Shipping ... a modest proposal

How about somebody making some revolutionary advances in shipping.... ?  Or at least it would be great if companies did not try to make a profit off their shipping department..


TurtlePak

This would be low cost shipping that worked especially well for small items that did not require immediate delivery.  When I want to order a $25 camera module that works on a RaspberryPi.... I do not want to pay $10 for the shipping.  The module weighs perhaps 50 grams and would fit inside a regular envelope.  No , don't suggest I use the US Postal Service.... I explain my objection to that presently.

TurtlePak would allow you to specify how long a wait you could endure.  You would also specify where you were willing to take delivery.  The tracking reporting would be A+.

One of the keys to TurtlePak is the ability to consolidate small packages , move them a long distance and redistribute them.  I think a smart envelope would work well in this scheme,  The envelop would use an NFC memory chip to track it's progress.  The envelop would be standardized to fit in a standard group carrier.  The envelop would be scanned at each step.
Vetted carriers could be used to move packages from point to point using spare capacity.  Carriers could be commercial trucks , personal vehicles , etc.  The minimum load would be one carrier pak.  distribution at the end location could be done a variety of ways.  Expectors could come pick their package up at a self-serve facility or a staffed facility.   Self-serve would involve heavy identification verification and behaviour recording.

Story #1    A bunch of hackers order BeagleBoneBlacks , RBPis , camera modules... from MCM electronics.

Story #2

99guspuppet

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