Reviews

[Pilliam]

I have an app called informed delivery, it allows me to see any mail headed to my address via USPS from the time it is scanned into the system. This means that every piece of mail in the system is tracked by the Federal Government. Our standard review we say, paid x/xx TN x/xx delivered x/xx, etc. It's simple cross elimination to figure out what package  came from where, thus putting buyer and shipper at risk if anyone's identity is ever compromised on either end. It may be wise to leave out this and any specific details. Thoughts?

 

[Roxyanne]

@Pilliam  yes,  I stopped posting dates in my reviews  (or I use fake dates which indicate the same turnaround time); 

 

[Jesse]

Considering the sheer volume of mail going through the system every day, I can't imagine it would be that easy to match up a delivery date mentioned on this forum to any particular piece of mail. Am I being naive? It just seems like matching that up would be virtually impossible unless an address were already being watched, in which case, the forum post wouldn't really matter. 

 

[2earls]

I think @Roxyanne has an excellent idea for anyone who is concerned. Just use fake dates with the same time frame or even state "5 days from payment to receiving". We still know what kind of time frame to expect.

@Jesse I don't think you are being naive. Unless you are running a major operation I doubt it's an issue, but everyone has their own comfort level and should do what feels right to them.

 

[Jesse]

@Jesse I don't think you are being naive. Unless you are running a major operation I doubt it's an issue, but everyone has their own comfort level and should do what feels right to them.

Thanks.  These are the kinds of issues that I don't really understand yet, and there's so much conflicting advice out there---you must use a VPN/never use a VPN; use a fake name/never use a fake name; never sign/doesn't matter; always encrypt email/doesn't matter; etc. Some people won't even browse the Internet without Tor and TAILS. And all they're doing is normal browsing.

I'm never sure what's simply an abundance of caution versus what are really essential security practices.

 

[DoomKitty]

Its also relatively easy (depending on how your computer accesses the internet) to see that a computer from your IP address is tracking the package at all.  It's harder to pretend it's not your package when you've been refreshing the tracking page for days from your home.  Obviously thats entails warrants and the like but its well within the realm of possibility and its generally considered good OpSec to avoid tracking your package unless you're hiding your IP in some way (Tor).  I guess with Informed Delivery tho it would be hard to show you were tracking a certain package since it show you all packages being transported.  Ah the things to think about!!!  I haven't written a review yet but whenever i do i will not be using specific dates instead just do:

time till TN: 2 days

from TN to delivery: 14 days

Besides adding a potential layer of security its also just easier to understand since you don't have to count the days in your head.  

 

[2earls]

I have certainly seen the extremes of what members do in terms of security or total lack thereof. Some people are compulsive trackers; I don't see any point unless it's overdue or you have to be there to receive it because of others in the household or something like that. 

I do discourage people from calling the shipping companies to make inquiries about their packages. You are going to learn the fate of it eventually and if it is not already doomed then why draw attention to it? And you sure can't deny knowledge of it after that, but a lot of people have done it and asked to put a special tracker on it and really every crazy thing you can imagine.

Lastly the reason you will find me asking for members to post reviews after receiving their order is partly that reading a bunch of posts such as "I ordered today, can't wait to get it " and "I got a TN it's due tomorrow" is first it clogs the threads with useless information and more importantly it tells "whoever" exactly when that vendor shipped and when you are getting it. Why put all that out there?

 

[Jesse]

I have certainly seen the extremes of what members do in terms of security or total lack thereof. Some people are compulsive trackers; I don't see any point unless it's overdue or you have to be there to receive it because of others in the household or something like that. 

I do discourage people from calling the shipping companies to make inquiries about their packages. You are going to learn the fate of it eventually and if it is not already doomed then why draw attention to it? And you sure can't deny knowledge of it after that, but a lot of people have done it and asked to put a special tracker on it and really every crazy thing you can imagine.

Lastly the reason you will find me asking for members to post reviews after receiving their order is partly that reading a bunch of posts such as "I ordered today, can't wait to get it " and "I got a TN it's due tomorrow" is first it clogs the threads with useless information and more importantly it tells "whoever" exactly when that vendor shipped and when you are getting it. Why put all that out there?

Thanks!  That's all very sensible and helpful. I can't really understand the benefits of tracking either, and especially not of signing for anything. But, then, at first, I believed blisters were "safer," and now I understand why they are definitely not ("Shake, shake, rattle, rattle, rattle, crash, bang, bang! Oh, it's a Ford, oh, it's a Ford!"---I'm dating myself with that song, aren't I? 

I'm still a little lost about some of the norms on the forum.  If I can figure out what "M@rfeeeeen" and "Dee Aich See" mean, then who exactly is this fooling? Especially when just as many people use the normal spelling of those words. I highly doubt that, if the chips were down, anybody is going to save their skin by claiming, "You can't prove anything! Just look! I said OCK-SEE!" And I could Google "H Y DR0000" as easily as the next person---not that it would matter, since lots of other people have spelled out the word.  Is this just an amusing norm, or does anyone actually think this is viable security?

The only code I haven't been able to crack at first glance is "SY."

 

[DoomKitty]

I have certainly seen the extremes of what members do in terms of security or total lack thereof. Some people are compulsive trackers; I don't see any point unless it's overdue or you have to be there to receive it because of others in the household or something like that. 

I do discourage people from calling the shipping companies to make inquiries about their packages. You are going to learn the fate of it eventually and if it is not already doomed then why draw attention to it? And you sure can't deny knowledge of it after that, but a lot of people have done it and asked to put a special tracker on it and really every crazy thing you can imagine.

