shipping fragile items - take care..

[Opcom]

since it's come up and we have all gotten 'round' boxes from time to time, these may be amusing. Or maybe infuriating.

UPS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcIOy6XcM3s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgAq_KnDIPc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWe_ICjYJn0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1qUd9na_PQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Pu-q1FPIyA
There is a video on youtube showing a huge bin that dumps a ton of packages at a time down onto a belt. Very bad handling but normal in a sort hub. I can't find it now. That's one reason I never ship with them.

fedex
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKUDTPbDhnA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIUeiL__HFM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAKhtYgoIqE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1mhz1-biEY

USPS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evWc8_LYQyw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRnQ705gGcI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ChCQhJ6Utw

Sometimes I am in need of process vacuum here. I have not bought a roughing pump yet because I sort of want one much bigger than an HVAC repairnan's unit, but I see now that if I could just harness the incredible suckiness of even one of these few delivery employees, I am certain the need would be met. The worst thing is we charge them with a responsibility of honor, to deliver our letters and boxes, and they would as soon burn them.

and now, racing a UPS package car.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N26O_kWM6jM

UPS had those large brown vans (package cars) custom built to order for fuel efficiency from the small engines to the skiny tires.

[N0WEK]

Equal opportunity destruction! 

[k4kyv]

The bastards charge you an arm and a leg for shipping stuff, then have the audacity to tell you it's their job only to get the box from point A to point B, not their problem what happens to it en route.

[Opcom]

not sure if handing it to a carrier creates a bailment or not.

[k4kyv]

My suggestion is to use a box that is already rounded off. Build it like a soccer ball, so that each hemisphere is a geodesic dome, and use a lot of cushioning inside to protect the merchandise. NASA used a similar idea to successfully deliver the two Mars rovers. Upon impact, they bounced several time before coming to a halt, then deployed flawlessly.  Given that they outlasted by many times their design life expectancy, the scheme obviously worked.