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Proof it can be done better, Japan. It's common to be able to choose the day and the delivery time. 8am-12pm, 2pm-4pm, 4pm-6pm, 6pm-8pm, 7pm-9pm and I've never

Proof it can be done better, Japan. It's common to be able to choose the day and the delivery time. 8am-12pm, 2pm-4pm, 4pm-6pm, 6pm-8pm, 7pm-9pm and I've never had them be 1 minute outside their designated schedule. And, prices are cheap. Price to send a large package from Tokyo to Osaka (think SF to LA) (larger than the USPS would even allow), $20

justinator 8y ago
How is this accomplished? Is it because of Tokyo's railway system? Another example of cheap and fast delivery is in New Zealand, which is very roughly similar in size as Japan (and an island!) But infrastructure there is much, much, simpler.
- patio11 8y ago
  Between the DCs they use 18 wheelers; they’re then taken on a smaller truck to a local site and take to the end user by a truck or handcart. It’s partially because of different relative distribution of supply and demand and partially because infrastructural technology is just better here. (Random customer visible example: high-end apartments in Tokyo generally have an on-site package locker so that companies can drop off packages even when the recipient isn’t home, which is a major convenience and avoids unnecessary redeliveries.)
  - pfranz 8y ago
    I was just staying in a place in the US that had a package room with per-parcel codes for access. It was kind of a terrible experience. Just because you had the address and unit number on there, you needed to be "in the system" so they could email/txt you an access code. I had a box of flowers for Mother's day that didn't show up until a week later. When everything did work as expected, it was still very problematic. Any "delivery" alerts were meaningless because it may not have been registered to the package room yet. The package room was a mess and was often difficult to find your packages--then you had to carry them all back to your unit. I'm not sure if they bundled access codes (i.e. 5 packages arrive but they only register the first and give you one code), but this seemed to happen to me. If you did forget a package they expired unused codes after you access. So if you forgot or couldn't carry everything you can no longer access the room. I'm sure this simplifies things for the carrier, but I wouldn't be surprised if missing packages increased sharply when these were introduced. I also got the feeling packages were delivered to the front office before this system was in place (which would be the same, or perhaps, less work for the carriers). Which negates a lot of the issues mentioned above, but does mean you can only pick up your packages during office hours. I haven't experienced Japanese package delivery, but when I first heard about it a few years ago I got super envious.
    - Normal_gaussian 8y ago
      This sounds like a terribly implemented package room, not a significant problem with the concept. One system I saw recently had a touch screen where the carrier selects the address and individual they are delivering to, and then that individual is notified. They could use their permanent password, door id fob, or a one time access code for each parcel. As for not being able to get it upstairs; there was nothing stopping you relocking parcel.
      - pfranz 8y ago
        The system in place was obvious they didn't want to give all tenants unrestricted access to the room. Each time you entered a code you had to sign for your package and it took a photo. The room was also video monitored. Who knows if it was bad design, appreciable increase in theft, or insurance reasons. I still think the worst part of the experience was sifting through all the packages. They had a shelf dedicated for each floor, but a sign saying people move stuff. I saw the office staff go in and resort packages onto the correct shelf everyday. I've had much, much better experiences with Amazon locker. If I was still in an apartment and one was 0.5 - 1 mile away I would choose it every time (assuming it was a 24hr location).
- dzhiurgis 8y ago
  What puzzles me about NZ is that getting stuff delivered into it is a bargain, while shipping 1kilo package out costs something like $50+.
jakecopp 8y ago
I'd love to hear more about how they achieve this efficiency!
- laurieg 8y ago
  Population density helps with making deliveries more efficient, at least in urban areas. Just down the street from me there is a mini delivery center (just the 1st floor office in a regular building) where packages are sent before they are pushed out in carts to buildings in the surrounding area. The last mile is really easy when everyone lives on top of each other. That said, it's not all perfection. Recently one of the large delivery companies had problems fulfilling all its evening delivery slots and the number of re-deliveries weren't helping. I think every building should have lockable delivery boxes at the front door as standard, then almost all packages can be left without customer interaction.
darkerside 8y ago
https://mapfight.appspot.com/jp-vs-us/japan-united-states-size-comparison https://mapfight.appspot.com/jp-vs-us/japan-united-states-si... Economic and political differences probably have a lot to do with the price difference, but another factor is size. Based on the overall difference in geographical size, I would absolutely expect higher shipping costs in the US. That SF to LA shopping cost likely subsidizes the cost of shipping from LA to Orlando (far and moderately expensive) and even the cost of shipping LA to rural Wyoming (closer but possibly even more expensive). As a country grows in area, a graph between all points within would increase exponentially. So I'd posit that, similar to the square cube law, shipping costs would grow exponentially with increases in geographical area.
toasterlovin 8y ago
As a point of comparison, Japan has less landmass than California and more than 3x as many people. For something like package delivery, where a huge amount of the cost is in the “last mile”, increased population density will drive down costs and allow for improved service levels.

