Why the US Postal Service is asking you to upgrade your mailbox: Blame porch pirates

Joyce Orlando, USA TODAY NETWORK
·1 min read

Think that old mailbox is doing just fine? Well the United States Postal Service thinks it may be time for an upgrade to help deter "porch pirates".

In 2023, statistics show some 119 million package thefts occurred in the U.S., the equivalent of one out of every 200 deliveries, according to data compiled by Capital One. Americans lost some $13.4 billion to package theft last year, with the average stolen package worth around $112. To help combat this growing number, it may be time to upgrade.

Here's what USPS is suggesting people upgrade to when it comes to their mailbox.

USPS: Upgrade to a larger mailbox

USPS is encouraging people to upgrade their mailbox to something a bit sturdier, especially if they receive a large number of packages. Here's what the postal service suggests.

Dimensions of the larger boxes are at least 13.63 inches wide by 7.75 inches tall on the sides, 12 inches tall at the center and 16.5 inches deep. These boxes also fit on standard posts of smaller mailboxes.

Where can I get a larger capacity mailbox?

You can get one of these high capacity mailboxes at most home improvement stores like: Home Depot, Lowe's, Menards and True Value.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Why the USPS wants you to upgrade your mailbox