
Amazon Hub - danial
https://thehub.amazon.com/
======
Balgair
Oh wow, I guess the company at my old Apt complex got bought out. Those racks
are the exact same.

Still, those were terrible ideas. FedEx, USPS, and UPS all just dropped the
boxes off on our door. The others made us use those machines. It wasn't too
bad to go down and get the packages. Oh wait, then you forgot your phone and
had to go all the way back up to get it to get the unlock codes off of your
email. Then you had to be certain that your email would not send the code
email into spam, so that sucked.

But if you were out of town or on vacation or just stressed from work or had a
spam email mis-identification then it was a spawn worse than Satan. The system
started to charge you, like 5$/day or something, for non-picked-up packages
after like day 3. Guess who got a nasty surcharge after spending a month away
for work and no email to tell me that things would get surcharged? Yeah, 150$
for some random thing my sister sent me unannounced was not a lot of fun.

And no, the apt complex signed onto this AFTER we moved in and with no notice
on the lease or an update to us. I did get the complex to pay that crazy fee
after storming in one morning and yelling a lot. Idiots.

As long as there is no charge for packages that don't get picked up and no
'max time' it can sit in a robo-bin, these things work great. If there is any
charge at all, in any way whatsoever, avoid them like the plague, they are
horrible.

~~~
dmix
It serves a real beneficial purpose for those of us who have missed packages
while at work and had to drive 20min in terrible traffic to the nearest
FedEx/UPS/etc retail outlet - at 6pm when everyone else got off work with the
same idea. Then wait 20min in line for the pleasure of dealing with an annoyed
retail lady who is short with you.

I'd much prefer having a machine on my property as a backup if I'm not home!

Your inconvenience of forgetting your wallet seems minor by comparison when
you can just go upstairs, imagine forgetting it after driving and waiting in
line... that really is the only alternative isn't it besides the old school
"dumb" parcel boxes?

Your inconvenience of not knowing it was there and getting charged was the
fault of your landlord, who rightfully paid the fee for you. It wasn't the
fault of the box design per-se - but obviously something to be aware of.*

Your inconvenience of spam filtering is probably less likely with an amazon
based email system.

I'm happy to see these becoming a widespread thing and being pushed to
residential property owners. It even seems superior to the typical package
boxes in most new apartment buildings or suburbs as it comes with email/mobile
notifications (typical package tracking is far too often less than accurate)!

The only thing better than a machine here is a human concierge who signs for
them and calls you if you don't pick it up with your mail. They're paid to be
nice to you and are rarely busy.

* Maybe Amazon should make sure to tell new owners to thoroughly notify every tenant before using it - with signs saying it will be installed in x weeks and letters left on your door.

~~~
scrollaway
I'm living in Greece right now and I've been shopping online a bit more the
past couple of months. I've been shopping online since 2006 and I guess at
some point I forgot to notice how shit of an experience it is.

So in the past couple of months, I have RMA'd two items, returned one due to
bad fulfillment, returned one more because I didn't like what I bought (and
that got lost). Of all the items I ordered, one got lost or stolen, two more I
had to pick up at the local PO which cost me a total of ~20USD in taxi fares
(and several hours wasted waiting in line), one I had to pick up in the
central depot which cost me 50USD in taxi fares just for that day (and again,
several hours wasted).

Only one of those packages had free delivery because they all have to hop
between the US, China, Denmark, Germany and who knows where else. (The only
one I got free delivery on was a CODE keyboard, which costs $250 in Europe,
vs. $130 in USA). So I'm actually paying for this ostensibly terrible service.

So I'm looking at the hub and I just think "Wow, that solves a lot of problems
outside the US".

And it's US only.

Of course it is.

~~~
dmix
> And it's US only.

There are already competitors operating here in Canada doing this stuff
fortunately. I believe Amazon acquired one of them which turned into this [nm,
see edit]. That should hopefully pressure Amazon to expand and this will offer
tons of free advertising for those smaller companies competing.

Edit: turns out it was Buffer Box and they were acquired by Google and (of
course) shut down
[https://www.wikiwand.com/en/BufferBox](https://www.wikiwand.com/en/BufferBox)

InPost is another one with boxes all over Europe. They recently shut down in
my city though :/ (Toronto). But otherwise it looks pretty like they have
extensive deployment: [https://inpost24.com/](https://inpost24.com/)

Germany has DHL Packstation:
[https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Packstation](https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Packstation)

Also two startups:
[https://wefunder.com/swapbox](https://wefunder.com/swapbox) and
[http://www.ucella.com/](http://www.ucella.com/)

~~~
rosege
Australia has Parcel Lockers run by the post office for free - they are pretty
good [https://auspost.com.au/parcels-mail/parcel-collection-
delive...](https://auspost.com.au/parcels-mail/parcel-collection-
delivery/247-parcel-lockers)

~~~
will_hughes
But only for packages which are delivered through AusPost. Which if you buy
stuff internationally, it mostly isn't.

Also, not in a ton of locations.

