Whenever you pay bills or send money via the mail, you are probably aware of the fact that you should not send cash. The reason is simple: anyone can open your envelope and take the cash and there is nothing you can do about it. Along the same lines, gift cards are a popular gift choice and are essentially the same as cash at retailers which makes them a target for mailbox thieves as well.
People who stoop to mailbox thievery are probably good at recognizing envelopes which would most likely hold cash and/or gift cards, such as birthday or holiday cards sent by relatives. So if you are sending these as gifts, there are a few precautions you can take:
- Use a drop box to send items instead of sticking them in your mailbox (the flag sticking up is a signal that "hey something is in here")
- Purchase insurance on gift cards sent through the mail
- Send via UPS or FedEx instead of USPS
- For cash gifts, consider using something like Paypal instead
Of course, these all lead to inconveniences and additional cost when compared to stamping an envelope and dropping it in your mailbox so the size of your gift my determine what action is appropriate (i.e. you probably don’t need to get insurance on a $20 gift card).
Are there any additional precautions you would recommend for sending these types of gifts?
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