6 ms·

This seems unlikely - you can register an exact dimension? > As for the corporate dimension, I was aware that standard FedEx boxes are SSCC coded (serial shipp

This seems unlikely - you can register an exact dimension? > As for the corporate dimension, I was aware that standard FedEx boxes are SSCC coded (serial shipping container code), a code that is held by FedEx and excludes other shippers from registering a box with the same dimensions. In other words, the size of an official FedEx box, not just its design, is proprietary; it is a volume of space which is a property exclusive to FedEx.

sparky_z 6y ago
Yeah, that jumped out at me too. What could possibly be the reason for that? Who would enforce it?
- rgovostes 6y ago
  The USPS gives out flat-rate boxes for free. The assumption is of course that they'll recuperate the cost when you buy postage. But I have wondered if FedEx would accept a USPS box, and this "proprietary box size" thing makes me think no.
  - Alupis 6y ago
    The USPS flat rate packaging actually says "Property of United States Postal Service. Misuse of this packaging is unlawful", or something to that end.
    - wyldfire 6y ago
      While that might cause the USPS dismay, the question was whether FedEx would accept/ship the package. Would FedEx reject the package for fear of frustrating USPS?
      - jeromegv 6y ago
        Canadian perspective, I have used those boxes within the Canadian system with Canada Post. This law is not applicable in Canada so once those USPS box make it all the way here, there's nothing they can do to prevent it from being used.
      - bombcar 6y ago
        No shippers besides USPS cares. UPS and FedEx will happily ship those and their competitors’ boxes.
    - rascul 6y ago
      Exact wording: This packaging is the property of the U.S. Postal Service® and is provided solely for use in sending Priority Mail® shipments. Misuse may be a violation of federal law. This packaging is not for resale.
      - asadlionpk 6y ago
        > Misuse may be a violation of federal law. Why does it say "may". Is it or is it not? I guess depends on the misuse?
        TeMPOraL 6y ago
        I understand it to mean: "out of likely misuses, some are actual violations of US federal law - so think twice before you decide to do something clever with this box".
  - gmiller123456 6y ago
    A guy actually used a bunch of FedEx boxes to furnish his house. FedEx was not amused. I kinda remember even the Simpsons had and episode with something similar (they built a fort from UPS boxes). https://www.wired.com/2005/08/furniture-causes-fedex-fits/ https://www.wired.com/2005/08/furniture-causes-fedex-fits/
  - dawnerd 6y ago
    I've had an eBay order arrive via Fedex in a flat rate box. I doubt anyone at Fedex cares as long as the label scans. I've also seen USPS labels printed on the free "UPS USE ONLY" thermal labels.
conradev 6y ago
Yeah, I'm confused as to what is meant by that. I bought a 20x20x12 box from a FedEx store last Wednesday, but I could just have easily bought a bunch from ULINE? https://www.uline.com/Product/Detail/S-4210/Corrugated-Boxes-200-Test/20-x-20-x-12-Corrugated-Boxes https://www.uline.com/Product/Detail/S-4210/Corrugated-Boxes...
- bobsmooth 6y ago
  >Suggested use: VCR or CD player. Uline sells so many products. I wonder how old that description is.
jt2190 6y ago
Hmm... I’m not sure the article is correct. It seems like the Standard Serialized Container Code (emphasis mine) is meant to track an individual box or palette, not a “type” of box. [1] It seems to be useful for processes that require an item to be FedEx’d from place to place in the same box. [1] https://www.morovia.com/kb/Serial-Shipping-Container-Code-SSCC18-10601.html https://www.morovia.com/kb/Serial-Shipping-Container-Code-SS... (Edit: I’m not sure about my statement of reusing the container. The specifications are at https://www.gs1.org/standards/id-keys/sscc https://www.gs1.org/standards/id-keys/sscc if you want to take a crack at answering that one.)
- wolfgang42 6y ago
  SSCC does stand for Serial Shipping Container Code, not “Standard Serialized”, per your GS1 link. The rest of your comment is correct, though; they’re for tracking an individual box (the same idea as a postal tracking number), not “a box with the same dimensions” and I have no idea where the artist could have gotten that idea from. They do have a prefix that only the company generating them can use, but that’s just to keep the numbers from each company in a separate namespace to anyone else’s. I also can’t find (with an admittedly cursory search) any evidence that FedEx’s standard boxes even have SSCCs, and it seems like the purpose would be served just as well by a proprietary tracking number on the address label. Regarding your edit, this is covered under §4.4.1.1 of the GS1 spec: > An individual Serial Shipping Container Code (SSCC) is a unique number, which remains the same for the life of the logistic unit to which it is assigned. When assigning an SSCC, the rule is that an individual SSCC number must not be reallocated within one year of the shipment date from the SSCC assignor to a trading partner. However, prevailing regulatory or industry organisation specific requirements may extend this period. The definition of “logistic unit” is slightly impenetrable, but AFAIK it’s intended to mean a container with specific item(s) in it, so reusing a box for something else would make it a different logistics unit. If you wanted to track the container itself you’d assign it a Global Individual Asset Identifier. Of course, you can do whatever you like in your own system, and trading partners can make arrangements with each other; but in my experience companies will get pretty annoyed if you send them the same SSCC multiple times since it confuses their system.
dementik 6y ago
As SSCC is managed by GS1 and their standard for SSCC does not include sizes the quote probably is at least inaccurate. You can buy prefix for your own SSCC codes and then you can form your own serial numbers - based on size or whatever parameter you want.
- dfox 6y ago
  In fact SSCC is simply and unique identifier for particular logistics unit (ie. the one indivisible thing that you send from point A to point B) and does not in any way describe some kind of class of things sharing the same geometry. In the global logistics context GS1 managed SSCC namespace tends to be used only for "large" items (ie. pallets and LTL outsize boxes) while typical package services use either completely proprietary labeling or something that vaguely follows UPU rules for labeling of registered mail. IIRC the Code-128 barcode on FedEx packages contains GS1-128 datastructure that purpotedly encodes SSCC, but I'm not exactly sure that it in fact is correctly formatted SSCC and not just some kind of fedex-proprietary number.
- ortusdux 6y ago
  I took an experimental art course during my undergrad and this exact issue drove me insane. We went though dozens and dozens of examples of experimental/digital/interactive art, and each time the piece would really engaged me up until the point where I read the artists rambling justifications for their work. They just couldn't shut up and let the works stand on their own.

