Moving to mbxs.wordpress.com

This blog has sat with no activity for so long and it was easier to simply build a new blog. We will be closing this blog shortly and hope you will hop on over the join us at mbxs.com

You might wonder why we changed our name. We didn’t really, we just got tired of typing out the whole name. We trade marked our name: Mailbox Solutions but it seems a trade mark doesn’t count for much if every person who sells or rents mailboxes has “mailbox solutions.” At least McDonalds was smart enough not to call themselves Best Burgers. No one messes with their trade marked name. In the same token every burger place in the country cooks/broils/grills and serves the “Best Burgers” this side of where ever.

How DID we come up with the name?? Well, ummm we’re lazy and we don’t love l-o-n-g addresses.

MailBoX Solutions, llc is so much faster. We even have a cool new logo. Our license plates are MBXS1 and MBXS2 because you can only put 6 characters on a license plate.

The new blog is still fledgling, but you will be amazed at the stunning photos of mailboxes we will be posting.

Bookmark our new blog and follow us over. We welcome questions from customers or shoppers about our products. Besides, it gives us something to post. YEA a NEW POST!!

Have a wonderful, safe day. We wish you Peace of Mind.

Sincerely,

mbxs.com

or if you love to type use mailboxsolutions.com either one works

follow us at mbxs.wordpress.com,  please?

Peace of Mind Is Worth It

It’s worth everything to know your mail is safe and secure inside a Mailbox Solutions, LLC locking mailbox. In stock.

Looking for the perfect gift? Your loved ones will appreciate a beautiful MADE IN USA locking mailbox. No more worries about being home when the mail arrives in order to make sure a person’s ID doesn’t disappear with their mail.

Just a thought…it’s also a great gift for the person who has everything.

Happy Holidays

Old NBU vs New CBU

Why are the new CBUs better than the old NBUs? Here’s a short list.  LOOKS, SPACE, FUNCTION, SECURITY, HEAVY WEIGHT, NO RUST

These before and                  

 

after photos do showcase some of the issues. 

 

LOOKS > This is quite evident in the photos. Dark Bronze color was selected by this apartment complex to blend in with the natural settings.

SPACE > Four units were needed to replace the six units in the before photo. They are set at the back of the sidewalk freeing up the sidewalk for tenant use without dodging the boxes and people picking up their mail.

FUNCTION > The new mailbox compartments are 12″ wide so the mail is no longer folded and arrives undamaged. At 3″ high each mailbox holds packages such as books, medications and small packages. For oversized packages there are package boxes built into each unit. These tenants went from 4 package boxes to serve everyone to a total of 7 package boxes. The old mailbox compartments were so small very few packages actually fit in a mailbox compartment.

Also there is a large outgoing slot built into the frame of each unit so mailing 10″ x 12″ envelopes is easy, they slide right in.

SECURITY > The mailboxes have extra thick mailbox doors, non-twistable locks, heavy-duty locking bars that hook into the frame. There are no pry points. The outgoing mail is built into the frame and has a fishing guard on the inside. The mail drops out of sights.

NO RUST > The units are fully constructed of stainless steel and aluminum and have a full powder coat finish so there is nothing to rust, ever.

It’s no wonder the USPS de-certified the old style box in 2000 and do not allow them to be installed. In the past 12 years all repair parts were long ago used up.

SAFETY> I know this is not on the list, but it is important to note that the new mailboxes sit at the back of the sidewalk so they do not get damaged by people packing out of tight parking spots.

If your mailboxes are looking horrible or are falling apart in your neighborhood, the post office no longer replaces them. Call us for an estimate for upgrading to the new, strong, handsome, safe and practical CBU, which by the way stands for Cluster Box Unit.

 

 

Skyline Mailbox in the Dark Roast Color

Skyline Locking Mailbox

Here is a photo of the mailbox you all have been waiting to see in color. This is the Skyline Locking Mailbox manufactured in Oregon by us. Mailbox Solutions, LLC.

After being introduced last summer, this box has proved to be one customers really love. It is the smallest mailbox in our line and has the decorative curved front edges.

We have this model available in several options. The Skyline comes with the standard drill resistant lock shown above. It also comes with the keyless pushbutton option, and in the rear door locking model which is especially handy for busy street installations. No more standing in the street to retrieve you mail, it can be conveniently picked up from the back side.

The mailbox has an optional flag and clip for times when a person wants to mail a casual letter or return a DVD from your movie service. As always no individual locking mailbox is allowed per postal regulations to have locked outgoing, so it is not the safest practice to put out bound mail there. It is always best to drop it in a drop box when you are running another errand.

The Skyline is small but its hopper style door accepts small packages such as prescriptions or boxes of checks with ease. It also handles Express Mail Envelopes and a stack of magazines or catalogs with ease.

