Mailbox Information Guide

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Locking Mailboxes - And How They Work  (home use):
Almost all USPS-approved locking mailboxes suitable for home use work the same basic way.  The letter carrier deposits mail through an incoming mail door or slot.  This is never locked and the letter carrier doesn't carry or need a key.    The homeowner removes the mail by unlocking a separate mail-removal door with a key.   Depending on the mailbox, the key-locked door can be in the front, rear, or sometimes both.

Once deposited in the mailbox, the incoming mail is protected by a variety of methods.  The protection method usually involves a mail-slot that's too small to get a hand through.  Or, if the mailbox is larger, a series of baffles are included in the incoming mail path.  The baffles are configured to make it extremely difficult if not impossible to get a hand inside or to remove mail.  

Outgoing mail is not protected.  It is handled by placing it in a separate compartment in or near the incoming mail door.  Sometimes the outgoing mail is held by a clip.  Sometimes it just sits inside the door.  The outgoing mail must be available to the letter carrier, so it is not locked. 

Why are there so few curbside, rural-style, locking mailboxes?  The reason has to do with the incoming mail slot.  To qualify for USPS approval the incoming mail slot must be a certain size.  Unless the mailbox itself is large enough to accommodate a properly sized slot, it will not be approved, and most mailboxes simply aren't large enough.  Approved round-top, rural style curbside mailboxes with incoming mail slots are generally 9" wide or wider.  See our Keystone, Lexington, SpecialLite, Whitehall, and Imperial models for curbside rural-styles with locking capability.  This is not to say there are not lots of locking mailboxes available for the consumer.  See our Oasis and Oasis Jr., Pinnacle, Secure-Logic, and our Complete Selection with more than 100 choices of home models.  

Wall-mounted locking mailboxes.  There are two protection methods employed here.  In most cases the incoming mail enters through a slot at the top, and is removed by the owner through a key-locked front door.  But some wall-mounted locking mailboxes have a double lid.  The outer lid is unlocked and when lifted, allows access to the inner lid.  The inner lid is locked and has an incoming mail slot through which the letter carrier places incoming mail.  The owner removes the mail by unlocking the inner lid and removing the mail.   

Locking Inserts:  Locking inserts for curbside mailboxes "disallowed" by the USPS in mid-2008..  Neverthless, letter carriers usually continue to deliver to a mailbox with a locked insert, if it has been present before the ruling.  Additionally, some letter carriers will deliver even to brand new locking inserts. 

Locking inserts are used to convert a non-locking mailbox to a locking mailbox.  A locking insert should only be used for the mailbox for which it was designed.  The probability that a locking insert will fit a different mailbox is marginal, at best.  Locking inserts essentialy serve as a mail "safe" which is bolted to the inside of a regular curbside mailbox.  The letter carrier carries no key, but rather inserts the mail through an incoming mail slot.  You, the owner, open the door and remove the mail with your key.  The incoming mail slot is too small to get a hand through, preventing theft of your mail.  Additionally, there's usually plenty of room above the locking insert for magazines and 9" x 12" evenelopes, and junk mail.  

Rear Doors : Curbside mailboxes can have rear doors.  These are sometimes called double-door mailboxes.  The owner can remove the mail from the rear of the mailbox but the letter carrier inserts the mail through the front.  They're useful for through-the-fence applications, or for placement along busy roads.  For applications requiring both a front and rear door on the mailbox, look for availability shown by the small R2 next to the mailboxes on the various mailbox pages.  Double-door mailboxes are usually custom made and require additional fabrication time.   

Mailbox Posts:  Mailbox posts are usually not included with mailboxes, except where stated. 

Almost any post will work with any mailbox - except where noted otherwise.  But unless the post and mailbox are from the same manufacturer, some "rig-up" will be required.  This task is usually well within the capabilities of installers or handy homeowners.  Drilling new holes in the bottom of the mailbox or the mounting plate on the post is usually involved.  Alternately a wood "mounting plate" can be fabricated.  The mounting plate can be drilled with appropriate holes to match the bolt pattern of the mailbox, and additional holes to match the bolt pattern of the post. 

Most mailbox posts are intended to be put into fresh-poured concrete or surface-mounted to a concrete base. If you intend to use an in-ground post, you can expect to dig 18" into the ground and pour two or three bags of concrete to support the post.  If you order a surface mount post, it is bolted down to a pre-existing concrete base; to bolts that are left protruding at the time the concrete is poured.  Alternately, for pre-existing concrete, the solution is to use "Red-Head" or similar bolts that are designed to anchor into holes drilled into the concrete. 

Some mailbox posts are intended to be installed over a 4 x 4 treated wood post, as denoted on the website.  Please be aware that a standard 4 x 4 wood post is actually 3½" x 3½".  In most cases the post is put 18" deep into the ground.    

