Anyone got an external post-box?

I used to have an external box - our gate was 100 yards down the drive. Very rural area, no lock, just an old wooden box on the verge. Walked down for the post (and the milk) every morning. Sometimes managed to pick up a frog or mouse or two that had hopped in for a rest.

From the other side of things, as a delivery person for our local newsletter, I love external boxes - less chance of getting fingers trapped in letterboxes!

our border collie recognises the yellow van from far away and barks like mad when it stops to deliver then drives off.
She then come so us to be praised because she saw off this yellow intruder - most days at mid-day.

Ours wanders up the garden for a chat when he has a parcel. ? He also takes the post into the kitchen for the elderly neighbours.

If the parcel is too big to fit inside the outside postbox, the facteur (post woman/man) presses the horn for a very long time! That gets us running. If we don't run fast enough, she/he gets out of the yellow van and comes knocking. If that doesn't work, we get a slip that will tell us that it is being delivered the following day .... and if that doesn't work then another slip is posted suggesting we collect!
They drive like the devil around the villages, so yellow post vans are to be treated with respect!
Brilliant service.

We all have here (France). The postie has a master key.
No problems.

We have a box on the wall near the front door because the puppy was getting the post and shredding it. You can peep in through the lid to see if there's anything inside but I think it's quite exciting opening the box each day.
We give the key to the neighbour who is keeping an eye on the house while we are away and she puts any post on the dining room table for us. No problems so far.

Everyone has them here in France, convenient for parcels if you are out. Must be better for the post person, no awkward bending or risking animal attack by entering the garden.

Ana .

What they actually say Ana is "Pas de Pub". ?

We put one up at mum's house as she was hiding 'loosing' her post due to her dementia. Her neighbour and I had keys but mum didn't. We found it invaluable.

'No publicity'?! Sounds as though you're famous, ffinochio

I took ours off the wall by our gate about 2 months ago. We have a front door letterbox but some posties just used the post box so sometimes we missed letters for a couple of days. I think the post box was fine ..it was just our double options that confused! Go for it!

I have one, and don't find it a problem at all. When I go away, I leave the key with a trusted friend, who empties it periodically. On the whole I have little unsolicited mail / publicity flyers as have a sign saying 'no publicity'.