~~~
lucaspiller
It's the same situation here in Lithuania - various companies have these
lockers but it's hit or miss who an international package will be delivered
by. Even from Amazon I've had packages delivered by DHL, UPS and regular mail.

The post office will give you a forwarding address (for regular mail) that
will end up in the locker of your choosing, but you then have to pay
€x/package, and the lockers are usually at post offices, so it's not really
worth it.

------
nihonde
As is so often the case, this is already a solved problem in Japan. When a
package arrives, I'm alerted to its presence when I RFID my key to open the
lobby door. Then I RFID my key again on the package locker and the locker with
my stuff pops open.

The issue with lockers filling up too quickly or packages sitting in them too
long is handled by the shipping company, which has sufficiently good customer
service to contact me about re-delivering items that aren't reaching me. Also,
my neighbors would be mortified if their deliveries ever inconvenienced
someone else in the building, so it's somewhat self-policing in that sense.

The amount of over-engineering that goes into overcoming the shortcomings of
customer service and lack of basic etiquette in America is amusing and sad.
Amazon seems to be an emerging leader in finding solutions for social
breakdowns that could be easily solved if people cared more about doing a good
job or about extending basic courtesies to their fellow citizens.

~~~
kalleboo
And even if you don't live in some fancy apartment building with RFID locks
you can just get a box that you chain to your front door and the delivery
services will respect that and put your packages in there, use your seal for a
signature, and then lock it after they're done
[https://direct.sanwa.co.jp/ItemPage/300-DLBOX001](https://direct.sanwa.co.jp/ItemPage/300-DLBOX001)

~~~
tuna-piano
Haha, that's a cute little lock. I suppose that could work in resident-entry-
only buildings, but America can be pretty bad-ass:

[http://telzilla.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/video-
bulletp...](http://telzilla.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/video-bulletproof-
glass-at-detroit-wendys-burger-king-taco-bell-2.jpg)

~~~
pluma
That photograph describes everything that's wrong with the US from a
foreigner's perspective.

~~~
scient
And yet where I live I get packages left at my door for days, noone is
touching them, there are no bullet proof vending machines and people generally
are well behaved and courteous.

This just to remind you that the US is huge, consists of 50 states and in most
cases the states are very different from each others.

I'm not even an american and I'm offended about the generalization.

~~~
kalleboo
The trick is that Japan has managed to have this security broadly across their
whole society - from sleepy villages to inner cities to depopulating poverty-
stricken towns that lost their industry.

~~~
zild3d
Sure but the entire "society" of Japan is smaller than just California

~~~
jrockway
I'm confused by this comment. Japan has 127 million people. California has 40
million.

------
veridies
This morning, an Amazon deliveryman walked a few steps toward my house, threw
a package about fifteen feet to the door (denting the case inside), and then
walked back to his van. I still can't find a specific way to complain about
the delivery. Forgive me if I'm not excited about Amazon building their own
private mailboxes, but I don't think they have any real understanding of their
own shortcomings.

~~~
manigandham
This isn't Amazon, it's just delivery drivers in general.

~~~
KekDemaga
More so delivery companies the time drivers are given essentially require that
behavior.

~~~
TeMPOraL
That, and the very common in my part of the world case, in which you learn
that package wasn't delivered because no one was in the apartment, even though
you (or your spouse) spent the _entire day_ in the apartment...

------
cbhl
The biggest problem with this is that packages are bursty -- your mail room is
always bursting around Christmas time.

I saw one apartment complex this year that had a twist on the package robot
concept -- there's an iPad at the door of the mail room, and you type in the
code from your package, the iPad takes your photo and then unlocks the mail
room door using a solenoid.

The UPS guy? Scans the barcodes on the packages, then wheels them in and drops
them off on cheap metal shelves inside -- no need to pay an employee to manage
the mail room 24/7\. More residents/packages? Just buy a few more shelves.
Resident wants to pick up a package as soon as Amazon buzzes them? No problem.
Resident wants to pick up at 2am? Great.

