Hi
Would you pay to have GPS included in your shipping? i.e determining the exact location of the product at any point in time.
I was thinking of buying a disposable GPS, store it in the box (large high value items), so I know where they are at any given time. Costs about an extra $20, but if I send the GPS back i get $10 back.
(Also - re: air freight - will your GPS tracker automatically go into flight-mode if it gets on an airplane? It would rather defeat the purpose if it crashes the plane it's being transported in. You might be able to find the location of the Lost Island though…)
aw man that would have helped locate those mysteriously missing downed planes we've had reports on the news the past two years i think……
That was more tongue-in-cheek - those planes all have GPS trackers anyway, the trackers just tend to stop working when they hit the ocean at 1,000m/s.
(Though actually… the Malaysian Airlines one it might've helped because we don't even know where it was before it went down).
the trackers just tend to stop working when they hit the ocean at 1,000m/s.
Why do stop working after hitting the ocean? They should still track even at a stationary position….unless it sinks to the bottom of the ocean where the water may interfere with the signal..?
(Though actually… the Malaysian Airlines one it might've helped because we don't even know where it was before it went down).
But I thought you said all planes have GPS……which is it? Hahaha
@Zachary: No, as in the GPS tracker would break on impact.
But I thought you said all planes have GPS……which is it?
All planes do. But again - merely having a GPS system is no use, unless that system has reception and some way of reporting its location back to somewhere useful. Airlines use a satellite network to do this, but, and this is what makes MH-370 especially strange - apparently the plane stopped reporting its location long before it actually went down.
@dcep: Not the same equipment, but works pretty much the same way. A transponder basically sends a signal from the aircraft to ground stations to give its location - and yeah, in MH-370 apparently this was turned off. Very very strange.
@HighAndDry: ….probably got abducted my aliens like that scene in saints row 4 flashback…..either that or the pilot intended to turn it off to do something that he didn't want to be tracked of…..or maybe accidentally turned it off, hmmm?
@Zachary: Many GPS trackers use mobile data which could be a problem when in the air.
https://travel.stackexchange.com/questions/8861/do-you-have-…
@whooah1979: So because a plane is basically a hull made of all metal, and since signals can't passthrough metal, then GPS doesn't work…..so then why do they tell us to turn off our electrical devices when on the plane? I don't understand this…..
@Zachary: The devices might not be able to send a signal out of the plane, but they can still interfere with other instruments inside the plane used by the pilots.
if you did same day delivery, I would pay
good for ebay sellers.
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https://www.smartsafe.org.au/legal-guides/legal-guide-survei…
1.4. Use of Tracking DevicesA ‘tracking device’ means an electronic device the primary purpose of which is to determine the geographical location of a person or an object.
When is it an offence to use a tracking deviceIt is an offence for a person to knowingly install, use or maintain a tracking device to determine the geographical location of a person, without the express or implied consent of that person.
Likewise, it is also an offence for a person to knowingly install, use or maintain a tracking device to determine the geographical location of an object, with the express or implied consent of the person who has lawful possession or lawful control of that object.
When can a tracking device be usedA tracking device can only be legally used with the consent, expressed or implied, of the person being tracked by the tracking device.
Or in the case of an object, if the person who has lawful possession or lawful control of that object has expressly or impliedly consented.
Where can I find this information in the Act?See sections 3 and 8 of the Act.
http://www8.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdoc/au/legis/vic/cons…
Likewise, it is also an offence for a person to knowingly install, use or maintain a tracking device to determine the geographical location of an object, with the express or implied consent of the person who has lawful possession or lawful control of that object.
OP is the seller so this is fine - the object belongs to the seller until it reaches the buyer, which is why the seller is also responsible if anything happens to the object during transit. Once it reaches the buyer, the buyer would be the one to send it back (not to mention the buyer already knows about the tracker since they're the one tracking it too) and that's sufficient for implied consent.
the object belongs to the seller until it reaches the buyer,
This is not the case if OP ships with Auspost.
http://www7.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdoc/au/legis/cth/cons…
AUSTRALIAN POSTAL CORPORATION ACT 1989 - SECT 101
Articles carried by post to be taken to be Australia Post's propertyFor the purpose of any legal proceeding or action in relation to an article carried by post or under the control of Australia Post, the article shall be taken to be, while it is being carried by post or under the control of Australia Post, the property of Australia Post.
Oh interesting. Yeah in that case OP needs to tell whoever's carrying the article, especially if it's Auspost.
If the product was 5k+ maybe, or I was transporting furniture etc from overseas. Even then, probably not.
The problem is will the GPS really cost $20?
Decent Ublox GPS can be done for $5 these days. The packet data service is more.
i want to get one, can you please show me the link?
ebay search for generic part GY-NEO6MV2.
@SnoozeAndLose: That is just the GPS component and talks UART serial, essentially 3.3v ons and offs over one wire updating position maybe every second. You would need a cheap microcontroller ~$2 and your separate data modem to communicate back to base. Looking around, $50+ seems to be the rough price of a 4g modem. Power would be by a separate battery, but can be done quite cheaply. With power management, 2 weeks updating position maybe every 5 minutes should be doable.
Sometimes prepaid android phones are the cheaper option for all their features for the price.
If you wanted GPS tracking without live updating, that could be done very cheaply to SD storage. The GPS part is cheap.
@[Deactivated]: OP saying if we willing to pay $20 more, my question is to get a readable tracking GPS work only $20 not just the GPS unit
@SnoozeAndLose: Well, I think it could be done for 2 day deliveries with a cheapie android smart phone for about $30-40. If you had phone carrier support you could do it cheaper by tower triangulation(really trilateration). Economies of scale and all, Mythbusters would give the $20 claim an ambitious but plausible. If free wireless internet becomes the norm, yes this is realistic very cheaply.
No interest.
I thought Auspost can confirm GPS location on request?
Depends if you are shipping me 2kg of ice
Yes, definitely I would. Not for all items, but for the bigger ones, for sure. Like a month ago when I ordered a skateboard from china for $500. It would be good not only for peace of mind, but if it could alert you when it was >500m away it would reduce the incidence of missing the postie. My post office is only a short walk away, but I would pay $5 easy to avoid having to walk to collect a package.
I had this same idea a year ago btw, so I'm guessing its a common one. For my idea it would also incorporate a light sensor, so that if the package was opened you'd get an instant alert.
An actual GPS unit isn't that expensive. Usually the expensive part of the tracker is the SIM, the data service, and the mobile radio chip you need to send information about the location to somewhere useful.
Plus, risk during transit is borne purely by the seller anyway, so there's no benefit to the buyer in having the GPS, and neither will the GPS allow you to do anything in most cases. If it's damaged in transit, it'll still arrive damaged. If it goes missing, you still won't receive it.
PLUS a GPS needs open line of sight to the sky. How often is a package being delivered - via shipping container, delivery vans, air freight, etc, ever going to have that? (Also - re: air freight - will your GPS tracker automatically go into flight-mode if it gets on an airplane? It would rather defeat the purpose if it crashes the plane it's being transported in. You might be able to find the location of the Lost Island though…)