There is a full line of accessories available in matching powder coat colors. Standard posts in both one the sidewalk and in the ground styles, plain posts and decorative posts, plus two sizes of metal newspaper boxes. There are also adapter plate to hold 2, 3, or 4 mailboxes on a single post.

The Skyline. It’s AWESOME!!

Around Town

What a nice surprise to see so many Made in the USA mailboxes popping up around our town. Here is a sampling of them. They are such a nice upgrade to a neighborhood.

Three Skyline locking mailboxes and large newspaper boxes.

These mailboxes all have the keypad locks. The homeowners also decided to include the additional newspaper boxes.

Locking mailboxes continue to be needed as the poor economy tends to drive more people to theft. The resulting chaos of having your ID stolen, your bank and credit cards compromised is often a long process to re-establish your good credit and to get your funds back into your accounts. It takes time to prove fraud and ID theft and often it goes undiscovered until your credit card is decline.

Skyline locking mailbox on a NW decorative post, again with an optional large newspaper box.

Just because nothing like that has happened before, does not change the fact that the crime still exists. You can stop that from happening to you and upgrade the your landscape by buying a locking mailbox and installing this spring before you plant all your new flowers.

I’m just saying… it’s something to think about. If you decide to upgrade here is a list of things to consider when selecting a mailbox:

The answer to the this list should all be YES.

• Does it meet USPS requirements?
• Will your mail slide in easily?
• Will it hold your average mail?
• Will it hold several days worth if you are out-of-town?
• Do your prescription medications fit in?
• Does it have a quality lock?
• Is it Made in the USA?

These answers need to be NO?

• Are there easy pry points?
• Can someone reach in?
• Is the mail easily “fish-able?”
• What about the door and lock are the light weight?

Additional things to consider:

• How many keys cuts are available? Ours have 4,500 possible keys.
• Where are the locks made? In Belgium
• Why Belgium? They are built to our rigid specifications.
• Everything else is made in Oregon, even our cardboard boxes.
• We ship anywhere in the US.
• Locally, please stop in, bring your mail, check them out.

If you have a questions about our products, please visit our web site www.mailboxsolutions.com

or send us an email: websales@mbxs.com

or phone: 503-486-5575  M-Th 9-5 Fri 9-1

We are here to answer questions and help. We do build our products. We try to always have them in stock. We can address your mailbox in ten minutes so you can expect to come in, try them out, get your questions answered, choose a style, a color, and any accessories and leave with your products. The NW post is customized for you so it is the only item we need a 24 hour notice to have it ready for you.

We look forward to serving you.

Happy New Year!!

As we contemplate this past year and look forward to the future, one question we often get is,  “Why do I need a locking mailbox?” The easy reason is they certainly help deter mail theft which leads to ID theft or fraud.

Did you know that the old “loaf of bread shaped” mailboxes have been around almost since the first mail carrier rode up on his horse for a rural mail delivery. Sure back then they also used barrels but unfortunately they didn’t keep the wind from blowing their letters away. They tried buckets, but they also held rain water. So what to do? Build something cheap, a round top would keep the water from collecting or the snow from piling up and crushing the box, and the lid would keep the wind from blowing the mail away. They could be easily built from lightweight metal since they only needed to be strong enough to hold a letter or two a week.

Sisters Oregon 1904

Pictures like these make us long for the “good old days” when things were safe. However comparing the care of a horse to the care of a car, I think things have gotten easier for us. But the old photos create a longing for things and people that we no longer have.

Christmas cards always evoke nostalgia with sweet paintings of the “cute, crooked little mailbox bedecked in ribbon and greenery holding packages and letters spilling out of the open door.” Where are the other elements shown on the card; the milk bucket, the wood pile, the horse and carriage, and bonnets and muffs? Usually they are locked away in an attic, well of course except for the horse which decades ago died of old age. Shouldn’t the old style mailbox have long ago joined high button shoes as something seen only in museums and no longer actually used?

Yes, the nostalgic cards remind us of days long gone when it was safe to leave your house unlocked, your barn unlocked and your mail unlocked.

Happy New Year!! And wishes for a prosperous 2012. If we all join forces, perhaps our hopes for a return to a simpler and safer time can come true this year.

From all of us at Mailbox Solutions, LLC

New Gallery Page Added

It seems like it takes longer than we ever expect to get our ducks in a row. It is often a case of time, weather, and opportunity for a full-scale photo shoot is limited. It is always best to simply take a photo of one of our installations. Unfortunately, the installer seldom has a camera available. Or it is raining buckets. Or the traffic is bad and there is another job to dash to. Or…..the battery needs charging.  😦  The little things we all deal with.

Today I went back into our photo archives and pulled out a few that show some of our items. The color rendering is not always accurate.

