Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by greendude29 2127 days ago
Not being as familiar with shipping, how would one find the metrics for this?

Is there some kind of an initial "scan" upon drop-in to the box and then a second scan when they pick it up?

If not, then I imagine the metrics would only be discoverable from USPS themselves, which of course, they are going to muzzle.
2 comments
moftz 2127 days ago
When you drop off a package at the post office, you can either wait in line for an agent at the counter to scan your package (only during business hours) and give you a receipt or you can place them in a drop box (open 24/7). The drop box usually has a last pickup time on the label (3pm, 5pm, etc) for when someone actually collects the contents and then scan in the packages to get them into the sorting/tracking system. The problem is that sometimes these bins of packages might sit for a while until someone scans them for the first time. There is a bin behind the wall for the drop box and if it gets full, they pull up a new bin for the drop box so there could be multiple bins of packages that need to be scanned.

You would need to search the tracking number and see when the first scan occurs. Shippo is only looking at shipping label creation date which could be offset quite some time from when the package gets scanned. Large businesses might have enough employees to where they can pack, label, and ship out an order that day but small businesses might have someone hand delivering packages to the post office every other day.

link
dawnerd 2127 days ago
You'd have to compare the label creation date with the scan date.

Example one of the ones I got dinged on:

Jun 30, 2020 7:29pm Tracking number provided

Jul 3, 2020 6:45am Accepted at USPS Origin Facility BEAVERTON, OR 97078

It was dropped off Jul 1 in the early morning. Ended up sitting there for two days before they got around to scanning. Admittedly it has gotten better the last couple weeks but it can still take them a day.

The easiest way around this though is using a scans form which is just a printout where they can scan once and it marks all of the packages as accepted at once. It still takes time to prepare the form, print and find someone at the dock or drop window to scan it - they don't seem to particularly like doing it.

link