Fragile stickers on packets - do they work?

[davthepunk]

IOW, if you put a fragile sticker on the package, is it likely that postal workers will actually take better care of it as it makes its way through the system? Or is it a case that they have to work so quickly that they don't generally have time to take a good look?

Obviously, putting a sticker on the outside is no substitute for solid, careful packaging, but do you reckon that stickers afford a package any extra protection at all?

I've also heard horror stories that disgruntled/dickish etc. workers may see the fragile sticker and decide to 'accidentally' drop the parcel in question on the floor, or toss it extra hard into the back of a van or whatever. Now, I'm not saying that I believe that this is a widespread practice (if it indeed happens at all), but I have been wondering about it, as I might be selling some stuff that could be considered fragile on eBay at some point in the near future. Any of you guys ever seen this happen?

Cheers.

[cyrus]

... it doesn't matter if you put fragile sticker on it.The reason a lot of package gets damaged is, they're all flung into mail bags.So your package could be gently placed in a bag,but it's still going to get crushed by all the other packets, that are going to be flung on top of it.

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Also not sure if the packet sorting machines can read - meaning that they all go through the same process.

A fragile sticker/notice will probably have no effect on handling for the reasons stated however, I would still recommend it as when it gets to a human at the end of the chain it is more likely to be handled correctly.

[noggin1969]

Fragile stickers on packets - do they work? Yes they stick to packets , beyond that no

[dodger162]

The point here is if you are sending something fragile then you need to package it correctly. Postal staff do not drop or damage packages deliberately. If it's fragile it needs to be wrapped in bubblewrap and packaged in strong cardboard, then you will not have any issues.

[Lounge Lizard]

If it is a large parcel the 'fragile' sticker will be noticed, but if like 99% of mail it fits into a mail bag then it will be subject to the same ruff and tumble as everything else.
When packing it just ask yourself if I threw it across the room for someone to catch would it be damaged ?

[CharlesSpooner]

Being entirely honest RM is like any other big company - there's that many working there that it's inevitable there'll be nobheads somewhere. The odds of your packet finding it's way into nobhead's hands when he or she is in a particularly nobbish mood are very slim but it could happen. That said, 99% will treat a fragile parcel in the manner you'd wish.

There's no substitute for a well packaged parcel.

[kawoxux]

Trouble is the practicalities mean its going in the same bag as all the others, so not really. the person might treat it better but a bag of parcels gets the same treatment no matter what!

[Blue29]

For the sake of clarity - the mail bags referred to above are the bags used in the sorting and distribution processes not the mail pouches on the posties back/bike/trolly. It's likely that a postie will take good care of every item in their personal care. Most damages occur before they reach the guy on the street.

[davthepunk]

Thanks for all the replies. Much appreciated. Yeah, I always package my stuff up to the best of my ability. Just wondering whether it was worth the expense of buying a few sheets of those 'fragile - handle with care' stickers on eBay...

For what it's worth, my dad was a postman, several years (well, I suppose going on decades now) ago. When I asked him about the stories of sorting office guys booting and chucking fragile parcels around for laughs, his response was 'knowing some of those guys from back then, it wouldn't surprise me...'.

Do people still send bees through the post, btw? My dad once told me about a small parcel he had to get a signature for that was marked with 'WARNING! CONTAINS LIVE QUEEN BEE - HANDLE WITH CARE', or somesuch.

[Caniel]

Yeah they work, I get to offload them onto the driver when the have fragile written on

[noggin1969]

Do people still send bees through the post, btw? My dad once told me about a small parcel he had to get a signature for that was marked with 'WARNING! CONTAINS LIVE QUEEN BEE - HANDLE WITH CARE', or somesuch.

Yes queen bees still come through usaully as special delivery . Crickets normally come through as 1st class packets , had one of them packets burst open once. The things were chirping all round the office for wks

[k99ward]

... it doesn't matter if you put fragile sticker on it.The reason a lot of package gets damaged is, they're all flung into mail bags.So your package could be gently placed in a bag,but it's still going to get crushed by all the other packets, that are going to be flung on top of it.

I have always been taught (tongue in cheek) that the postal authorities interpret 'Fragile' as meaning 'throw underhand only' lol

[CharlesSpooner]

Yeah they work, I get to offload them onto the driver when the have fragile written on

I wish we had that rule in the past - Buy a sheet of stickers and offload all your parcels
We've had the P&L revision though so it wouldn't work now anyway

[shipmaster122]

We recently discovered that RM provide their acct customers with sheets of "Fragile - Handle with Care" labels for free.. Get what ya can, eh!

I can't imagine that they make any difference to their handling (if any, might be a laugh to throw around the office on a rainy day.. ), but when we had to make a claim from RM once for a damaged tablet pc screen, they paid up, but advised us to put fragile labels on in future.. So..