Porch piracy has become a concerning trend in this day of rapidly growing online shopping. Many of us spend our work hours outside the house, and delivered packages are left unattended at our doorsteps, making them vulnerable to theft. While a good security camera is a deterrent, it's not a foolproof solution. To tackle this issue, Amazon launched a smart solution, the Amazon Hub Lockers and Amazon Hub Counters services. These services offer a secure way to retrieve your packages from designated Amazon lockers, ensuring your deliveries are in safe hands.

The company also added Amazon Apartment Locker services, which let building managers install Amazon lockers inside their apartment complexes. Since these services sound the same, it's easy to confuse them. This guide dispels that confusion and clarifies the differences between Amazon Locker and Amazon Apartment Locker.

What is Amazon Hub Locker?

Amazon Hub locker provides Amazon customers with self-service pickup locations. Instead of delivering packages to your home or office address where porch pirates can steal them, Amazon delivers your parcels to an Amazon Hub locker near you. Since your packages are stored inside password-secure compartments, only you can access them.

When a package is delivered to your chosen Amazon locker, you receive an email with delivery confirmation and instructions on how to pick up the package. You can collect the parcel within three business days.

To learn more about Amazon Hub Lockers, read our guide on how to set up and use Amazon Hub Locker.

Amazon Locker vs. Apartment Locker

Amazon Hub Locker and Counter are pickup services that operate at places like gas stations, grocery stores, and pharmacies. Apartment Locker brings the convenience of Amazon Locker to your front door by installing lockers in common areas of qualifying apartment buildings and communities.

A significant difference between Locker and Apartment Locker is access. The regular locker is available to the general public. The Apartment Locker is available to residents of the property where it is installed. Another difference is that Amazon Hub locker only receives Amazon packages. Amazon Apartment locker receives packages from all carriers and retailers.

What is Amazon Apartment Locker?

Amazon Apartment Lockers works similarly to the regular Locker service. Both are self-service kiosks where you collect and return parcels using a confirmation email or text sent to your phone. The delivery is contact-free, and you don't need proof of identification.

Amazon Apartment Locker differs from the latter in its location and features. The Apartment Locker is installed inside your apartment complex area. Property owners can contact Amazon to install the Apartment Locker in their building, thus allowing residents to use this service.

Apartment Locker is limited to the residents and is accessible 24/7. Residents' packages aren't left at their doorstep or with a building staff when not at home. Delivery partners place the parcel inside the locker, which has two-fold benefits. First, the building staff doesn't have to care for packages, which saves them time. Second, the parcels are secure inside the locker, accessible only to the owners, thus reducing theft.

Unlike Amazon Locker and Counter services, Amazon Apartment Locker is only available for properties in the US. While there are no monthly fees to use a Locker, property managers are responsible for the installation fee. Several building management firms have partnered with Amazon to provide Apartment Lockers across the US. You can find a list of partners or put in a request to become a partner on Amazon's website.

the amazon apartment locker order process in four steps
Source: Amazon

How do you use Amazon Apartment Locker?

Setting up your Amazon Apartment Locker differs slightly from setting up a regular Amazon Hub Locker. A regular Amazon Hub Locker requires you to add an Amazon Locker location to your Amazon account before you can ship anything to it. The Amazon Apartment Locker is linked to your home address, so your deliveries go to the locker instead of your door.

To set up an Amazon Apartment Locker, ask your property manager to register your home address and email with the kiosk in your apartment building or property. After your address is linked with the Apartment Locker, the packages you order to your home address are placed inside the locker.

Delivery personnel access the locker using a parcel scanner with Bluetooth LE connectivity. When the system knows the dimensions of the parcel, it opens an appropriately sized compartment for the courier to deposit the parcel. The collection process for the Apartment Locker is similar to the regular Amazon Hub Locker. When someone delivers a package to the Apartment Locker, you receive an email or text message notification with a six-digit code or a barcode that you use to open your locker and collect your package.

Apartment Lockers hold parcels until the building manager clears them out for new deliveries. For regular Amazon Lockers and Counters, Amazon keeps the parcel for a few days — three days for Lockers and seven days for Counters — before returning it and refunding you. If you receive a confirmation email about a delivery to an Apartment Locker, but the parcel isn't in a compartment, talk to your property manager, then call Amazon Locker support at 1-888-283-0577.

Amazon claims that between the regular and oversized compartments in the Apartment Locker units, 99% of packages are compatible with Apartment Lockers. If a parcel doesn't fit in the locker, it is left with a door attendant or you'll find a notice to collect the item at a depot on your door, depending on your request and the delivery company. The same is true for deliveries that require a signature. You receive a notice to collect the parcel at the nearest office of the delivery company.

Who can use Amazon Apartment Lockers?

If you live in the apartment building where the locker is located, and your address is linked to the installed locker, you can use it to receive packages from almost anyone using a delivery service to send a package. One benefit of Amazon Apartment Lockers is the ability of third-party retailers and other senders to send packages to your Apartment Locker, as opposed to the Amazon-only restriction of regular Amazon Hub Lockers and Counters. Your package is left in the locker for you to collect if it fits within an Apartment Locker compartment, a compartment is available, and delivery doesn't require a signature.

Say no to porch piracy

Using services like Apartment Lockers or Hub Lockers is a great way to avoid stolen packages and delivery woes that get you down. At the same time, you hunt for the best Prime Day deals, especially if you're doing tech shopping during Prime Day. Regarding shopping, it's always a good idea to know what you want to buy before you end up with buyer's remorse. Check out our list of Android phones that will fit your budget before you start your Prime Day spending.