AN antiques dealer is aiming to take advantage of the growth in the online shopping market while taking the pain out of waiting at home for the postman.

Barry Lawson has teamed up with business partner Dominique Mikula, who also works with an engineering service company, to launch online gift company BigLetterboxGifts.com

The original idea started by selling gift items that would fit through a standard letterbox so the recipient did not have to wait in, but the business has now branched out to also sell a wider range of goods including larger items.

“We were looking for a niche in the market,” said Mr Lawson, who is based in Newcastle, and used to run a number of antique businesses in the city.

“We decided that gifts that would go through a letterbox would be exactly right. People are having to wait in for the postman.

“Originally, it was just going to be gifts that went through the letterbox. But we sourced the Parcelpod, which is like a big metal letterbox with its own security system. The Parcelpod, I reckon, will eventually become as common as the letterbox.

“The internet is going to grow and people are going to have to find another way than staying in all day waiting.”