

Which Shipping Company is Kindest to Your Packages? - bakbak
http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/gadgets/tests/which-shipping-company-is-kindest-to-your-packages?src=rss

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wheaties
Let's see, they had an N of 12. Not statistically viable for logging what
carrier performs better where. This is most clearly visible in the express
packaging differences between FedEx and USPS which uses FedEx and they even
mentioned it in their article. Bet it was fun doing/writing about it though.

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frossie
There's a school of thought that putting highly visible commercially available
accelerometers (more accurately they are shock sensors) on the _outside_ of
the shipment will cause it to be treated more gently.

We subscribed to this school of thought - until our valuable scientific
instrument arrived (a) shaken not stirred and (b) with all the external
sensors having mysteriously "fallen off".

So, if you are going to do this, put sensors both on the inside and the
outside of your shipment.

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kgo
But what does that actually prove? I can put an already broken laptop in a
box, ship it, and blame it on UPS.

How is a shock sensor any different? Even if it's on the outside of the box,
the pickup guy isn't exactly trained to confirm it's in good shape, he's not
signing anything to certify that the sensor is intact and operating properly.

And as far as I know, none of the major carriers actually declare anything
like "packages will not be subjected to more than X G-forces during transit."
So even if the sensors did trip, that only indicates that they tripped. It
doesn't prove the shipping company did anything 'wrong'.

And seeing as the guy behind the counter or on the phone isn't an expert in
accelerometers, any explanation is going to be over their head. And once
again, how do you establish you didn't mess with the accelerometers ahead of
time?

I can actually understand the human-nature behind trashing something marked
fragile, or something with shock sensors stuck all over the exterior. Not that
it's justifiable. Basically, you're saying that this person treats all the
normal packages like shit and just throws them around for no reason. That
they're not even trying to be good at their job by default. Not to mention
that you're asking for special treatment without providing additional
compensation.

Which explains the best way to keep your package safe. Insure it. You probably
don't even need to insure it for the full value. Just spend the 70 cents to
get $200 dollars coverage. Everyone handling it knows there will be an
internal follow up if the company has to pay out on the claim, because it
actually costs them something.

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gregpilling
Insurance is a ripoff if you are an ecommerce company. In my last company we
shipped $5,000 a day in product and insured all of it for the first couple of
years. One day I got a postcard that was trying to get me to insure with an
outside company when I shipped UPS. I got wondering how they could do that,
did some math on what we were spending and then asked my warehouse manager how
much we had lost (in actual costs to us) in the last two years and was stunned
at the answer - $600 total out of several thousand shipments. At that point we
began self-insuring.

~~~
kgo
This is a little late...

But yeah in that case I agree 100%. Different case if you're shipping some
scientific equipment worth 1500 dollars now and then.

And if that equipment is 50,000 bucks, maybe you start looking at a private
courier.

I have a friend who used to work as a registrar for a museum, shipping stuff
that was worth millions, or even arguably priceless. She'd ride on the planes
and ride in the backs of the trucks that transported this stuff. She'd have to
document every scratch, every discoloration, etc, and sign off on it, before
shipping began so they could compare at the end of the trip.

But I was suggesting a hedge. Come up with your own numbers, but if item is
worth greater than 2000, insure for 200, costing 70 cents for UPS. That way it
gets UPS internal stickers saying it's insured, probably beeps or something
every time someone scans it, and provokes an entirely different attitude than
marking it "FRAGILE", according to antecdotal evidence.

~~~
gregpilling
As far as 'FRAGILE' markings making a difference I can assure you, since I
ship UPS every day, that they treat every box equally (poorly). There is no
preferential treatment for any package, and the heavier the packages are the
worse they travel. I watched my driver knock over a flat-screen TV three times
one day during a pickup. He had it standing on edge and it wouldn't stay
upright, but after three tries at knocking it over he put it flat under a
shelf.

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matwood
I think location also matters. Where I currently live my UPS packages arrive
in great condition while I've had FedEx packages look like they have really
fallen off the back of the truck. Where I used to live it was the opposite.

I don't even include the USPS in this discussion because they are SO bad at
delivery. I know it's not packages, but I've sent checks to my bank for
deposit that were literally destroyed by the USPS. The bank sent the shredded
check back to show me why they couldn't deposit it. I routinely get my
neighbors mail and they get mine even though I have put a nice sign on my
mailbox with my full name. And yes, I have filed complaints with no response.

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Dbug
USPS has been fast and cheap. The only real complaint I've had is that they
leave pickup tags for some of the heaviest packages, packages that other
carriers would have delivered. But it's understandable... I feel sorry for
what some of the mailmen have to lift. Most are far less muscular than the UPS
guys. My area has had problems with mail theft... I think some meth use among
employees, but tracked items show up. It's not safe to get mail with
handwritten addresses, things like birthday cards with a little cash in the
middle always vanish. And the DMV license plate tags vanish in the mail too...
California no doubt has a black market for those with so many illegals from
Mexico around. Their flat rate boxes are extremely competitive for shipping,
especially heavier items and/or to distant zones. Mail service has been
reliable since one local thief was caught. Many good people don't deserve a
bad rap for the actions of a small number.

UPS gives generally great service, but they throw the packages around. Some
electronic gear with glass meters on the side arrived with the glass broken.
Taking the unit apart revealed it was more than just a bump to the side of the
thick box. The power transformer had the brackets stretched up and it was
leaning a great deal. For that to happen the package wasn't just bumped or
even dropped. It was clearly thrown horizontally and down with considerable
force and crash landed... like onto a dock or truck. UPS seems to have become
much more costly than in years past.

Fedex is much more gentle with packages, but it's alarming how many from
neighbors blocks away show up. They're not very careful reading addresses, or
smart enough interpolating from neighbors addresses when they don't see one.

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iwr
I wonder why package monitors are not a standard equipment. The monitor would
comminucate wirelessly through encrypted channels. Once at the delivery
location, the customer may inspect the package logs and he could refuse
delivery, or demand compensation.

An accelerometer, a gyroscope, a small battery and microcontroller with
bluetooth connectivity. Should be possible to build a contraption for around
$100.

All so stuff like this: [http://www.gadling.com/2010/02/23/videos-bad-baggage-
handler...](http://www.gadling.com/2010/02/23/videos-bad-baggage-handlers-or-
remind-me-why-we-pay-to-check/) dosn't happen more often.

~~~
shpxnvz
I'm not sure there's much of a problem to be solved. The customer can already
refuse delivery if the packaging is damaged. If the package is fine, but the
contents are damaged, you can still file a claim and (after going through the
inspection process) collect on the insurance.

I don't think that having proof of some particular level of shock during
shipment would make much of a difference - regardless of shock all that really
matters is if there was any damage to the contents and whether they were
properly packaged in the first place.

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a-priori
_"Our co-workers thought we were a bit odd," says Brettle, "but we assured
them it was all in the name of science."_

My heroes.

~~~
sp332
Have you seen the Postal Hacking talk from The Last Hope conference? It's just
an hour of people abusing the postal system (legally). For science!

I don't think there's an official server for the video, just a torrent file
[http://hopetracker.donthax.me/torrents/2600%20-%20The%20Last...](http://hopetracker.donthax.me/torrents/2600%20-%20The%20Last%20HOPE%20\(2008\)%20-%20Postal%20Hacking.mp4.torrent)
but you can find it on YouTube as well.

