Pick Up Your Package At The Pochtomat

Waiting for packages sucks, especially for people on the move. Last month we featured Cardrops, a smart delivery service from Belgium that uses your car trunk to drop off packages. The Russian company Logibox comes up with another solution — bright green vending machines at railway stations where people can pick up their packages.

Last Spring, Logibox installed its first automatic stations (‘pochtomats’) for 24/7 reception and delivery of parcels at 17 railway stations in Russia. At the moment there should be around 100 of these machines at shopping centers, public transport hubs and other busy places around the country. Customers who purchase a product online can choose delivery method ‘Pochtomat’ and choose the address of the nearest machine. As soon as the parcel arrives at the station, you get a text message. People have three days to pick up their package. After three days the item will be shipped to a warehouse.

QiwiPost is a similar kind of post box service. This Eastern European system of locker boxes offers the same service as the Logibox machines. To pick up a parcel, customers have to open one of the lockers entering a specific access code and their mobile phone number using the terminal’s numeric keypad. The service was launched early February with 15 locations in Moscow, nearby malls and commercial centers. Qiwi Post plans to have no less than 400 delivery points open in 20 major Russian cities by the end of this year.