The only problem is you have to trust your neighbors to not steal your
packages.

~~~
illumin8
About the easiest system to defeat ever. Guess or obtain any working code,
cover the iPad camera with your finger, and clean out the entire mailroom. You
need to live in a very secure building with trustworthy neighbors for this to
be viable.

Then again, we have no signature required, and regularly have packages sitting
on our front porch for a day or so and haven't had anything go missing.

~~~
pluma
What is it with HN commenters living in these crime-ridden dens where everyone
steals everyone's packages? Maybe it's a cultural thing but I've lived in
apartment buildings in Germany with neighbors from all walks of life and
unless a package has literally "$$$ EXPENSIVE GOODS THAT ARE EASY TO SELL $$$"
written all over it, I wouldn't for a second worry about a neighbor stealing
it.

Maybe your standards for "very secure" and "trustworthy" are extremely low.

~~~
chris_7
Yeah, I had something delivered the day after I went on vacation and it just
sat in the entrance for a few weeks, then I took it upstairs when I got home.
This is in Brooklyn FWIW.

~~~
vdnkh
I live in Manhattan and packages regularly get stolen from the hallway, behind
the locked entrance doorway. Either we have thieves, or residents naively hold
the door for thieves. Or bike deliverymen are thieves.

------
ohyes
I had something like this at an apartment I lived in, it was called 'package
concierge.'

It was mostly nice, but where I lived there were issues with execution of the
idea. At peak times (holidays) the package robot would get full, because
people wouldn't pick up their stuff in a timely manner.

The package robot also had to be loaded by an employee of the building...
until then the package hung out in the mail room like normal, but you could
only get your package from the package robot... so if the package showed up
and no one was around to load the robot, or was slacking off on loading the
robot, it actually took longer to get your stuff.

When it worked, however, it was good to be able to pick up your package when
you got home from work at midnight without having to talk to anyone or sign
anything. Also getting notified via email that you had something waiting was
nice.

------
polskibus
Been using InPost Paczkomaty for ages.
[https://twoj.inpost.pl/pl/przesylki/paczkomaty](https://twoj.inpost.pl/pl/przesylki/paczkomaty)

established 2006, helped bring down the cost of deliveries at the same time
improved convenience of online shopping when DHL,etc. always wanted to come to
your flat when you were at work

~~~
rugffgbv
I still prefer regular post, Poczta Polska.

They try to deliver to home, but if there is noone there, they leave a note,
and I have _14 days_ to receive items on nearest post office (same walk
distance as Paczkomat, open 8am-8pm + Saturday). Plenty of time for me (or
roommate!) to get all packages that arrived to house. Just one person in
household can go every 2 weeks and collect dozen packages and letters.

In Paczkomat, item is returned to sender after _48 hours_. With such short
time and need for SMS code, no chance that roommate will collect packages for
me.

The only advantage of Paczkomat is that you can use it at night.

~~~
iokanuon
I don't think it works that way. After 48 hours, a package is transferred to
the nearest _InPost POP_ , where you can retrieve it within 3 days.

------
netinstructions
Was kind of hoping this is something individual home owners could install near
the front door so packages aren't left on the steps.

If you fill out the form it asks what kind of property you have, and single
family homes is an option, but then it says "your property does not meet our
requirements at this time." I wonder if enough people select that though...

~~~
joezydeco
There's always the Amazon Locker option for that.

[https://www.amazon.com/b/ref=amb_link_366591722_2?_encoding=...](https://www.amazon.com/b/ref=amb_link_366591722_2?_encoding=UTF8&node=6442600011)

This seems more targeted at apartment/condo buildings that have been wrestling
with the mountain of Prime packages that show up daily and are either stolen
or managed by a building superintendent that doesn't want to deal with them
anymore.

~~~
ericras
Doesn't the building superintendent still have to load this thing? The
delivery driver/postal carrier isn't going to do it, right?

~~~
dave5104
The UPS/Fedex/DHL guys that deliver to my complex all load the packages into
the lockers themselves.

------
clvcooke
Looks like Amazon picked up the buffer box [1] idea. Such a shame Google
bought them and shut them down, it had such potential.

[1]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BufferBox](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BufferBox)

~~~
lampenrad
DHL has been operating Packstationen in Germany since 2001:
[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Packstation](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Packstation)

>There are 3,000 Packstation machines in Germany[1] and 90 percent of the
people living in Germany were within ten minutes of a DHL Packstation.[2]

There are also Paketboxen, which are smaller installations for residential
areas. The whole system works pretty well for me. The one big downside is,
that it only works with DHL/Deutsche Post parcel. They are the dominant player
here, but sometimes delivery by them is not available.

~~~
kayoone
Yes! DHL is notoriously understaffed or incompetent in my Berlin
neighbourhood. When i order packages to my apartment, often the guy will not
even enter the building. He will drop off the package at some random neighbour
1 block away or the next Post office which as well is way too small and
understaffed and i will recieve the notification card 2-3 days later (Email is
fine though). Going to the post office, waiting in queue for 20-30 min is
pretty normal. Since i am using Packstationen this problem has largely gone
away and works perfectly for 95% of my deliveries.

