I looked quite a bit but never found a buyable mailbox that has a WORKING LINK for converting a community lot to a residential lot. I found the trashcan http://modthesims.info/d/118071, but no residential mailbox for Sims 2. I decided to steal a mailbox:

I put a test sim on a test residential lot and used a boolprop cheat, moveobjects on, to add a residential mailbox (and trashcan, cuz it's easier to do them the same way) to sim's inventory, then had her use a computer to buy the community lot that I want to change zoning for. I used a buy/build enabler and had her walk to the lot, place the mailbox and trashcan, return home, and sell the lot. (Her test lot no longer has a mailbox and trashcan so I don't keep it active. I move the sim out later and I don't use an important sim for this, just in case it borks.) I, then entered the community lot in build, deleted the community mailbox and trashcan, changed zoning to residential, saved, and exited. After a bit of fussing (it seems it may need to reset so I may need to move in a sim and move him out again or, in hood view, move the lot around and replace it), I was able then to move a new sim into the new residential, formerly community, lot, and it worked. Humble came, welcome passersby came, and newspaper came. I added the stay things shrub, moved out the test sim, and moved the newly zoned residential lot to the bin so I could use it in a real hood.

I considered extracting the mailbox myself, but this worked. Still, a buyable mailbox would be easier. I've recorded this process in case anyone has comments or finds it useful or interesting, but does anyone have a WORKING link to a buyable mailbox?

There is a buyable mailbox here:
http://daydream.etowns.net/S2hacked.htm

however, if you have Mansions&Garden stuff you might like this one, as it preserves the mailbox recolours that come with that EP:
http://simfileshare.net/download/29578/

There are at least 2-3 variations on the buyable mail/trash mod.

Here's one: http://daydream.etowns.net/S2hacked.htm (make sure you get the right one for your game).

@sunrader - hrmph LOL! One of my best friends trying to not need my downloads... you're killin' me smalls!
simsample and simmer22 know where it's at!

j/k I thought your workaround was sorta brilliant, especially for someone who didn't even know about my site, LOL! AND I know my solutions were done many years ago and may well be obsolete to players these days, I mean the state of things is shockingly advanced from last time I played. Ahhh feels good to be back anyway tho! Can not believe how creative people continue to be, the bar is seriously raised! And to think sites used to be a big deal. It sems tumblr OWNS these days? Surprise to me!

OH and my new URL is daydream58.com
I lost my 15+ year host at etowns this week. Please update files/lists/etc. as needed and thanks!

@Sunrader that has to be the hardest way ever of placing a mailbox. Downloadable one all the way.

@Deedee I still use the Dream a Lot mailbox if that one is yours. It does however break the M&G recolours of it. I don't care, as I would rather use Windkeepers mailbox cover and have a shelf, but the recolours are important to some people so thought you might want to know.

Thanks I always like to know, because you never know - if I crack open a mod program or not remains to be seen, but I never say never. I can safely say not today tho, lol

I was gone before M&G even came out, so I'm just now playing with it fir the first time. I moved on to Sims 3 hard and played it hard, but I can't get into 4 no matter what I try. I missed 2 tho, so I'm gonna be here a while

Good, we hope you stick around. We're always after fresh meat people on the Sims 2 boards. :D

If you remove the mailbox mod, the mailbox still works in lots where you used a buyable one, right?

Just wondering because having any version of the mailbox mod seems to cause the bug where all recolors you've ever had of the mailbox and trashcan to be packaged with a house, regardless of whether or not there was a regular or buyable version on the lot.

The Dream a Lot one will, it calls up the game one when you untick it in Clean Installer so it should also stay on lots if removed from the download folder.

You can also just use the Maxis one made buyable: http://www.modthesims.info/download.php?t=413573, which keeps all game recolors and does not package with lots.

I think at the time I had spent a good deal of energy searching and trying to comb through all the instructions and caveats and just thought of this, so tried it. It was actually kinda fun having a sim whose job was to steal mailboxes and trashcans. I would think @joandsarah77 might appreciate this, you gotta admit, it's very sim2sim. I may have seen yours, Deedee, and been unsure it would work with UC. And HugeLunatic's choice seems oriented to apartments and has lots of instructions and nine different files, so I found it all confusing and not as much fun as petty theft.

Lol, well... so long as it was fun for you. :D