FAN OF ONLINE shopping?… Getting a little tired of having to call on your neighbours to pick up your parcels?

Well a solution to that problem could soon be on the way…

An Post in planning to give householders the option of installing a purpose-built delivery box outside their homes by 2015.

Up to 80,000 of the boxes could eventually be manufactured, according to the semi-state — but it’s planned an initial order will be placed for 10,000 of the products.

According to a document requesting expressions of interest, “the delivery box will play a key role between An Post and its’ consumers and will become the main focal point of delivery for our mail service to the consumer”.

It says the finished product should have “excellent security features” and “excellent protection against all kinds of environmental weathering conditions”.

It’s planned the box will be a “self install” product for the customers.

Pilot programmes

“We’ve been piloting and trialing this in a number of urban and rural locations — we’re now moving on to the next stage of product so we can perfect the design” an An Post spokesperson said.

It’s planned the products will come onto the market in the first quarter of next year, and will be available to householders and businesses.

In terms of how much a box will cost, “we don’t know yet – but it will be kept to a minimum,” the spokesperson said.

There’s been a significant increase in the number of goods purchased online being delivered recently: whereas An Post recorded a year-on-year increase in such deliveries of 14 per cent or so from around 2009, that figure jumped to 22 per cent last year.

Meanwhile, delivery of traditional mail has decreased by 30 per cent since 2007

The new boxes will be 37cm x 25cm x 16.5cm, according to An Post.

“They’ll be designed for the most common size of larger jiffy bags and smaller parcels — but in the future we’ll also be looking at expanding the sizes,” the spokesperson said.

By the way — if you happen to be in the die-cast metal business and want a piece of the action, you might want to get your skates on, the deadline for submissions is just a month away.