattended delivery. If something goes missing, it’s either lost or you have to hope for goodwill.

FrankChief schrieb:

Would a delivery driver just put the package in the parcel box without me giving permission beforehand, just to get rid of the package?

In our case, they have left packages without permission, not just one service provider but almost all of them, even when we were at home, and some even after a written complaint.
Once, they leaned a package against the patio door while we were away for the weekend. The shutter would close over it regularly, it rained as well, and as a result, the contents looked terrible afterward. For a while, they rang the bell again until it ended up broken.

But do you want to get a parcel box only to use it when you’re not home?
That seems too inconvenient to me.
I would just give permission for the parcel box to be used, so the delivery driver can leave packages there anytime—it’s faster for them, too.

I think that if anything goes missing here, it’s more likely due to wind than theft. But it still annoys me since I work from home four days a week and could easily bring everything inside right away. I have to make the effort anyway when the delivery notification pops up about five minutes later.

It was different when I lived in an apartment building. There, packages were often left in the stairwell, and anyone could just help themselves.

Many parcel lockers I see are small or limited in use.

I don’t have one. But if I were to get one, I would choose a larger, professional model, possibly with pickup options.

Otherwise, I would make sure the mailbox is really big.

The parcel delivery service should only be used for packages when we are not at home.

We both work until around 4 pm and are therefore not at home during the entire morning.

The parcel box should be large enough to fit small to medium-sized packages (the most common sizes).

We had envisioned a parcel box with a slot on top for letters, and below that, a flap for small to medium parcels that, once closed, drop down one level where it can only be accessed with a key.

FrankChief schrieb:

The parcel delivery service should only be used for packages when we are not at home.
We both work until around 4 pm and are therefore not at home all morning.

I think you can forget about that. Parcel delivery drivers have an incredibly stressful job. Poorly paid, dealing with impossible volumes of packages, often with no breaks – it’s pure chaos. I don’t believe they will ring your doorbell first.
If they see a parcel locker, they probably do a little internal cheer because it saves them a minute, throw the package in, and move on – whether you’re home or not.