justinator 8y ago

How is this accomplished? Is it because of Tokyo's railway system? Another example of cheap and fast delivery is in New Zealand, which is very roughly similar in size as Japan (and an island!) But infrastructure there is much, much, simpler.

patio11 8y ago
Between the DCs they use 18 wheelers; they’re then taken on a smaller truck to a local site and take to the end user by a truck or handcart. It’s partially because of different relative distribution of supply and demand and partially because infrastructural technology is just better here. (Random customer visible example: high-end apartments in Tokyo generally have an on-site package locker so that companies can drop off packages even when the recipient isn’t home, which is a major convenience and avoids unnecessary redeliveries.)
- pfranz 8y ago
  I was just staying in a place in the US that had a package room with per-parcel codes for access. It was kind of a terrible experience. Just because you had the address and unit number on there, you needed to be "in the system" so they could email/txt you an access code. I had a box of flowers for Mother's day that didn't show up until a week later. When everything did work as expected, it was still very problematic. Any "delivery" alerts were meaningless because it may not have been registered to the package room yet. The package room was a mess and was often difficult to find your packages--then you had to carry them all back to your unit. I'm not sure if they bundled access codes (i.e. 5 packages arrive but they only register the first and give you one code), but this seemed to happen to me. If you did forget a package they expired unused codes after you access. So if you forgot or couldn't carry everything you can no longer access the room. I'm sure this simplifies things for the carrier, but I wouldn't be surprised if missing packages increased sharply when these were introduced. I also got the feeling packages were delivered to the front office before this system was in place (which would be the same, or perhaps, less work for the carriers). Which negates a lot of the issues mentioned above, but does mean you can only pick up your packages during office hours. I haven't experienced Japanese package delivery, but when I first heard about it a few years ago I got super envious.
  - Normal_gaussian 8y ago
    This sounds like a terribly implemented package room, not a significant problem with the concept. One system I saw recently had a touch screen where the carrier selects the address and individual they are delivering to, and then that individual is notified. They could use their permanent password, door id fob, or a one time access code for each parcel. As for not being able to get it upstairs; there was nothing stopping you relocking parcel.
    - pfranz 8y ago
      The system in place was obvious they didn't want to give all tenants unrestricted access to the room. Each time you entered a code you had to sign for your package and it took a photo. The room was also video monitored. Who knows if it was bad design, appreciable increase in theft, or insurance reasons. I still think the worst part of the experience was sifting through all the packages. They had a shelf dedicated for each floor, but a sign saying people move stuff. I saw the office staff go in and resort packages onto the correct shelf everyday. I've had much, much better experiences with Amazon locker. If I was still in an apartment and one was 0.5 - 1 mile away I would choose it every time (assuming it was a 24hr location).
dzhiurgis 8y ago
What puzzles me about NZ is that getting stuff delivered into it is a bargain, while shipping 1kilo package out costs something like $50+.

jakecopp 8y ago

I'd love to hear more about how they achieve this efficiency!

laurieg 8y ago
Population density helps with making deliveries more efficient, at least in urban areas. Just down the street from me there is a mini delivery center (just the 1st floor office in a regular building) where packages are sent before they are pushed out in carts to buildings in the surrounding area. The last mile is really easy when everyone lives on top of each other. That said, it's not all perfection. Recently one of the large delivery companies had problems fulfilling all its evening delivery slots and the number of re-deliveries weren't helping. I think every building should have lockable delivery boxes at the front door as standard, then almost all packages can be left without customer interaction.

darkerside 8y ago

https://mapfight.appspot.com/jp-vs-us/japan-united-states-size-comparison https://mapfight.appspot.com/jp-vs-us/japan-united-states-si... Economic and political differences probably have a lot to do with the price difference, but another factor is size. Based on the overall difference in geographical size, I would absolutely expect higher shipping costs in the US. That SF to LA shopping cost likely subsidizes the cost of shipping from LA to Orlando (far and moderately expensive) and even the cost of shipping LA to rural Wyoming (closer but possibly even more expensive). As a country grows in area, a graph between all points within would increase exponentially. So I'd posit that, similar to the square cube law, shipping costs would grow exponentially with increases in geographical area.

toasterlovin 8y ago

As a point of comparison, Japan has less landmass than California and more than 3x as many people. For something like package delivery, where a huge amount of the cost is in the “last mile”, increased population density will drive down costs and allow for improved service levels.