Anyone live within gated property? How to handle Fedex/UPS deliveries?

EotS

Sergeant of the Hide
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Minuteman
Nov 12, 2020
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I reccently fenced, and gated my property. Gate at the main road. Semi rural area. I'd like to keep the gate closed while I'm away. Gate is controled by remote, no keypad. Fence is just 4ft black chain link.
Trying to think of a solution for deliveries when I'm not there. I've seen some people place a large, plastic "drop box" on the inside of the fence, where the driver can just drop the delivery over, and in the box.

Thoughts?
 
I'd have it dropped at the store. Too many people running around grabbing packages these days. You just made their job easier.
It's not an issue where I am, but I wouldn't want to tempt anyone. If the driver dropped it over the fence, in a box, it would be out of view, and a thief would at least have to jump the fence.
 
My brother has a large metal box bolted down to concrete just outside his gate. It's stenciled UPS FedEx delivery box. There is a camera watching the box.
^^^^^ this .
A truck bed tool box works great for this. Bolt it to 4x4's concreted in the ground .
Mine has a padlock installed on it. I leave the lock unlocked and when they drop the package they lock it .
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This has worked well for many years until about 2 months ago when we got a new mail woman.
She has decided my driveway is too dangerous because she can't see very well when pulling out of the driveway . She had the postmaster come out and deem my driveway and several other neighbors driveways too unsafe to deliver too. The road does have a long curve , but it's not a problem if you just look before you pull out . She Is just a lazy bitch that doesn't want to do her job . Rant over .
 
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I had considered placing a storage shed of sorts at the end of the drive, place a big Parcel Drop sign over the door, place a camera(s) inside/outside. When you are not expecting packages you can lock it, when expecting deliveries unlock it. Otherwise running into town to pick everything up at the drop ship location (UPS Store of sorts) would be easier to support local businesses.
 
Uh…. We just have the gate guard take delivery, or let them in to deliver to the house staff.





Staff being me or my wife, LOL. We really do have a gate ‘guard’ for our neighborhood, but no one thinks for a minute they’re good for anything else but a trip wire as far as security. Keeps the door-to-door salesman away at least though.
 
For expensive items:
For FedEx you can ship to closest Walgreens (check with them) or FedEx store. For UPS, ship to closest UPS store. That way they don't leave your $2000 scope outside the gate.
FedEx driver "lost" one of my inbound scopes, and delivered the replacement scope to my neighbor. I got the text that it had been delivered and saw the truck drive off from wrong house.
 
If the gate is close enough to the house to get a Wi-Fi signal or run cat6, you could set up a router, a Ring doorbell, and some sort of cellular gateway device to the gate operator that can be operated via a cell signal. But that’s a more expensive approach and is contingent on pathways and/or distance.
 
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I have a big garbage can sort of hidden by some bushes with "Deliveries" stenciled on it. Took some training but in general most of the drivers use it.

Porch pirates aren't generally a problem where I live. Just the packages getting wet or in some cases my dogs deciding to eat them.
 
I have a gate and if the package is small enough they just fit it through the gate otherwise I have to go to rye store to pick it up. For deliveries that you know that are coming and have contact with the driver, I have a delivery code for my gate to allow them access. It’s a one time access code.
 
If the item is not much $$$, UPS, FedEx, Amazon, etc. go in the box out by the road.
Anything that is expensive, I have it sent to a UPS, FedEX holding location.
Amazon goes to their local box pickup in the shopping center near here.
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I can remotely control my gate. We have thought about putting a locker in at the gate as sometimes we have had a sub UPS driver, or when fedex contract drivers are out here they just kick shit out at the gate. I get a notification from the camera system when someone pulls in the entrance. In many cases I will leave the gate open when I am expecting odd deliveries. UPS is here almost every day and our gate code is on the account.
 
I reccently fenced, and gated my property. Gate at the main road. Semi rural area. I'd like to keep the gate closed while I'm away. Gate is controled by remote, no keypad. Fence is just 4ft black chain link.
Trying to think of a solution for deliveries when I'm not there. I've seen some people place a large, plastic "drop box" on the inside of the fence, where the driver can just drop the delivery over, and in the box.

Thoughts?
I don't know where you live, but I've found after all the years that it's more convenient just to leave the gate open, and have a visible security camera watching the front porch. It has a little sign on it that says: "I hope you were smiling!" Even the oil company knows I have a camera that catches everything that goes up and down my road. They've actually once asked me if I'd seen a particular vehicle come and go. I promptly showed them a time-stamped photo and asked: "You mean this guy?"

I've never lost a thing off my property.