A fun job today was a customer who ordered a green box with red address numbers. To me it was such a Christmas Box, but for the customer it will match the neighbors up the street, a color combination that is fun and exciting. Here are a couple of photos of the process

Peace of Mind the Perfect Gift

A locking mailbox makes a surprising, awesome, and appreciated gift for someone you love… or the person who has almost everything.

Christmas Selection includes Black, Green, Red, and White

It’s true, needing a locking mailbox is a sad commentary on today’s society. It bothers me daily. It bothers me even more to hear the stories of the hardship and hours required when someones’ mail has been stolen. Sometimes the damage is immediate and sometimes it takes a bit of time to figure out a bill has gone missing.

Have you ever been surprised because you expected a card from a friend and it never arrived? It could have been to cheer you up when you were sick, a congratulations on graduation or wedding or baby, an invitation, or a sympathy card. Did you ever think that they did send the card, but it was stolen from your mailbox? You wouldn’t know if the thieves left your junk mail. They don’t want junk mail either. The junk is usually on the bottom, the good stuff is on the top. It makes their life easy.

Top to Bottom: Juniper Green, Pearl Taupe, Black

So what do you do when you are out-of-town? Instead of stopping it, you can protect your mail in one of our MADE IN OREGON mailboxes. With 4,500 possible keys, you can rest easy.

Top to Bottom: Dark Roast, Stone Grey, White

We recently added Dark Roast as a new options that people love.

A customer came in yesterday and ordered a Juniper Green box with cheerful red address numbers. The numbers are set up on a computer and cut from an exterior sign vinyl. They do give the boxes a very handsome look. Here you can see a bit of the process, which is fast and you do not need to wait for more than 5 to 10 minutes.

Carefully peel off the transfer tape

Removing the guide line tape

All finished and ready to go home

Stop in tomorrow to find Frosty. 

Next up on our blog, different locking options.

Have a Happy and Joyous season. There is still time to add PEACE.

Mailbox Solutions, LLC Web Store is here:   http://mailboxsolutions.com

Hello and Welcome

I’m so glad you stopped into our totally awesome new blog where we deal with the subject of mailboxes.

Seriously? Yep, seriously. Well, someone’s gotta do it, unfortunately the big jackpot wheel spun and dang, it landed on me.

Now to be fair, these are not just any mailboxes but genuine locking mailboxes made, by us, in Oregon. We’ll get into the “WHY?” of that in a bit.

So what exactly does our blog photo have to do with mailboxes? Absolutely nothing. It’s just random photos that I take, often through the car window on the way to work. This set is pretty gloomy looking, but that’s what the weather has been like most of the past few weeks. We’ve had lots of fog. Also, I have very few photos on my work computer. Beggars can’t be choosers, so this is it for now. But they will change often, promise.

Which would I prefer as a means of supporting myself? You mean between …hummmmm… mailboxes or photography? Such a silly question. Everyone has some kind of mailbox, but not everyone has one of my photos.

Wait until you see my photos of “mailboxes” not everyone has a collection as impressive as mine. Well, if you are impressed by mailboxes, you will be impressed by these.

In honor of the upcoming holiday of couple of my mailboxes took it upon themselves to dress for the occasion. What do you think of these two?

Our Big Daddy of the mailbox world is the Summit. Look how impressive it is. That is an actually decorated mailbox Mr. Summit is wearing as a chapeau.

On the wall behind Mr. Summit is a portion of a Oregon Historical photo taken in Sisters OR in 1904. You should stop by our business office, if not to buy a new mailbox to at least check out the awesome photo.

 

 

Moving right along, not to be outdone. Ms. Gorge (that is GORGE as in Columbia River Gorge, it is not a man’s name) donned her festive holiday ribbons to impress you. What do you think? Isn’t she lovely?

Ms. Gorge flaunts her stunning Contemporary post and add bling with her gorgeous bow.

 

A locking mailbox does make a perfect gift for someone who does not have a way to protect their mail from theft.

Give them Peace of Mind, not a piece of your mind, but PEACE that comes with knowing your mail arrives and stays safe.

 

Check back here soon for more exciting news from Mailbox Solutions, LLC. We are the locking mailbox specialists and have product to fill every need, whether it is a home or business, a neighborhood or an huge apartment complex. Mailboxes for posts, walls, indoors or out.

Give us a call- local in Portland Metro 503-486-5575 or 1-800-630-3344   or stop my our warehouse/mfg/office/retail located in Tualatin Oregon at 19350 SW 118th Ave, Tualtin OR 97062  M-Th 9-5 Fr 9-1              Remember our webstore is open anytime and we ship everywhere.      Stop by Mailbox Solutions, LLC in your jammies in the middle of the night http://mailboxsolutions.com click the link. How easy is that?

Cheers!

Please let me know how you like this post. I’ll only give lots of mailbox information if you ask me. Leave a comment and I’ll respond. Service is what we do best.