Lastly the reason you will find me asking for members to post reviews after receiving their order is partly that reading a bunch of posts such as "I ordered today, can't wait to get it " and "I got a TN it's due tomorrow" is first it clogs the threads with useless information and more importantly it tells "whoever" exactly when that vendor shipped and when you are getting it. Why put all that out there?

OMG i would never be brazen (if thats the word for it!) enough to call a shipping company about my package!!!!  Agreed on all points.  Especially the thread clogging.  When i first joined and was reading through threads i kept thinking everyone had made successful purchases before i realized they just meant they'd made a successful email exchange. lol.  @Jesse I agree that altering the spelling of chemicals does nothing in terms of legal situations, but i'm guessing it possibly greatly decreases the amount of web searchings that lead here.  just a thought.  I for one am very glad everyones still not using SWIM!!!! (now im dating myself!!! )

 

[Pilliam]

Informed Delivery is the way to go. Perhaps you can learn from my misfortune

I recently had a situation on an order from Europe. The package showed up on informed delivery when it hit the US, stayed on my radar for 2 days then disappeared. I asked the sender for a TN, crickets...then again a few days later. Finally got the TN late; it had 2 days prior been to my local post office, then out for delivery, declared undeliverable, then returned to sender. I (casually) called USPS but they said there was nothing they could do-I wasn't going to press to the point of a claim.

If it disappears from Informed Delivery it's no longer linked to your address. It shouldn't be possible to be trackable and disconnected from the receivers address but that was the case.

 

[Nitetrain]

I have an app called informed delivery, it allows me to see any mail headed to my address via USPS from the time it is scanned into the system. This means that every piece of mail in the system is tracked by the Federal Government. Our standard review we say, paid x/xx TN x/xx delivered x/xx, etc. It's simple cross elimination to figure out what package  came from where, thus putting buyer and shipper at risk if anyone's identity is ever compromised on either end. It may be wise to leave out this and any specific details. Thoughts?

@Pilliam I read an article last week by a well respected investigative journalist who stated the usps was warning people who signed up for “track and manage” to use caution when expecting valuable packages in the mail because hackers could conceivably  anticipate when these deliveries would occur and steal them.

Just FYI!

 

[aintnouse]

@Jesse   I seriously doubt anything thats said on this forum would be admissible in any way shape or form to put someone away.  Unless they witness exactly what happened in person and have a strong desire to come after you for any particular reason, the words on this forum are hearsay.   It would not be worth anyone's time, expense or effort to come after someone who purchased a lil bit of this and a lil bit of that.   Im not saying it wont happen or couldnt happen but they would have to want you incredibly bad in order to come after you or me for that.  I probably just jinxed myself on this Friday the 13th but I am not overly concerned.   I track because I have tweekers in my neighborhood that will rip off anything that is not nailed down.  I have come to an agreement with them and hopefully they abide by it.  I wont sic my dawg on them or shoot them, if they stay off my property.  I think with the advent of online purchasing, the sheer volume of things have made it virtually impossible to stop something unless its reeks, rattles or comes from a place known for sending illicit things.  I personally prefer using the red, white and blue carrier because they just cant open anything willy-nilly.  There is a process that they have to use that involves a significant amount of effort and usually the things that are shipped are not worth that effort.   The other companies are privately owned and can do whatever they want with a letter if they deem it suspicious.  I doubt any one is hacking me or attempting to glean any info off my computer.  I also doubt anyone would want to steal my identity cuz if they did, they will be sorely disappointed when they discover I am not rich and I am not having loads of diamonds from Africa or loads of gold shipped from Ft Knox.  I am a ham and egger and not particularly worried about too much.   Oh and I live in a decent middle class neighborhood. One of the people that live there just happens to be the grandson of the owner of the house.   Its amazing what family will do for family.  They were just raided by the fugitive t. force because someone had a warrant.   That was an interesting morning.   I live about 6 houses down from them and I have no interaction with them whatsoever and it will stay that way.  

Swim posted this in an effort to waylay any fears and hopefully provide a lil insight on my experiences.  In my 5 years of doing this, Swim has only had one letter absconded and that was years ago during a major operation to confiscate as much stuff as they can to make it look like they are doing their jobs.   Ive read numerous articles where it was determined the a significant amount of letters contained something illicit and that the red, white and blue are the number one dealers in the country lol......

Either way I still get a lil anxious until things arrive and are in hand.  

@DoomKitty  sorry for using Swim but I could not resist lol....  I just dated myself as well.....my how the times have changed.

SY is a region of the country that used to be popular years ago before things change.  It took me awhile to figure it out too but unless you donate, its not easy to figure out.  I havent traveled in that region in a couple years.  The reliability of magazines, letters, reading material or whatever anyone wants to call it has dramatically fallen off. 

 

[Nitetrain]

omg lol...remnants of the blu€|*?te special.  What raw posts those were. I may be dating myself but some descriptions were way to graphic for me.

 

[DoomKitty]

@aintnouse HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! SWIM doesnt mind at all you using swim!!! :81_joy_cat: :81_joy_cat: :81_joy_cat:

Blu3l1gh7!!!!! yes so raw and intense at times and troubling sometimes,  and so very helpful other times! SWIM definitely spent some time on there!! (its still active also!)

 

[Nitetrain]

@DoomKitty and @Jesse SWAY loves these older memories that makes SWIM laugh