Shopping for a locking mailbox seems like a pretty simple task.
Just go find a mailbox that has a cylinder lock or padlock and make sure it works-then buy it, right? Wrong.
There are many varieties of locking mailboxes and depending on your type of business or personal use, there is probably one that is specifically geared towards your exact needs whether you know it or not.
Let's break down the different kinds of locking mailboxes and how they're used.
Personal Use There are a lot of different kinds of locking mailboxes for home and personal use.
Of course if you get yourself a PO Box you'll already have a built in lock and won't have to worry about your privacy.
Also going to places like Mailboxes Etc will offer this feature as well on their mailboxes.
If you have a roadside mailbox then there are lockable roadside mailboxes as well you can purchase and install.
The good news is you won't have to settle for a harsh looking aluminum box since many decorative locking mailboxes are now available that look like normal mailboxes.
If you don't have a roadside mailbox and instead use a wall mount or letter box at your home you can also purchase this variety of mailbox that has a lock with a slit on the top to allow your postman to insert your mail.
Business/Commercial Use If you are responsible for many different tenants' mail or employees' mail you might want to consider large cluster units where there are many separate mailboxes all with cylinder locks.
Every employee or tenant can have their own key and access their own locking mailboxes anytime they want.
If you anticipate you'll be receiving larger packages you might want to check out a parcel locker where packages can be delivered to several different recipients.
These typically come as standalone units that have several different large lockers where packages can be delivered and stored.
Large banks of mailboxes like Americana mailboxes or cluster units are the most typical commercial use mailboxes that are locking.
You can usually purchase these in stacks or racks and they require a ladder style stand to keep them secure.
Regardless of what you need the locking mailboxes for you can purchase them online for the least amount of money and will get the best bang for your buck.
Depending on the style of mailbox you purchase you'll have to pay for shipping which can add up but even if you were to purchase these locally you would have to pay for movers or technicians to set up the mailbox in many cases.
Additionally, a good tip you should follow is calling your local post office to make sure they'll be able to deliver to your kind of mailbox.
For example if you plan on setting up a bank of mailboxes that will have many recipients, access to the rear loading of the mailboxes will have to be given to the post office to deliver the mail, this will usually require a key provided with the mailboxes.