The Post Box

Stop for a minute and think what life would be like without the hundreds, even thousands of little inventions that make our day to day lives easier; that we will barely give any thought to in our lifetime, that we pretty much take for granted. Well here at Mailbox Mania we spend a lot of time thinking about just one such contraption; one of the most simple and effective, one that is used every day, and that conveniently helps us to stay in contact with the outside world; the humble little letterbox.

With Christmas fast approaching your letterbox will be working ten to the dozen over the coming weeks, as the postman goes about his business conveying cards, parcels, postcards, presents and letters from one letterbox to the next, and without the means of safely and securely delivering mail, in the absence of a letterbox who knows where Auntie Myrtle’s Christmas present, or the card from uncle Ron would end up?

That’s why here at Mailbox Mania we spend our day thinking about post boxes, mail boxes and letterboxes; so that you don’t have to! When it comes to the business of supplying a post box to commercial clients or a letterbox to domestic customers, we’ve got pretty much every type of letterbox that could possibly be required, and we can help you to source the right letterbox to suit your home and your requirements.

Perhaps you are in need of an extra large capacity letterbox that will hold large quantities of letters, or you are just in search of a particular style of letterbox, that is unique and complements the style of your home, or maybe one that is durable, with added security, a letterbox that you can be confident will keep your personal post secure, then here at Mailbox Mania we are on hand to help you find just the right type of letterbox solution to meet your particular needs. Even if you’re a business looking for a safe and secure letterbox where you can store any mail that is delivered to your business address, we’ve got the right postal solution for you, with our range of secure lockable letterboxes that will help to ensure that your business correspondence is kept in a safe place, that can be conveniently accessed by key holders only.

With our wide range of letterboxes of all kinds of shapes and sizes, that are made from various different materials, from high grade plastic, to steel, stainless steel and cast aluminium, Mailbox Mania are sure to have your letterbox available now for you to order online.

There are many types of letter boxes available on the market, but what should you look for when purchasing a letter box for your property.  Much will depend on where you live and what type of property you live in as to the type of letter box you will need.  If you live in an apartment in an urban area, you may be more concerned about vandalism of the letter box than if you live in a rural country mansion.  There are several key things you will need to take into consideration.

Security of your incoming mail.  Steel or cast aluminium letter boxes are stronger and more robust than the plastic variety.   Letter boxes made of some kind of metal are more durable than other materials and are usually supplied with a key. Having a key is fundamental to keeping your mail secure whatever material it is made of, and having a steel letter box with a built in anti arson facility will ensure that the contents are less likely to be damaged in the case of the letter box being set alight.

The size of your letter box is also a consideration, and most letter boxes come in a standard size to accept A4 envelopes.  There are large capacity letter boxes available as well as ones which will accept newspapers and magazines.  The latter is very useful if you receive a lot of publications as they can be slotted into the letter box.

If you live in an apartment block or your company is located in an office block, there are multi occupancy letter boxes available and you will normally be allocated a mail box and key by the management company under the service agreement.

Many letter boxes are mounted on the wall or gate outside the property and they should always be easily accessible for the postman.  Letter boxes of this type are available in a variety of materials and styles. If you are fixing a letter box to a wall or gate, you should ensure that it is securely fastened and cannot be easily removed, especially in urban areas where the crime rate is high.

Many letter boxes are slots in the front door of the property and these are easily fitted into wooden and PVC doors.  There are also mail cages which can be mounted inside the door which catch the mail as the postman pushes the mail through the letter box.  This prevents the mail falling on the floor and getting damaged by the dog or the kids!

Whether you are choosing a letter box for residential or business purposes, you may wish to consider some of the points above to ensure that you purchase the correct post box to suit your purpose.   There is no substitute for a secure letter box which is conveniently placed both for the postman to deliver the mail and for you to retrieve it.  Even in with the increase in the use of email and internet marketing, the letter box is important.

There is a bewildering variety of post boxes available, so when you want to purchase a post box, you have lots of designs, styles and materials to choose from.   It will depend on what type of property you need the post box for as to which you will buy.  There are four basic designs of post boxes. A simple slot in the door is the most popular design for urban properties and can be seen in most front doors in the UK.  This design of post box is also known as a letter plate. They are easy to fit and provide good access for the postman to deliver your letters.  The slot in the door post box must be well fitted so that there are no draughts which will allow heat loss from your property.  If a retaining spring on the post box breaks, then it is better to replace the whole letter box so that it does not rattle in the wind.  You can also purchase indoor letter cages to complement your letter box so that mail pushed through the door does not fall on the floor.  The slot letter box can be made of aluminium, stainless or galvanised steel and can be fitted in uPVC or wooden doors.