sparky_z 6y ago

Yeah, that jumped out at me too. What could possibly be the reason for that? Who would enforce it?

rgovostes 6y ago
The USPS gives out flat-rate boxes for free. The assumption is of course that they'll recuperate the cost when you buy postage. But I have wondered if FedEx would accept a USPS box, and this "proprietary box size" thing makes me think no.
- Alupis 6y ago
  The USPS flat rate packaging actually says "Property of United States Postal Service. Misuse of this packaging is unlawful", or something to that end.
  - wyldfire 6y ago
    While that might cause the USPS dismay, the question was whether FedEx would accept/ship the package. Would FedEx reject the package for fear of frustrating USPS?
    - jeromegv 6y ago
      Canadian perspective, I have used those boxes within the Canadian system with Canada Post. This law is not applicable in Canada so once those USPS box make it all the way here, there's nothing they can do to prevent it from being used.
    - bombcar 6y ago
      No shippers besides USPS cares. UPS and FedEx will happily ship those and their competitors’ boxes.
  - rascul 6y ago
    Exact wording: This packaging is the property of the U.S. Postal Service® and is provided solely for use in sending Priority Mail® shipments. Misuse may be a violation of federal law. This packaging is not for resale.
    - asadlionpk 6y ago
      > Misuse may be a violation of federal law. Why does it say "may". Is it or is it not? I guess depends on the misuse?
      - TeMPOraL 6y ago
        I understand it to mean: "out of likely misuses, some are actual violations of US federal law - so think twice before you decide to do something clever with this box".
- gmiller123456 6y ago
  A guy actually used a bunch of FedEx boxes to furnish his house. FedEx was not amused. I kinda remember even the Simpsons had and episode with something similar (they built a fort from UPS boxes). https://www.wired.com/2005/08/furniture-causes-fedex-fits/ https://www.wired.com/2005/08/furniture-causes-fedex-fits/
- dawnerd 6y ago
  I've had an eBay order arrive via Fedex in a flat rate box. I doubt anyone at Fedex cares as long as the label scans. I've also seen USPS labels printed on the free "UPS USE ONLY" thermal labels.

