Am I the only one who feels nervous about having stuff shipped to me.

I once odered a speaker system from walmart.com and used the basic UPS ground shipping, two days later, I came home from work, and luckily my neighbor said that UPS came when I wasn't home and they gave the speakers to her and she signed for me. I thanked her, but I was wondering "Gee, what if she had keep it?"

I'd still like to order some more stuff like a computer from Dell, etc. Is there any tips or suggestions on shipping the people here can give me? Like always have Fedex ship it?

Thanks!

Anything that won't fit through the mail slot, I have shipped to my workplace.

Dell has some funky arrangement worked out for shipping when I got my PC a few months ago. First, they gave it to a trucking company, who handed it off to my local post office branch. Then the mailman made the final delivery.

I suggest workplace as well -- if that's acceptable to the place you work. You might want to ask first.

The last computer I ordered from Gateway was scheduled to be delivered on an afternoon when I was home. At the last minute I had to run out for 10 minutes but was sure it wouldn't come in that small window of time. Of course -- it did. The delivery guy left over $1500 worth of equipment on our back deck -- in plain sight of anyone who wanted it. With the Gateway logos all over them.

And just the other day, I came home to several, small DVD-shaped packages sitting on my front step, four feet from the street. I wish they would at least stick them in between the doors. Ah. The postal service. I love that they bring me my DVD's, I just wish they wouldn't offer them up to the entire neighborhood.

The workplace is a good idea. I am not sure if my boss will allow that.

It looks like I will be getting all my dvds from walmart and blockbuster and my next computer from Besbuy. No more online orders for me!

Get a PO box.

I have a PO Box too at school, but it is run by my school and I'd have to wait in a long line and I've heard horror stories about lost shipments or pick up mix ups. But that is still something to think about, I might get a real PO box from a REAL PO.

The problem with a PO box is UPS won't ship to one. So if you order from a site that won't take a PO box address, you have to trick them. Put the address of the actual post office, then your box number like it's an apartment. "123 S Main, #305". When your shipment gets to town, ups figures it out and will mail you a card to your box saying you need to call them to arrange delivery.

I made the mistake of telling them to deliver it to my house the next day instead of picking it up from them, since I was off work that day. But they keep that address in their computer, so the next time they just re-routed it to my house automatically. So I get home from work one day and see my $100+ 14 disc Monty Python set sitting on my porch UNDERNEATH MY WELCOME MAT! Like that was hiding it in some way.

Whoa... that's very clever. But I think I will just pay a bit more to have all my orders fedex'd.

My sister once ordered some cheap airplance tickets from priceline.com and had it fedex, so they came by twice but she wasn't home, so they actually came a third time and left the tickets after the second time they missed her, they left a note saying that if she signs it, they'd leave her tickets by her door. But then UPS leaves them there anyway.

That seems appropriate for a Monty Python box set. It sounds like something from one of their sketches.