I realise that this question is subject to local trends (and I’m in the US), but I encourage people in other countries to submit their methods!

How do you accept packages/deliveries anonymously? Of course, there are mail redirection services, but a third party which corroborates with different parts of the chain can likely figure out your identity and what you have purchased/have incoming.

I haven’t been able to find a good solution to this yet, and I believe the new rule in the US is that the receivers identity must be reported to the government? This (or a variation of this, I don’t remember) is a recent event.

Thanks!

  • jet@hackertalks.comEnglish
    0·
    7 months ago

    Depends on what you want delivered and your threat model:

    There are services that will buy stuff from Amazon have it delivered to a locker and they give you the code: https://anonshop.app/

    For mail one method has been to scout out a house, the have mail sent to it. Pick it up from the house. (Nobody home, before owners retrieve it, etc)

    You can pay someone money to receive a package then they can leave it at a dead drop

    You can get have someone else setup a mailbox for you, but give you the key. (Post box, or mailbox etc)

    You can use a virtual address service, and they receive the mail for you and scan it so you don’t need physical delivery.

    • NoneYa@lemm.ee
      0·
      7 months ago

      Wondering if this is a thing I can add or not; someone confirm if this is another possibility:

      Rent a room at a hotel/motel and have the package delivered there for the day. Use cash and a fake name to book the room to keep up the anonymity.

      Not sure on the first part or the last part which could be separate issues.

    • hushable@lemmy.world
      0·
      7 months ago

      For mail one method has been to scout out a house, the have mail sent to it. Pick it up from the house. (Nobody home, before owners retrieve it, etc) - this is illegal and considered theft of mail

      An empty plot might be a better idea, I had an acquittance who installed a mailbox in an empty plot on his neighbourhood and had stuff sent there.

      • LesserAbe@lemmy.world
        0·
        7 months ago

        I’ve heard one criticism of this method which is that mail carriers generally know which houses are vacant, so if they get a suspicious package going to such an address that may actually raise an alarm.

        For people ordering drugs for example people will recommend using USPS and a real person’s name/address, since the US postal service requires a warrant before inspecting a package, and the idea is you’re trying to hide in plain sight.