OREANDA-NEWS. May 20, 2014. Following successful trials in Ingolstadt and the greater Bonn area, the DHL Paketkasten, a parcel box for residential addresses, is now available for all interested customers in Germany - and can be bought or rented.

“The Paketkasten is the greatest development for our industry since the mailbox. With the Paketkasten, our customers can receive parcels at home, just as easily and routinely as they do their regular mail,” said Jurgen Gerdes, Deutsche Post DHL Board member for Post - eCommerce - Parcel.

This adds another innovative service to the DHL Paket line-up for parcel recipients and offers customers a further option for sending and receiving parcels. “The Paketkasten is another important step on our path to consolidating our position as market leader in Germany and being the clear benchmark in the area of customer focus,” noted Jurgen Gerdes.

"The Paketkasten is the greatest development for our industry since the mailbox."
For its Paketkasten, DHL Paket is primarily targeting owners of single- and two-family homes who can install them on their property. However, people living in apartment buildings do not have to miss out on this innovative solution for receiving parcels in the future. The only prerequisites for using one are simply the availability of sufficient space where it can be installed and easy access for DHL delivery personnel. When these are in place, nothing else stands in the way of receiving and sending parcels virtually at one’s own door: Regardless of whether the customer is at home, they won’t miss the delivery of their parcels in the future. The parcels will be deposited in the Paketkasten located directly at the customer’s door. This will save customers from having to go to the nearest postal outlet or a neighbor to pick up their parcels. In addition, parcels are deposited in a locked container and protected against theft. The Paketkasten can be used for more than just receiving parcels. It can also be used to return parcels or directly mail parcels and packets that have the correct stamps attached.

During the development of the new Paketkasten, customer wishes were given center stage: The various sizes, designs, colors and mounting methods offer a variety of options for customization. The introductory price for the basic model is 99 euros. For those who do not want to buy their own Paketkasten right away, DHL is offering the option of renting one for a monthly fee starting at 1.99 euros. This option is also now available nationwide.

With more than 13,000 outlets, over 10,000 DHL Paketshops, some 2,650 Packstations and 1,000 Paketboxes, DHL Paket currently offers customers the densest network for mailing parcels in Germany. The market leader delivered more than a billion parcels for the first time in 2013.