~~~
danielbln
Ah, another Berlin DHL sufferer. Either they don't even ring the bell, or drop
it off at some neighbour that isn't there, or at a shop that closes at 4pm.
Packstation has been a god's end, next to my supermarket anyway, 24/7 usable
and having the doors plop open makes it feel like a Christmas calendar.

------
bastijn
In NL you can deliver your package to a drop off point near your house.
Usually these are supermarkets or other kind of shops. I always pick my local
supermarket which is anyway on my way home. It is open until 22.00 on working
days so no issues there.

It is not like this Amazon box but it does also not have the other things to
worry about (packages arriving on holidays and costs surcharged thereafter).
The shops get a little extra earnings and they handle sending back etc. When
not picked up. The service is free of charge for customers.

I guess Amazon box would be a tad more convenient to go to as they are at your
doorstep (every single house is their intention, didn't get the site really?)
but to be honest, you are visiting your supermarkets anyway. At least in NL
where they are close. US might be a bit different here due to distance? Though
you can do other shops as well, and usually there is one within say 1-2km.

~~~
SyneRyder
_> but to be honest, you are visiting your supermarkets anyway_

Worth noting that Amazon has Amazon Fresh (groceries delivered directly to
your door) and just bought Whole Foods Market in the US. So in the future, you
might not be visiting a supermarket at all, or if you are, it might be owned
by Amazon anyway.

------
sumitgt
My apartment uses LuxerOne
([https://app.luxerone.com](https://app.luxerone.com)), and it is the best
amenity IMO.

One problem of Amazon Hub v/s LuxerOne is that I don't think Amazon Hub will
work with packages from other retailers.

~~~
Analemma_
Mine uses Parcel Pending, which seems to be the same thing.

Amusingly, LuxerOne, Parcel Pending and this Amazon thing all seem to be using
the same device, so this is either very convergent evolution or there's just
one Chinese whitebox manufacturer for these lockers and everyone just slaps
their logo on them.

~~~
ohyes
I was noticing that too, all of these package lockers look almost identical,
with the same (easily identified) crappy touch screen and qr scanner. It would
be interesting to see someone actually innovate in this field, but I'm curious
what that would look like.

~~~
radionick
Luxer One uses an iPad for it's Touchscreen interface, and front facing camera
for QR scanning.

------
rtpg
I get that the post office as a whole is useful, but on an organizational
level it probably would make more sense for everyone to have to go to the post
office to pick up their deliveries in this day and age.

Personal deliveries to your doorstep is a pretty luxurious service, if you
think about it in abstract. Plus it seems inefficient for these delivery
people to go to a bunch of people's houses and drop things off (when people
are mostly not home) when we could all just change our daily commutes slightly
when we need to.

~~~
Thriptic
There isn't a post office near me and I don't have a car. I come home at 9-10
PM every day and the post office closes before then. Do I now have to leave
work to get my packages? Do I have to use Uber when I receive a large package?
This is not a viable solution for a lot of people.

~~~
rtpg
In this universe I would imagine 24 hour pickup windows being a thing.

Or even just more no-human-needed deposit lockers like Amazon hub.

I definitely understand how this works less well in the current reality.
Though you can do local reorganization of this (for example you have deposit
lockers for an entire neighborhood in a specific part that is easy to access
for everyone, and now the mail delivery takes only 30 minutes or so instead of
6 hours).

------
crashedsnow
We have a security gate and I installed a network-enabled lock for which I can
remotely add temporary security codes that we then specify in the order from
Amazon. This results in the UPS guy completely ignoring it and leaving the
package outside the gate in plain view for package thieves. Delivery drivers
are like cab drivers used to be before Uber/lyft. There's no accountability
baked into the process. Someone please invent Lyft for deliveries.

