The United States Postal Service (USPS) is encouraging Americans to upgrade to a new larger capacity mailbox. The new mailboxes are wider and taller, which means they're better equipped to accommodate packages ordered online. A bigger mailbox can cut package damage caused when mail carriers have to stuff them into mailboxes that are too small. It can also cut package theft, which is more likely to happen when packages are too big and are left on the porch instead. An estimated 119 million packages were stolen from porches in 2023, the equivalent of one out of every 200 package deliveries. Collectively, Americans lost $13.4 billion to this crime last year, with the average stolen package worth $112. Next generation mailboxes are approximately 13.63 inches wide, 7.75 inches tall on the sides, 12 inches tall at the center, and 16.5 inches deep. The mailbox fits on most standard posts, but USPS urges Americans to review their installation guidelines before installing a new mailbox. The bigger mailboxes can hold multiple packages, plus regular letters, cards and magazines. Major retailers, including Home Depot, Walmart and Lowe's, sell the package-friendly mailboxes. While prices will vary depending on the retailer, Walmart sells mailboxes from Architectural Mailboxes costing between $46.77 and $86.43. Another bit of bad news from the USPS: the price of a first-class “Forever” stamp will rise from 68¢ to 73¢ ($13.60 for a book) in July. The USPS says prices remain among the most affordable in the world.
