Don't you love the convenience of shopping online? Thanks to Amazon and other online retailers, you can have all of your Christmas shopping done in just a few clicks and delivered to your short-term apartment within a few days.

The main downside to online shopping and front-door delivery is the growing problem of theft. Christmas gifts that sit outside your apartment for hours are sitting ducks for robbers, and to make things worse, packages seem to disappear more frequently this time of year. 

We want to help. Here are some tips for deterring the Christmas nabbers out there and reducing the likelihood that your temporary apartment might be a target for package theft. 

Require a signature

If you don't want your package sitting outside your apartment at all, opt to have a signature required upon delivery. (You'll select this option when you place your order.)

As long as you're able to plan your schedule around your delivery company's schedule, this is a great way to keep your Christmas deliveries from ending up in the wrong hands.

Track your package

If you're not sure you can be home at the exact time of the delivery to sign for a package, then tracking your package is a better option. That way, you can count on it still being delivered even if you can't make it home in time. By knowing when it's delivered, though, you can head to your apartment shortly after it arrives to keep it from sitting at your front door for a long period of time.

Signing up for text alerts is a great way to keep tabs on your tracking. It's utterly effortless on your part. Instead of typing in a long tracking number and searching for your package's location, you can count on being notified when it's in transit.

Schedule your delivery

UPS My Choice is a service that allows you to plan when your package is delivered to your short-term apartment. UPS My Choice notifies you the day before your package is delivered and gives you a two-hour window for when you can expect it to arrive.

If that window doesn't work with your schedule, you can select to have the package delivered at a different time, or you can even reroute your package to a different destination.

Get it delivered to work

If you're spending more time at work than you are at home, then why not just have your package shipped to the office? Check with your employer to make sure they're okay with personal deliveries being made to work. If they are, then we highly recommend this option. That way, you can go about your workday as usual without trying to track a package, reschedule a delivery, or leave the office at an inopportune time to go sign for a package. 

We have more tips for short-term apartment living

Protecting your Christmas deliveries from nabbers is not the only kind of advice we have for temporary apartment tenants. Our relocation specialists can answer all of your short-term housing questions when it comes to furnished apartment living, furniture rentals and more. Contact us today. We'd love to help!