------
creo
We have that in Europe for years. It works great for me. There is no
communication struggle with anyone nor planning involved and its cheaper.
You'll get phone message and mail that there is package to take and from that
moment you have 48 hours to pick it up. If you don't do it within time limit,
package gets back into warehouse so you can go there or request home delivery
for few euros.

~~~
iUsedToCode
Cheers from another happy "Paczkomat" customer. When i shop online (and i do
it a lot) i try to choose sellers who provide "paczkomat" [0] as a mailing
option. A bit cheaper, much more convenient and never have to wait or chase
the delivery man. Such a good idea, and they aren't even at my doorstep, but
further into the city. You can choose where you want your parcel delivered so
it's not hard to pick one on your daily route.

It should be everywhere, but i guess in the states population density is too
low in many places.

[0] [https://blog.sote.pl/wp-content/uploads/Paczkomat-
InPost.jpg](https://blog.sote.pl/wp-content/uploads/Paczkomat-InPost.jpg)

------
quantumwannabe
This just looks to be Amazon Locker[1] for apartment buildings. I've seen the
lockers in hotels and around town for several years.

[1]
[https://www.amazon.com/b?node=6442600011](https://www.amazon.com/b?node=6442600011)

------
dcw303
My apartment in Tokyo has a similar system, and the apartment before that. I'd
guess that most modern buildings within the 23 wards have it too. Don't know
about other cities. You use the same electronic key that you need to get into
the building foyer.

All domestic delivery companies (Kuro Neko, Sagawa, etc) will drop into them
without a second thought. FedEx are a bit more annoying that you have to call
ahead and authorize them to use a bin, but that's ok.

I only have trouble with some things through Japan Post where a signature or
ID is required, which is annoying but understandable when they are delivering
something like a credit card.

~~~
Roedou
My building has individual mailboxes in the lobby for each unit, and then a
bunch of large boxes that packages can fit in.

The mail deliverers put a package in, lock it with the key in the door, then
put that key in my mail box, so I know to go get the package out. It's
brutally simple, and I was surprised I've not seen an implementation like this
before.

------
Nition
"You can pick up _any_ package" says the video while showing a whole sequence
of packages of roughly the same dimensions.

~~~
FRex
Yes, _any_. Just like 2 + 2 equals 5 for large values of 2.

Coming soon, from the same company that brought you the ability to buy
_unlimited_ storage[1]!

[1][https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14511935](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14511935)

~~~
jamespo
Someone from /r/datahoarder didn't read the TOS

------
revelation
Looks like a Packstation:

[http://www.dpdhl.com/de/presse/mediathek/fotos/dhl_packstati...](http://www.dpdhl.com/de/presse/mediathek/fotos/dhl_packstation_service_01.html)

They are nice, but it's a bit of a trade-off: 50% chance there is an empty
opening in the station, 50% chance it's full and they dump the packet at some
service center miles away where you stand in line for half an hour and get
your package late.

~~~
woodpanel
Been using Packstation for 10 years or so. What an improvement in quality of
life. Even more than receiving packages the part of sending packages has
profited even more. And if a package does get rerouted to another station I
just remind myself of how much I rather drive 5 additional minutes with my
car, than to wait 30 min in line at the postoffice (which has to happen during
working hours anyways). Yikes.

~~~
janfoeh
Well, that's what happens to me 6/10 times. I have six Packstations within
five driving minutes around me, yet as soon as the one I've addressed my
package to was full on delivery, DHL insists on returning it to a parcel hub
in an industrial area way out in the wilderness. Which closes 18:00 on
weekdays, and on 13:00 on Saturdays.

And don't get me started on their new "Wunschpaket" service for redirecting
deliveries in transit...

------
alecco
This model doesn't work already.

I ordered some PC parts to an Amazon Locker and got my Amazon account
suspended indefinitely. I can't log in to it. But they didn't block the other
half of the order that didn't make any sense to get (a case).

They asked my ccard billings via _fax_ (shrug). After struggling with my
hotel's terrible computer and fax I managed to send it to them. No answer. I
asked and only then they responded in a short email it was not legible.
Terrible support.

Also the delivery of the case was delayed several days so I lost it but had to
pay for it anyway.

They managed to make me never buy from Amazon again. My account was over 10
years old. Had problems with deliveries a year ago, too. (that was why this
time I tried an Amazon Locker)

~~~
FRex
Maybe try mailing Jeff? It seems to have worked wonders in this case:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14718799](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14718799)

------
smpetrey
As a person who regularly commutes from Brooklyn to Manhattan for work I'm
never home to accept my Amazon deliveries. To make matters worse, the local
UPS, FedEx and USPS offices always "lose" my package only to have either never
show up or it is re-delivered weeks later with no notification.

Why don't they just leave it in vestibule or on my doorstep? Thieves. All
delivery carriers just plain refuse to leave packages unattended.

This solution is basically an Amazon locker or PO Box that lives in my lobby?
Sounds awesome. Amazon Hub might not make sense in rural areas but Amazon's
biggest target lives in urban areas. I'm so ready for this.

------
primigenus
Hopefully at some point in the future apartments/houses just come with
privileged access entryways that you can manage, and delegate time-gated
access to delivery services. That way the delivery person can just let
themselves into your "airlock", put the package there, and leave without
getting undue access to your private home and without it being a public space
(like a porch) that requires a social contract to not be broken in order to
remain secure.

Today's too early though, since IoT (eg. a connected doorlock) seems
untrustworthy. What are some solutions that could be used to approximate it, I
wonder?