The second design of letter box is a box attached to your property, gate or wall.  There are many styles of letter box of this design.  Some have rear retrieval options with a mail chute which may be more convenient in some situations.  Other letter boxes are large capacity specifically designed for newspapers and large letters.  The box design of a post box can be lockable, anti arson and made of a number of steel, cast aluminium or plastic, depending on your requirements.

Post boxes which are located on the street or at the end of a drive in remote areas are normally mounted on a post or wall.  Some post boxes are built into a wall and have a letter plate and lockable front panel.  There are models of post boxes which have their own mount and are easily installed.  Free standing post boxes of this type are made of steel or cast aluminium, are weatherproof and durable.

Multi occupancy post boxes are designed for buildings which are occupied by different residents such as an apartment block, or a commercial property which is rented by a number of companies. Individual residents will want to make sure that mail is delivered to the correct address within the building, and the easiest way is to have a multi occupancy post box on the ground floor. Each resident has access to his / her post box and are provided with a key by the management company which looks after the communal areas of the building.

Whatever your requirements for a post box you will be able to find a design, style and colour to suit your purpose.  By shopping around, you will be able to find the best price within your budget.  There are many companies offering post boxes on the internet.

Letter boxes are typically mounted on or near the front door of a property, or are slits in the door into which the postman can put the letters.  For those living in remote areas this may not be an option as gates may be locked while you are out at work and the postman may not be able to get to the front door.  In these circumstances, letter boxes may be mounted on gates or in the walls of gate posts.  Letter boxes can even be built into walls.  It will make it easier for the postman if he does not have to drive up long tracks and driveways to deliver your letters.

With properties in rural areas, security of your mail is a concern as letter boxes located away from the property are vulnerable.  Mail can be stolen or letter boxes vandalised.  If you are concerned about this, you can fit anti arson letter boxes which have in-built systems to put out a fire so that it cannot spread to other areas.  All mail boxes should have a key, and additional protection can be provided by the addition of a CCTV installation. If you are concerned about security, then you may have a CCTV surveillance system in any case, and an additional camera to monitor who comes to the gate and takes an interest in your letter box will cost very little.

Fitting a letter box to your gate or wall is easy. There are several styles available and materials can vary from stainless steel to cast iron in a range of colours.  Large capacity letter box specifically for mounting on gates or railings are available and most are sold with all the fitments you will need.  They are rear retrieval, have fire extinguishers and locks for maximum security.   Cast aluminium letter boxes are very stylish and add a bit of class to your front gate or railings.  Letter boxes built into the wall can have mail shutes to take the contents away from the mail slot.  These are also available with built in fire extinguishers and are available in a variety of colours.

Some householders in remote areas do not use a letter box at all, but the postman just opens the porch door and throws the mail in.  This is fine where there is a further interior door which is locked, but in low crime areas, it is still not unusual to leave doors unlocked. It is much better to have a letter box to receive your mail.  Letter boxes make sure that your letters stay together and prevent them from being damaged.  An internal mail cage on the back of the letter box can catch the mail so it does not fall to the floor.

If you live in a remote area where the letter box is not easily accessible, some thought should be given to installing a letter box on the gate or railings or in the wall.  It will make life easier for the postman delivering your letters.

Whether you are a private resident, an individual working from home, or a business, you will need a letter box to receive your incoming mail.  Letter boxes are available in many designs, but there are only four basic styles.  The slot in the door, the letter box which fixes to a door or wall, a multi occupancy mail box and free standing letter boxes which can be mounted on a post.  Letter boxes were first introduced into Britain the Post Office in 1849 in an effort to reduce the workload of the postman.  When letters were delivered, there was often nowhere to put them so post boxes started to appear to make mail delivery quick and easy.

Despite the growth in electronic mail, there is still a great demand for letter boxes to receive mail which cannot be sent by electronic means such as magazines and secure correspondence.  Private residents find letter boxes useful as they are often at work when the mail is delivered. The growth of on line shopping means that many more parcels are delivered. If the recipient is not at home, a card can be put in the letter box to advise the recipient that there is a parcel waiting at the post office.

With an increase in the number of people who work from home either on a permanent or temporary basis, letter boxes are required by home based workers for the delivery of important documents and parcels from head office.  While the majority of correspondence can be done electronically, some items may be sent by post to the home worker, and a letter box to receive them is required.

