Australia Post Boxes and Hot Weather = Oven.

[d.frost23]

Hi

This is my first post but I wanted to remind everyone that the red/yellow post boxes in the street are metal and become very hot during this heatwave and become an oven. Your item or sachel may melt / damage - especially DVDs or Games and your buyer may not be happy when they recieve the item.

During this heatwave I recommend posting directly at the post office or later in the afternoon as collection is usually around 5-6pm

[lyndal1838]

Good idea but will not make that much difference as the PO collection vans are metal too.

I just don't buy items that could be heat damaged while it is so hot.

[zelly888]

Yes they are metal but they do have a bag inside them that's made of a durable/waterproof/heat proof material.

[d.frost23]

LOL I guess the post bag inside automatically opens and closes as you put mail into the box to keep the cool air inside. Unfortunetley the ones around here dont have this function, the mail just hits the bottom... clunk. Ive seen the mail man get them out in and put them into a cloth bag. But even that didn't look quite heat proof. Thanks, I'll ask him to install this "automatic opening/closing weather proof bag" next time. Didn't think of that.

[zelly888]

The cloth bags sit around a rim inside the post boxes so the mail just falls into them otherwise if they didn't have these bags the mail would spill out onto the ground as soon as the post collector opened the door.Once they take the full bags out they then replace it with another one.

[lyndal1838]

Not all post boxes have the bags inserted in them.  I have often seen mail fall out onto the ground at our local PO when the van driver opens the boxes to collect the mail.

And the bags are not waterproof or weatherproof.....they are very heavy cotton canvas and as such they do provide a small measure of insulation but not enough to cope with this heat.

[zelly888]

You would think that the all the post boxes would be upgraded by now to protect the mail wouldn't you?

[davewil1964]

No. I already pay AP enough for postage. I'm not willing to pay more in order for them to heatproof red boxes (which I hardly use) or yellow boxes (which I never use).

[haolove13]

I agree with the idea of not posting in the red boxes partly because of the heat as the top of the bags are open, and I have seen a posty wince when he touched an EXTREMELY hot ring on the bag, but also because items posted in them does not usually get scanned and therefore your tracking is usually not available.

I lodge everything at the post office and retain postage receipts whenever possible.

They also have a supply of  DO NOT SAFE DROP stickers to ensure your items do not just get left anywhere sorta close to the right address kinda,  if you sorta know what I kinda mean LIKE!!!

Some busy boxes get cleared during the day  but all boxes are cleared  AFTER 6pm. However many post offices have their internal lodgements collected as early as 3 pm, so you need to ask if an item is REALLY urgent if it can be posted in the box outside the post office.

I know that the Holden Hill post box outside the LPO is cleared at exactly 6.00pm as the driver waits until 6 to start his run there.

My old address at Pooraka was normally not cleared until 6.45 and today I was at Fulham gardens and the driver was waiting there until 6.01 pm.

While waiting at Lockleys this evening the one on Henley Beach Road at Lockleys was cleared about 6.25 which is about the time I normally see it get cleared.

It is handy to know regular times as there are occasions when I need to drop a box that is too large to fit the box so I wait  for the posty to arrive and hand him the parcel. Does not get full tracking but sometimes it can save it sitting in the post Office till Monday.

[lyndal1838]

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@zelly888 wrote:

You would think that the all the post boxes would be upgraded by now to protect the mail wouldn't you?

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How is a cotton canvas bag going to protect the mail?

All it does when inserted into the post box is make it easier for the driver to grab the mail in one go without risking to being blown away as it could be if it was loose in the box.