~~~
mahyarm
They would have to walk to every unit although. With these lobby solutions
they just have to walk to one lobby. More time efficient, so cheaper
deliveries as a result.

------
wanghq
Lesson learned: if you have some idea, buy a domain name, and have one static
page to explain the idea, and use a form service to collect feedback :)

It's interesting to see that amazon doesn't mind using a 3rd party form
service to collect information
([https://amazon29.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8nWssUBen1xjL...](https://amazon29.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8nWssUBen1xjLA9))
even though they have enough tech power to do that.

------
erickhill
I wish my office's building was able to support one of these. Our neighborhood
USPS will often swing by after the office doors lock. They will say things
like "unable to deliver" but never deliver during office hours. When you buy
from Amazon, you never know if UPS (never a problem) or USPS is going to be
the deliverer. It makes Prime shipping nearly worthless for many of us.

But we don't own this building, and at least right now I can't imagine where
one of these things might go.

------
bschwindHN
Here's a video demonstrating this kind of system in Japan:

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UysKY_uOXQ4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UysKY_uOXQ4)

The cool thing is when you scan in with an IC card, the lobby door will notify
you of the package. That same IC card also lets me unlock my door and open the
delivery locker. There's also a panel in my room which lights up when a
package is sitting in the locker for me.

------
paulcole
They could OCR all the return addresses and figure out who's buying what and
target ads accordingly. They could also x-ray all the packages for even more
insight into consumer behavior. And if a package is coming from a competitor,
offer the recipient the option to receive an Amazon gift card in exchange for
refusing delivery and returning to sender. Or just paste Amazon ads all over
every package in the Hub. Yes I work in marketing why do you ask.

------
justicezyx
Amazon is reinventing the whole daily retailing experience piece by piece.

There does not seem anyone on the market now can be a meaningful competitor at
all. The close-loop virtuous cycle now extends to a degree that probably only
Alibaba can rival (in China).

I don't think this is Bezos' original vision, but Amazon grows to a point such
ideas just come out naturally.

The resistance seems futile now, all retailers should consider how to operate
in the model created by Amazon.

~~~
whowouldathunk
I'm pretty sure the same was said about Wal-mart before Amazon came along.

~~~
skellera
The difference with Amazon is that they keep innovating which is something
WalMart didn't keep doing. Amazon pours money back into the company. As long
as they keep doing that, I don't mind that they lead. When they stop, someone
else will step in.

~~~
Spooky23
The real difference with Amazon is that they have this captivating story that
allows them to not make money. The whole enterprise is very fragile.

------
jk2323
Old news. They have this already in China and they have something similar in
Germany. In Fact, AFAIK they even had something like this in the former GDR.

~~~
sdm
Yes, in China it's common to have multiple of these "hubs" from different
competitors. Some are refrigerated for grocery deliveries. It's all done by
app on your smartphone. Get phone, the app has a QR code that you scan or some
have an RFID card. And pop, the lockers with your stuff opens. It's awesome.
So convenient to never have to go to the grocery store and still have fresh
produce every day. Usually if you order by 9pm it will be delivered before 8am
the next day.

I miss how much more convenient things are in China. North America has a long
way to go to catch up.

------
losteverything
It says from any carrier.

To receive from the usps, among other things, you must have an address, a
approved mail receptacle and a safe and secure location.

The "space" in the mailbox is protected and is virtually owned by the usps.

I could not deliver to a box that is not postal approved. I suspect the
missing piece of info is an agent would have to palce a parcel into a Hub
locker. Like the ups store does today.

------
plumeria
Who do they charge for this service? The retailer, the delivery company, the
landlord, or the end consumer?

------
ikeboy
I'm hopeful this will improve deliverability - amazon sellers have noticed
recently an increase in items returned because "shipping address
undeliverable", and amazon forces us to eat the shipping cost - often on items
delivered by Amazon themselves (amazon logistics).

~~~
Spooky23
Of course, they're pushing the costs down to crappy vendors and contract
people or stuffing packages for USPS to deliver using a loophole where USPS
loses $2/box.

The post office is hiring people at $11/hr and working them 60 hours a week
until they flame out.