Businesses also receive mail at offices, and again letter boxes are required.  In a multi occupancy building where there are many offices, it saves time for the postman to deliver the mail to the individual post boxes in a multi occupancy post box on the ground floor rather than visit every floor in the building.  This would be very time consuming especially in a large building, although items requiring a signature must be delivered by hand.

Post boxes are a valuable addition to any building, saving time and money for the post office, as well as the recipient who need not visit the post office to collect the mail.  The location of the post box should be as convenient as possible for the postman, so that he does not have to spend time walking round the property to find it.

Mail can be delivered through the letter box at any time of the day.  Security of the mail must be considered, and most letter boxes are sold with a key.  There are also anti arson letter boxes in case someone tries to set fire to the mail.   Where confidential correspondence is sent through the post, a secure letter box is essential, and if in any doubt, you can send letters by recorded delivery to be signed for by the recipient.  Large capacity post boxes are particularly useful for receiving newspapers and large envelopes which would not fit in a standard letter box.

Despite the use of email for many communications, many companies and organisations still prefer to send paper communications, and this means that there is still a requirement letter boxes. Banks, lawyers, financial services, tax authorities and other public services still prefer to send snail mail and the recipient needs some kind of letter box so that the mail can be delivered.

Domestic letter boxes are generally a box on the wall or a slot in the door designed for a limited amount of mail.  There are large capacity mail boxes available and letter boxes specifically designed for newspapers.  Residential users are typically at work when mail is being delivered, so a letter box is essential or mail will have to be collected from the post office.   With the increase in on line shopping, parcels are often delivered when the addressee is out and a card is left in the letter box advising that a parcel is waiting at the post office.

People who work from home find letter boxes useful for receiving payment for work carried out and contracts for work which it may not be possible to send electronically.   There is a growth in the number of people working from home, and they all need a communications system either with head office or, if they are self employed, with their clients.

Mail order companies rely on goods and services being delivered to homes and businesses and a letter box is essential Multi occupancy letter boxes are usually installed in commercial premises where there are several organisations.  This type of letter box is also used in apartment blocks.

The Royal Mail is responsible for ensuring that correspondence is delivered to the right addressee, and letter boxes must be available for them to place the mail. Letter boxes make the postman’s job much easier as he does not have to wait around for someone to be at home or in the office before he can hand over the mail.

Where confidential information is sent though the post by banks and other financial organisations, letter boxes are essential.  These types of organisations do not correspond by email, often due to technological difficulties with firewalls. Public bodies such as the tax authorities and passport office do not use email either, often for the same reasons.  If they want to ensure that the customers receive their correspondence, the humble letter box plays a great part in the process of mail delivery.  If the mail has been sent by recorded or registered post and must be signed for, again the postman can leave a note in the letter box asking the recipient to collect from the post office.

Letter boxes are, then, still used by a wide range of people for all kinds of reasons.  From multi national organisations in the corporate sector to the individual domestic user, letter boxes essential and are here to stay. There are reasons to have a letter box if you want to remain in contact with the outside world!

Even with the advent of the digital age, it is thought that the Royal Mail delivers 72 million letters every day. Having a letter box to receive incoming mail is still an important part of life. At Christmas, there is a phenomenal growth in the numbers of letters, cards and parcels delivered our letter boxes, and the mail service is stretched to the limit. Temporary postmen are employed and the site of your letter box is even more important to make it easy for the postman to find your letter box. If your letter box is easy to find and accessible, it will speed up the postman’s job of delivering the mail and allow him to get home early.

Where you live will in the main dictate where the letter box is located, and the type of letter box you will have. If you live in an urban area with terraced housing, the majority of letter boxes are in the front doors or on the wall adjacent to the door. The post box should not be at the rear of the property, unless that is the door facing the road and other houses in the road have their post boxes at the back door. Make it easy for the postman by locating the post box at the same side of the building as your neighbours.

Houses with gates and gardens may have the letter box on the gate post or in the garden to make it quicker and more convenient for the postman to deliver your mail. In rural areas, especially farms, there may not be a letter box at all, but the postman knows by experience where to put the mail. You can make it easier for the postman by putting a post box at the end of your track so that he does not have to physically drive up to the house to deliver your mail, unless there is a package to be signed for. If you live in an apartment block, you will not have a choice about where to locate the letter box as this will have been decided by the developers and the management committee when the block was built. This will also apply to office blocks.

The most important point to take into account when deciding on a site for your letter box is that is convenient and easy to access, but also it must be visible to the postman who may not be familiar with the area. You will also want to take into account security of your mail by having a lockable or arson proof post box.

