6 Ways to Stop Package Thieves This Holiday Season

Starting in mid-November, delivery trucks make more stops on your street than at any other time of year. Boxes stack up on porches. Some of them disappear before the homeowner gets home. It is not a new problem, but it tends to rise during the holidays, when more packages sit unattended for longer stretches of the day.

The good news is that much package theft is opportunistic. A thief is not targeting you specifically. They are driving or walking through neighborhoods looking for an easy grab. That means making your porch a slightly harder target can be enough to push the risk somewhere else. The six steps below are drawn from guidance by the U.S. Postal Service (USPS), the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). None of them require a big investment or a lot of time.

1. Track Every Package and Bring It In Quickly

Time is one of the biggest factors in package theft. A box sitting on a porch for six hours is a far easier target than one sitting there for six minutes. The problem is that most people do not know exactly when something will arrive until it is already there.

What to do: Sign up for delivery notifications through every carrier you use. For mail and packages shipped through the U.S. Postal Service, sign up for USPS Informed Delivery at usps.com. It is free, and for eligible addresses it sends a daily digest with grayscale images of the address side of incoming letter-sized mail, plus tracking updates for packages. You will know a box is arriving before you leave for work in the morning.

If you are going to be away from home when a delivery lands, ask a neighbor you trust to bring it inside. A quick text saying “I have a package coming today around 2 p.m., can you grab it?” takes thirty seconds and gets the box off the porch quickly. Some local police departments suggest this kind of neighbor help as a simple, low-tech deterrent.

2. Choose Where the Package Goes

Your front porch is the default drop point, but it does not have to be. Many sellers and carriers allow you to leave delivery instructions specifying a less visible spot. A side door, a space behind a gate, a covered side porch, or a spot behind a planter box near the garage are all options that keep a box out of street view without requiring anyone to be home.

What to do: When you place an order, look for a delivery notes or special instructions field at checkout. Use it. For USPS shipments, you can track the package on usps.com and select Delivery Instructions to tell the carrier where to leave it, though not every package is eligible. Even a simple note like “Please leave behind the gate on the left side of the house” can move a package out of plain sight.

Keep in mind this only works if the alternative spot is genuinely less visible than your front porch. A note saying “leave by the garage door” does not help if the garage faces the street and is fully exposed. Walk your property and think about where a passing driver would not easily see a box.

3. Pick It Up Instead of Having It Delivered to Your Door

The most reliable way to avoid porch theft is to never leave a package on a porch in the first place. Pickup options have expanded significantly, and several of them are free.

What to do: For USPS shipments, you can track the package on usps.com and select Hold for Pickup if that option appears, so it waits at a Post Office for you. The USPS Package Intercept service can stop or redirect a package that is not yet out for delivery. It requires a USPS.com account, the options depend on whether you are the sender or the recipient, and it carries a per-package fee plus any applicable postage, charged only if the intercept succeeds. Check usps.com for the current fee and terms.

Many sellers offer in-store pickup at checkout. If you ordered from a retailer that has physical locations, selecting that option means nothing ever sits on your porch. Some carriers and retailers also operate parcel lockers in grocery stores, pharmacies, and transit stations. The package goes into a secure locker, and you pick it up with a code at your convenience.

If you are leaving for a trip and expect deliveries while you are gone, set up USPS Hold Mail before you leave. It holds your mail and packages at your local Post Office for 3 to 30 days, so nothing accumulates while the house is empty.

4. Require a Signature for Valuable Items

Standard shipping leaves packages without anyone confirming receipt. A carrier drops a box, takes a photo, and moves on. If the item is valuable, that process gives a thief a clean window to grab it.

What to do: When ordering something expensive, look for a signature required or adult signature required option at checkout or in the shipping settings. This means the carrier will not leave the package unless someone is there to sign for it. If no one is home, the carrier will leave a notice and attempt redelivery, or you can arrange a pickup.

Signature confirmation does add a small layer of inconvenience if you are not home during delivery hours. The tradeoff is worth it for high-value items. For everyday items, standard delivery is fine. Reserve the signature requirement for electronics, jewelry, or anything you would be significantly upset to lose.

