Pakman Is A Letterbox Safe For Secure Parcel Delivery

The Pakman Parcel Delivery Box is the latest attempt to break into the home security locker market. It allows postal workers to securely deliver parcels without the need for a signature, with enough room to store a standard A3 box or a crate of wine. The recipient also receives an automatic email or SMS to inform them that they have received a parcel.

One of the chief frustrations of home delivery services is the need to sign off on large parcels — if you’re at work or otherwise indisposed, the item usually ends up languishing in a post office storeroom. In worst case scenarios, it could even end up being returned to the sender. We’ve looked at solutions to this annoyance in the past, with the most recent being the My Parcel Box Vault.

Now, veteran security supplier Mayo Hardware has entered the fray with a parcel delivery box of its own. The result is the Pakman; a metal safe with a three-way locking system that has been designed to be placed at the front door or fence line of residential homes.

The unit comes with a scannable barcode fixed to the parcel chute which is registered to the owner’s address. Couriers can then use their PDAs to scan the code on delivery to confirm the address and unlock the parcel door (this will also send the customer a confirmation message). The Pakman unit has been specifically scaled around Australia Post standard parcel boxes to ensure the majority of deliveries will fit.

“More and more people find themselves setting aside time to collect their parcels or sending their online purchases to their workplace. The Pakman Parcel Delivery Box is designed to save online shoppers’ time and money by ensuring all packages are delivered safely and securely to residential properties,” Mayo’s national marketing manager Mark Thame said in a statement.

“For added security, the owner can also periodically update their combination lock code online.”

Fastway Couriers are currently on board with the service and the system will be available to all national parcel delivery operators.

The Pakman retails for $299 and can be snapped up at Bunnings stores, nationwide. Customers can also pick up matching wall frame kits and mailboxes for $79 and $94-99, respectively. The Pakman is $50 more expensive than the aforementioned My Parcel Box Vault — however, Mayo Hardware has assured us that there are no additional costs for its service. My Parcel Box requires the user to pay a $1.10 “service fee” per week. The Pakman is available in a choice of white, charcoal and sand, which apparently match the COLORBOND colours used in homes.

As we noted in our My Parcel Box coverage, the success of this kind of thing is largely dependent on the support of courier services as well as the intelligence of individual delivery workers. We’ve all been home during an allegedly “unsuccessful” delivery before — can we really trust these people to use the box properly when even a doorbell gives them trouble? That said, anything that saves you an unwanted trip to the post office is obviously worth considering.


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