The provision of a letter box in which your mail can be placed safely and securely allows the postman to fulfil his duties efficiently. If the letter box is easy to find and sympathetically sited, it will make his job easier, especially in the winter on days when the weather is bad and the postman just wants to get home. Think about the postman when deciding on the location for your new letter box, and if you have a choice of places it might be sited, make sure it is easy to use.

Even in these days of emails and other electronic transmission of correspondence, the humble Letter Box is of paramount importance for your communications.   There are four main designs of Letter Boxes for incoming mail – a simple slot in the door,  a box attached directly on to your house, a Post Box on the street and a unit which is designed for multi occupancy buildings which provides Letter Boxes for individual residents.

The simple slot in the door style of Letter Box by far the most commonly used in the United Kingdom, especially in urban areas.   It is convenient for the postman as he can simply deliver the mail without having to open individual receptacles.  The Letter Boxes are often pre-fitted into new doors and can be made of aluminium, chrome, brass, uVPC or stainless steel.  The design of the Letter Box allows weather proofing by having an interior draught excluder.  Many Letter Boxes have spring loaded flaps to ensure that they close automatically and are weatherproof.   The slots in the door are usually horizontal, but can be vertical, and measure 30 cm by 5cm (12inches by 2 inches).

Letter boxes which are directly attached to your property  may be more beneficial if you regularly receive larger envelopes which will not fit through the standard slots.  .  The Letter Boxes can be mounted on the door and be made of stainless steel, cast aluminium, uVPC or wood.  Security of your mail may be an issue with this style of letter box and the slot should be small enough so that the mail cannot be retrieved once it has been delivered.  The front of the box usually has an aperture which can be opened with a key by the owner of the letter box.

Standard letter boxes on the street in North America consist of a metal box mounted on a post, usually with a tag which can be reset to indicate that mail has been delivered.  In the UK,  there is a selection of letter boxes which can be mounted by the roadside on posts or on walls for the convenience of the postman.  If you have a dog who does not like the postman, this may be an option for you as you can mount the post box outside the gate so that the postman does not have to come into the garden.  To keep your mail safe, the post box will have a key so that mail can be retrieved only by the owner.

Letter boxes for multi occupancy buildings usually consist of a bank of individual boxes with keys.  This style of letter box can be located either inside or outside the building with the numbers on the boxes corresponding to that of the apartment or office.   The Letter Boxes can be constructed to suit each building, with the same number of individual boxes made available for each company or residence.

All in all, Letter Boxes continue to be an important part of any communications, despite the phenomenal rise in the usage of email and electronic messaging.

Are you an individual with a big personality? If so, you probably love being different, and trying to stand out from the crowd. Well, here’s another way to do that—decorate your postbox! Why not make it a statement of your creativity and personality? Here are some ideas on how to decorate a postbox or letter box.

First, gather together some craft materials. You can use stickers, vinyl cling-ons, paints, glitter glue, and anything that you could glue onto the postbox or draw onto it with.

Now, get some ideas down on paper. Do a rough sketch of what you have in mind so that you can work from it with your final design. That way you will make fewer mistakes and you will have a basic idea of how your letter box will look when it’s finished.

If you want to do a flower/garden theme, you could use flower stickers and paint stems and blaids of grass with green paint. Be sure to use waterproof paint, or go over the whole box with a waterproof finish when you are done so it won’t be spoiled by the weather.

Another idea is to paint the outside with little windows and doors as if it were a house or barn. You could even paint little animal faces looking out of the windows of your barn.

Bring a smile to the faces of everyone who sees your new post box. Be creative, colourful, and express your personality to the world.

If you are planning to buy a letter box for your house or flat, you may be unsure of what type of box to buy, or where to buy it. Here are some ideas and suggestions to help you decide form a variety of letterboxes.

First, find a company that offers a good variety of choice, such as Mailbox Mania. They offer many different styles, sizes, shapes, and colours of letterboxes.

Now, figure out what kind of letterbox you need. Do you get a newspaper delivered? If so, you will want a box large enough to hold your post along with a newspaper. Do you have parcels delivered? Again, you’ll need a large box. Do you like traditional looking boxes? You may want a red one or a stainless steel one. Or, if you want a modern looking one, you could ven choose a plastic one.

Decide what will look good on your gate, fence, door, or the side of your house. For instance, if you have a red door, a red box might look good — but then it might also be harder for the postman to spy from the road and he might not realize you have a box. Choose a colour that is visible but that you think looks good.

Mailbox Mania offers letter boxes in the following colours: red, green, black, white, silver, and stainless steel. There should be something for everyone.

Once you find the box you like, simply purchase, and have it put up on your door or gate, or wherever you want it mounted. If you need permission first, make sure to obtain it.