Silk Road forums

Discussion => Shipping => Topic started by: bigunit on June 24, 2011, 03:03 am

Title: Packaging Standards
Post by: bigunit on June 24, 2011, 03:03 am
Don't want to go off on a rant but, I received 3 packages today.

All had handwritten addresses.-People we all have printers for FUCK's sake go and buy a box of labels and some bubble mailers.

One package had no return address.  Get out your yellow pages and find some wholesale business and use that as your return address.

If you have to use stamps-make sure that you use the correct postage.  Better yet, go to a small post office preferable one that's in another business like a store.  There's less of a chance of cameras, and it looks more bisiness like.

If your package is over 13 oz-you can't use a drop box.

Basically, think of something you have received from Amazon or QVC and try to make it look like that.
Title: Re: Packaging Standards
Post by: undrdwg on June 24, 2011, 05:29 am
wow. double wow on the no return address. Make sure you reflect your disdain in the feedback comment for those vendors. It is pretty un-acceptable considering vendors here should be well read on shipping and the "standards" they need to meet up to. It is also very selfish of them to put buyers at risk like that. Whomever you sellers are shame on you.
Title: Re: Packaging Standards
Post by: rake on June 24, 2011, 05:42 am
It is disappointing that new vendors are not being more professional in their packaging.  But on a positive note you did get three deliveries, which means hopefully the site has three more legitimate sellers.
Title: Re: Packaging Standards
Post by: g4bb3r on June 24, 2011, 07:16 am
Handwritten address is not a big deal and stamps are necessary for posting letters without being on camera; no return address is pretty bad though.
Title: Re: Packaging Standards
Post by: Innocuous on June 24, 2011, 12:33 pm
I am pretty sure that they can tell what printer printed what label, just as good as matching handwriting.
Its a matrix of yellow dots, invisible to the naked eye that is kind of like a serial number/fingerprint.

Its even on Wikipedia. hxxps://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Printer_steganography

Ok this is for laser printers, but it would be foolish to assume this isn't in ink-jets/bubble-jets too.
Title: Re: Packaging Standards
Post by: peaceandlove on June 24, 2011, 05:23 pm
What do people who object to stamps suggest is used instead? It's not as if sellers can sign up for a postage account and franked mail.

I vacuum seal, add shipping labels and bogus internal use stickers to the packet make it look as legitimate as I can. I still had users want more from my shipping in feedback, without suggesting what. If they want the goods hidden within something else this is going to add to the cost. I suppose I could add it as a service for users that want to spend extra.
Title: Re: Packaging Standards
Post by: nomad bloodbath on June 24, 2011, 10:26 pm
I can vouch your shipping methods are top notch peaceandlove, the packages i've received couldn't have been packed better. :D
Title: Re: Packaging Standards
Post by: peaceandlove on June 24, 2011, 11:21 pm
I appreciate that Nomad. As I say they have been improving all the time as my customers make suggestions. Got a label maker and vacuum sealer. I am always trying to respond to what the customer needs and take feedback very seriously so when people say that there was a negative aspect I'd like if they said what it was so I could try improve it.

Nommad remind me to throw in a little gift in your next order.

Peace+l
Title: Re: Packaging Standards
Post by: niggerjim on June 25, 2011, 04:30 am
How do shipping labels work, i mean are they anonymous? Ive never figured out how to send large packages anonymously, short of sticking a ton of stamps on it.

If you dont trust printers, get a dot-matrix printer, the tech is too old for secret codes.
Title: Re: Packaging Standards
Post by: g4bb3r on June 25, 2011, 04:36 am
For large shipments flat-rate boxes are your friend ;]
Title: Re: Packaging Standards
Post by: niggerjim on June 26, 2011, 01:28 am
Can u just throw flat rates in one of those bins or do you still have to go on camera somewhere to ship em?
Title: Re: Packaging Standards
Post by: RickyRango on June 28, 2011, 03:36 am
Handwritten address is not a big deal and stamps are necessary for posting letters without being on camera; no return address is pretty bad though.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think customs profiles hand written packages. 
Title: Re: Packaging Standards
Post by: g4bb3r on June 28, 2011, 03:47 am
Handwritten address is not a big deal and stamps are necessary for posting letters without being on camera; no return address is pretty bad though.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think customs profiles hand written packages.
It is -ONE- flag, it generally takes 5+ for a package to be individually inspected.
Title: Re: Packaging Standards
Post by: RemoteStoner on June 28, 2011, 07:31 am
hmm, usually, stoners are lazy. So lazy that they wouldn't even care to write an address by hand, let alone a couple of them.
So, if you are a seller who ships regularly, why don't you just fork the $99 (or less if you look on i.e. Google Shopping) and get a Dymo LabelWriter? There's probably nothing that will blend in more nicely than this as there are labels in the formats specified by post offices all over the world, and you get generic labels all over the place for less than a cent each.