~~~
ikeboy
I've seen the op eds claiming a loophole, written by a large FedEx investor. I
also read the response and I wasn't convinced that the USPS is losing money.

------
djhworld
I suppose if you live in a block of flats, this would be useful.

I tend to use Amazon Lockers a lot anyway, there's one just outside my tube
station (Transport for London let Amazon put one there, which I thought was
smart)

------
chiph
I'm wondering how anti-theft these are. I (and my neighbors) just lost some
mail because some thieves pried open the cluster mailbox. I imagine these
would be a really attractive target.

------
otto_ortega
I got a chance to try Amazon Lockers recently while on a trip in Seattle, I
can't say anything but good things.

It is very convenient not having to worry about if there will be someone at
the time they try to deliver your package or that they just drop it around so
it could get lost (specially if it is something expensive)

At least with Amazon Lockers they give you 3 days to pick the package and
return it after that, I assume they can do something similar with these, after
3 days packages are returned to the nearest carrier retail outlet.

------
SZJX
Such terminals are already nothing new in China. I saw it in a resident estate
a year ago and apparently according to what I've heard they're already a
common part of people's daily lives. Amazon is just picking it up now.

------
madamelic
I am kind of waiting for the day Amazon gets hit with an anti-trust or
something.

Amazon is nice, but a bit tired of Amazon's attempt to collect everyone's data
about everything.

~~~
bbarn
Bezos just got a big target on his head today with the announcement he's now
the worlds richest man. Give it a few months.

~~~
madamelic
That's what made be like "It's just a matter of time now".

I really have no issue with Amazon overall. I am just tired of these blatant
products to invade privacy (The Echo with the camera and this, and probably a
few others I am forgetting)

------
eli
Seems like UPS Access Point and whatever the equivalent FedEx program is
called already mostly solve this for me.

If I'm not home, UPS leaves the package at a nearby participating business
(which you can select from a list online if you wish). I picked a check
cashing place that's already on my walk home. It's free and they'll hold
packages for something like two weeks.

I guess YMMV if you're not in an urban center.

------
tapmap
Isn't there a startup out there that will pick up your packages for you when
you're out? Or will allow your neighbour to pick them up?

------
glenneroo
What's wrong with the "pick-up stations" option? I have a list of 9 different
places (post office, gas station, optician, pizzeria, drug store, etc.) within
15-minute walking/transit distance which I can select to have my stuff
delivered. Alternately I can enter a neighbor's name/address or select a safe
place. Is this only an option in Europe?

------
voltagex_
AusPost has Parcel Lockers which are fantastic, except they won't accept
courier deliveries, only "standard" packages (USPS, Royal Mail, Auspost
itself). I get a push notification and an SMS. There's a QR code in the app
which is used to open the door to the locker.

Strangely, I got two DHL packages recently so maybe they've changed the rules.

------
gist
Where this will end up is that Amazon will figure out a way to put these at
private residential homes [1] and the property owners will be able to earn
extra cash. Won't work in all places or on all types of properties but I can
definitely see it being possible in certain locations.

[1] After figuring out how to defeat any zoning issues.

------
samcat116
We have had a similar product at my University for the past two years. I
honestly couldn’t imagine college without it. I have little faith that my
residential office could manage that many packages. Plus free next day pickup
for most things on Amazon is amazing. Order by 10pm and its there at 8am the
next day.

------
chw9e
If these things supported refrigeration it would be pretty convenient for
future deliveries from Whole Foods

------
jageen
Rakuten introduce same kind of service in 2014, Where you can set your
password to unlock box.

[http://event.rakuten.co.jp/r-box/](http://event.rakuten.co.jp/r-box/)

------
Nerada
Pretty much Australia Post's Parcel Lockers.

[http://auspost.com.au/parcels-mail/parcel-
lockers.html](http://auspost.com.au/parcels-mail/parcel-lockers.html)

~~~
ryan-allen
Which are actually quite handy!

------
TranquilMarmot
Isn't this just Amazon Locker? There are ton of them here in Seattle, one
right next door to me. Biggest issue is the thing is ALWAYS full so I can
never actually get anything shipped to it.

------
arxpoetica
Something like this for international shipments would be awesome.

------
alexobenauer
Wildly unnecessary. Apartment complexes have mailbox systems where they leave
a one-time key in your mailbox to a special package-sized box. No touchscreen
or Amazon needed.