Custom Made From "Scratch":  Although some of our mailboxes are custom made, they are made according to USPS pre-approved designs.  We cannot fabricate a mailbox from "scratch."  Example:  we will sometimes receive a request for a mailbox that looks like an ambulance or a motorcycle.  We cannot make this type of mailbox.  A number of our mailboxes are custom made, and those where the address is engraved or otherwise permanently affixed to the mailbox.  Custom made mailboxes are generally non-refundable.  See Returns.    

Materials:  Aluminum?  Steel?  Powder Coat Steel? Powder Coat Aluminum?
If you live in a severe climate or along the seashore, an all-aluminum mailbox is your best bet.  Aluminum can never rust - although it does corrode or oxodize with time.  Powder coated aluminum probably provides the safest "bet" in extreme conditions.  Powder coat steel, however, is extremely durable and will easily last twenty or more years, even in extreme conditions.  Be cognizant of the hardware used on the mailbox you purchase.  Quality mailboxes use stainless steel or brass hardware to prevent rust  

Powder Coating:  Much ado is made about powder coating, but what is it?  Powder coating is a painting process that's extraordinarily durable.  Painting is accomplished by applying an electrical charge to the (e.g.) mailbox and an opposite electrical charge to the paint.  Paint sprayed on in this fashion is extremely adherent to the substrate - the material being painted.  Powder coating is such a durable finish that numerous airplaine engine parts are powder coated.  An unscratched powder-coated mailbox can last 100 years or more without difficulty.  Don't misunderstand the word "unscratched".  Powder-coat finishes are extremely tough, but they're not impossible to scratch.  If scratched, bare metal is exposed and the protection of the powder-coating in that area is gone, exposing the metal to corrosion.  But even a scratched powder-coat mailbox can last 50 or more years.   

Copper and Brass Mailboxes:  All of our copper and our brass mailboxes are coated with a clear lacquer to preserve the finish.  No amount of lacquer, however, will last indefinitely.  After a number of years sun and rain will cause the copper or brass to darken and after even more years copper will begin to get the "verdigris" look, like the Statue of Liberty.  You can accelerate the process by ordering your copper mailbox uncoated.  The absence of lacquer allows the mailbox to begin to oxidize immediately so that the desirable verdigris color is achieved years earlier.  Brass will simply darken after the lacquer coating wears off after ten or more years.  Brass can be polished back to its original lustre with a quality brass polish and you can be re-coated with laquer. 

Bulk Commercial Orders, Homeowners Associations, and Contractors:   Let us know what you need, by going to THIS PAGE.  Fill in the information and send it to us.  We will deliver a quotation to you by the next business day, often sooner.   

Arrow Locks for Commercial Mailboxes:  An Arrow lock is a lock installed by the United States Post Office.  CBUs - Cluster Box Units and 4C group mailboxes - need Arrow locks installed by the Post Office.  You don't get a key to the Arrow lock.  The Arrow Lock opens the master door.  The master door holds all the doors to the individual "tenant" mailboxes. By opening the master door, the letter carrier can quickly deliver the mail to all the individual tenant mailboxes without opening each one individually.   Only the letter carrier has the key to the master door.  Your tenants or homeowners get keys to their individual mailbox doors  Commercial mailboxes with Arrow locks are reserved for group or business applications.  Installed at home, the USPS generally will not deliver to Arrow-lock boxes except in hardship cases which must be pre-approved by the USPS.   

USPS Approval: Almost all of the mailboxes we carry are USPS approved.  Generally, letter carriers will deliver to any mailbox that's reasonable, even if not USPS approved, but this is mainly for home mailboxes.  In commercial situations, the USPS will balk at a non-approved mailbox and usually will not deliver to it.   Curbside placement in home situations is important and if properly placed you should have no problems.  The USPS likes a certain setback from the curb and a certain height to the floor of the mailbox - but this is a local consideration.  Consult with your local Post Office for the preferred measurements for both setback and height. 

Returns:  In accordance with our Refund Policy most mailboxes can be returned for a full merchandise refund provided they are returned according to these procedures.  Custom-made mailboxes, however, or mailboxes which have been altered to include a name or address are non-refundable, except for defects.   

Vandal-Resistant and Tamper-Resistant:  Vandals try to harm your mailbox.  Thieves will tamper with your mail - they could care less about the mailbox.  These are obviously two very different considerations.  But the strength built in to tamper-resistant mailboxes makes them vandal resistant to varying degrees.  Any of our Locking Mailboxes qualifies as Tamper-Resistant.  Vandal-Resistant Mailboxes, however, are made of heavy-gauge steel - the heavier the better.  Our Heavy-Built Mailboxes can support a trailer truck driving over them without damage.  Additionally, our LetterLocker Mailboxes are extremely durable and serve a variety of functions - home and commercial.  For our complete selection see our Vandal-Resistant Mailboxes selection.