conradev 6y ago

Yeah, I'm confused as to what is meant by that. I bought a 20x20x12 box from a FedEx store last Wednesday, but I could just have easily bought a bunch from ULINE? https://www.uline.com/Product/Detail/S-4210/Corrugated-Boxes-200-Test/20-x-20-x-12-Corrugated-Boxes https://www.uline.com/Product/Detail/S-4210/Corrugated-Boxes...

bobsmooth 6y ago
>Suggested use: VCR or CD player. Uline sells so many products. I wonder how old that description is.

jt2190 6y ago

Hmm... I’m not sure the article is correct. It seems like the Standard Serialized Container Code (emphasis mine) is meant to track an individual box or palette, not a “type” of box. [1] It seems to be useful for processes that require an item to be FedEx’d from place to place in the same box. [1] https://www.morovia.com/kb/Serial-Shipping-Container-Code-SSCC18-10601.html https://www.morovia.com/kb/Serial-Shipping-Container-Code-SS... (Edit: I’m not sure about my statement of reusing the container. The specifications are at https://www.gs1.org/standards/id-keys/sscc https://www.gs1.org/standards/id-keys/sscc if you want to take a crack at answering that one.)

wolfgang42 6y ago
SSCC does stand for Serial Shipping Container Code, not “Standard Serialized”, per your GS1 link. The rest of your comment is correct, though; they’re for tracking an individual box (the same idea as a postal tracking number), not “a box with the same dimensions” and I have no idea where the artist could have gotten that idea from. They do have a prefix that only the company generating them can use, but that’s just to keep the numbers from each company in a separate namespace to anyone else’s. I also can’t find (with an admittedly cursory search) any evidence that FedEx’s standard boxes even have SSCCs, and it seems like the purpose would be served just as well by a proprietary tracking number on the address label. Regarding your edit, this is covered under §4.4.1.1 of the GS1 spec: > An individual Serial Shipping Container Code (SSCC) is a unique number, which remains the same for the life of the logistic unit to which it is assigned. When assigning an SSCC, the rule is that an individual SSCC number must not be reallocated within one year of the shipment date from the SSCC assignor to a trading partner. However, prevailing regulatory or industry organisation specific requirements may extend this period. The definition of “logistic unit” is slightly impenetrable, but AFAIK it’s intended to mean a container with specific item(s) in it, so reusing a box for something else would make it a different logistics unit. If you wanted to track the container itself you’d assign it a Global Individual Asset Identifier. Of course, you can do whatever you like in your own system, and trading partners can make arrangements with each other; but in my experience companies will get pretty annoyed if you send them the same SSCC multiple times since it confuses their system.

dementik 6y ago

As SSCC is managed by GS1 and their standard for SSCC does not include sizes the quote probably is at least inaccurate. You can buy prefix for your own SSCC codes and then you can form your own serial numbers - based on size or whatever parameter you want.

dfox 6y ago
In fact SSCC is simply and unique identifier for particular logistics unit (ie. the one indivisible thing that you send from point A to point B) and does not in any way describe some kind of class of things sharing the same geometry. In the global logistics context GS1 managed SSCC namespace tends to be used only for "large" items (ie. pallets and LTL outsize boxes) while typical package services use either completely proprietary labeling or something that vaguely follows UPU rules for labeling of registered mail. IIRC the Code-128 barcode on FedEx packages contains GS1-128 datastructure that purpotedly encodes SSCC, but I'm not exactly sure that it in fact is correctly formatted SSCC and not just some kind of fedex-proprietary number.
ortusdux 6y ago
I took an experimental art course during my undergrad and this exact issue drove me insane. We went though dozens and dozens of examples of experimental/digital/interactive art, and each time the piece would really engaged me up until the point where I read the artists rambling justifications for their work. They just couldn't shut up and let the works stand on their own.