5. Ship to Where Someone Is Actually Home

Your home address is not your only option. If packages consistently arrive while your house is empty, the simplest fix is to change where they go.

What to do: If your employer allows it, consider having packages shipped to your workplace. You are there during the day, deliveries go to a staffed front desk or mail room, and nothing sits on a porch. Check with your employer first since not all workplaces accept personal deliveries, and some have policies about package volume.

A trusted relative or neighbor whose household includes someone home during the day is another option. This works especially well during the holidays when you are ordering gifts. The package lands safely, and you pick it up at your convenience.

Changing the delivery address takes only a moment at checkout and keeps the box off your porch altogether.

6. Add Visibility and a Secure Spot

Physical deterrents at your front door will not stop every thief, but they do change the risk calculation for the opportunistic ones. A porch that looks monitored and difficult to access quickly is less attractive than an open, dimly lit one.

What to do: Consider a lockable delivery box. These are secured containers that sit on your porch and accept packages through a slot or drop door. A carrier drops the package in, and it stays locked until you open it with a key or code. They vary in size and price, so look for one large enough to fit standard shipping boxes.

Good lighting matters too. Motion-activated lights on the porch and driveway make a quick grab riskier, especially in the early evening hours when it gets dark quickly in November and December.

A visible doorbell camera or security camera is worth having, but go in with realistic expectations. A camera records a theft rather than preventing it. Its real value is as a deterrent (some people will walk away when they see one) and as documentation if you need to file a police report or carrier claim. Investigators can use doorbell and security camera footage in package theft cases, but a recording does not get your package back. Use it as one layer in a broader approach, not as your only line of defense.

If a Package Is Stolen: What to Do

Even with precautions in place, theft happens. If a package shows as delivered but you cannot find it, start here before assuming the worst.

• Check around the property first. Carriers sometimes leave packages at a side door, in a garage, or tucked near a gate. Check with neighbors in case it was left at the wrong address.
• Contact the seller. Many sellers will replace or refund a package that shows delivered but was not received. This is often the fastest resolution, especially during the holidays.
• Contact the carrier and file a claim. If the package was insured or if the carrier offers loss protection, filing a claim puts the process in motion. Keep your tracking number handy.
• Report it to your local police department. File a report and keep the report number. You may need it for a carrier claim or insurance claim. It also helps police track theft patterns in your neighborhood.
• If the package was sent through USPS, report it to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. You can file a mail theft report at uspis.gov/report or by calling 1-877-876-2455. Stealing mail or packages delivered by USPS is a federal crime under Title 18 of the United States Code, and the Postal Inspection Service investigates these cases.

Watch Out for Package Delivery Scams

Fake “missed delivery” and “package on hold” text messages and emails are common when people are expecting deliveries, and the holidays are no exception. The FTC and USPIS both warn about this scam. The message looks like it is from a carrier and tells you to click a link or pay a small redelivery fee to release your package.

Do not click any link in a text or email like this. Do not pay any fee through a link you received by text. USPS says it does not send texts or emails unless you signed up for them with a tracking number, and those messages do not contain links.

If you are expecting a delivery and want to check the status, go directly to the carrier’s official website by typing the address yourself in your browser, then enter your tracking number there. That is the only reliable way to check a package’s status. The FTC has more guidance on delivery scams at consumer.ftc.gov.

Quick-Reference Checklist

• Sign up for USPS Informed Delivery at usps.com (free)
• Turn on delivery notifications for every shipment you are expecting
• Ask a neighbor to bring in deliveries when you will be away
• Add delivery instructions directing packages to a less visible spot
• Use USPS Hold for Pickup, Package Intercept, or Hold Mail for trips
• Select in-store pickup or parcel locker options when available
• Require a signature for high-value shipments
• Ship to work or a trusted person’s address when your home will be empty
• Use a lockable delivery box and motion-activated lighting on your porch
• If a package is stolen: check the area, contact the seller, file a carrier claim, report to local police, and report USPS theft to USPIS
• Never click links in “missed delivery” texts. Check tracking only on the carrier’s real site