~~~
cma
A digital solution seems cheaper and faster than manually walking a physical
key to your mailbox.

~~~
alexobenauer
It's a part of the same mailbox unit that personal boxes are in. You don't
walk it anywhere.

------
devdoomari
well there's a convenient-store version of this in Korea...

which is a +1 for the convenient store (more ppl coming in -- more chance to
sell stuff) and +1 for the buyer

------
sixQuarks
Amazon needs to solve the cardboard box overload issue. Too many boxes to
break down all the time, and sometimes overfilling the bin.

~~~
gehwartzen
That and there often being 80% unused extra space inside the box. That's not
going to fly when peoples Hubs start overfilling because they are housing
mostly air and cardboard.

------
empath75
Every apartment I've ever lived at just has deliveries left at the leasing
office. It seems like it works fine.

~~~
stephengillie
While at my last job, my apartment office's hours were also my work hours.
Luckily I had Mondays off. It felt like some cruel joke, where ordering
anything meant waiting almost a week before it was effectively delivered.

------
banach
Oh, they mean a "mail box".

------
cargo8
Is this just Amazon Locker rebranded?

~~~
byoung2
But accepting packages from any sender, not just Amazon orders

~~~
cargo8
Ah cool, thanks missed that. So it's an Amazon branded PO Box :)

~~~
dwyerm
Except a US PO Box wouldn't accept other carriers' packages.

That changed a few years ago when the USPS started offering "Street
Addressing" for PO Boxes that could accept other couriers' deliveries. But it
had some really strange rules around the addressing. You're supposed to use
the street address of the post office and your box number, but you're not
allowed to use "Box" or "Suite".

I'm afraid to try it, personally...

[https://postalpro.usps.com/node/2726](https://postalpro.usps.com/node/2726)

------
felipesabino
[off-topic] Anyone else really annoyed by the buggy scroll making the page
jump up and down?

------
quickthrower2
My solution is to tell them to leave it round the back, under the verandah

------
odiroot
I think we already have it here in Germany, if I understand correctly. DHL is
always experimenting with new ways to avoid ringing your doorbell.

------
homero
How's it get your email?

------
e40
Not new, and I tried to use it several times, and the boxes at the 7-11 near
my house are never free.

------
orliesaurus
What's next? Amazon Buses to get you to work?

------
43224gg252
So... a mailbox?

~~~
jdubs
Eventually a mailbox with an ip address?

~~~
madamelic
I would pay money to whoever could get rid of snail mail and make mail 100%
electronic for me.

Unfortunately USPS are Luddites.

[http://www.thefiscaltimes.com/Articles/2014/04/29/How-US-
Pos...](http://www.thefiscaltimes.com/Articles/2014/04/29/How-US-Postal-
Service-Crushed-Innovative-Startup)

~~~
Spivak
Yes! We could call it electronic mail or e-mail for short.

Am I missing something about Outbox? Why wouldn't they just give the people
using this service a P.O box corporate office to use as their 'address' when
getting something delivered?

~~~
tedmiston
I'm sure they thought of that. Probably some way USPS can refuse to
acknowledge it or something.

I've always wondered why private mailbox numbers even need to exist. The
numbers could be virtual and all of the packages could be in one place to be
retrieved by workers on demand. Perhaps there's some sort of clause USPS has
to defeat an idea like that or an arbitrarily low limit for how many #s can be
at a physical location etc.

------
19890903
There aren't enough companies doing USEFUL hardware. To see such a handy tool
from Amazon is a breath of fresh air. What are some useful hardware companies
that you can think of?

------
2_listerine_pls
I hate Amazon. These guys want to control every aspect of the chain.

------
nightski
Wow that looks like an example of over engineering if I have ever seen one.
USPS has been using a simple key system for ages.

~~~
Godel_unicode
This allows oversubscription. With keys everyone needs their own box large
enough to hold any parcel they might receive (recall that Amazon sells bass
guitars and jumbo packs of toilet paper)

~~~
anindha
My old apartment had a system with keys. If you got a package they would lock
it in the package mailbox and leave the key in your personal mailbox.

I think that is what above comment is referring to. It is nice having a
notification, so don't believe its over engineering.

~~~
jonknee
Again, that's only accessible to USPS and requires a locking box per resident
(your mailbox).

~~~
anindha
Every apartment I have lived has a mailbox. Not only accessible to USPS,
anyone can use it.

~~~
Godel_unicode
That is a commonly held falsehood. It is against the law for anything other
than postage-paid US mail to be placed in a mailbox.

[https://about.usps.com/news/state-
releases/tx/2010/tx_2010_0...](https://about.usps.com/news/state-
releases/tx/2010/tx_2010_0909.htm)

