EAF Logistics

We are experiencing a resurgence of piracy, but not by the likes of Blackbeard. These modern pirates don’t sail ships on open waters, and they aren’t looking to commandeer a vessel from His Royal Highness’s fleet. No, they operate on land by foot, and by automobile, and they are looking to commandeer your orders. 

Our modern pirates are a byproduct of our booming e-commerce industry where orders are shipped and delivered daily around the world. These modern pirates, often called porch pirates, steal from their neighbors’ mailboxes and porches. Porch pirates can even be your delivery driver, wherein they make fake deliveries of your shipments and keep them for their gain. You may be asking, how can we combat this? Here are three (3) simple steps to reduce your number of pirated booty, I mean shipments. 

1. Use discrete shipping materials. If you make no other changes to your fulfillment practices make this one! By using discrete shipping materials, you can help prevent parcel theft by making it less obvious what is inside the package. This can include using plain, unmarked, opaque packaging, such as brown or white cardboard boxes or envelopes. You can also use tamper-evident packaging to further protect your shipments from theft, including theft by delivery drivers. This type of packaging is designed to show if a package has been opened or tampered with, making it more difficult for third parties to steal the contents without being detected.
2. Use padding and inner packaging. If your products have an obvious shape, size, or sound, consider additional interior packaging. This can come in the form of packing paper, bubble wrap, or fulfillment glitter packing peanuts, although I highly discourage packing peanuts while convenient for shippers they can be a nuisance for customers. These materials can help to insulate your products further obscuring their true nature from third parties. 
3. Use a discrete company name on shipping labels. If you’ve implemented steps one (1) and two (2) and are still experiencing problems, consider changing or omitting your company’s name on the shipping label. Consider an acronym for your business or even a department name, i.e. “Shipping Department”. This can further ensure discretion and deter interest from third parties. 

The use of discrete shipping materials is essential for protecting your shipments from porch pirates, parcel theft, and delivery driver theft. Taking the necessary precautions and using appropriate packaging materials can reduce the risk of theft or damage, protect your customers’ privacy, and improve your brand reputation.