Over the course of the winter and early spring months, I have been receiving numerous packages from various forum members as well as ebay purchases made from our trusted forum members. One of my biggest concerns throughout this period has been the last leg of each shipping trip when the package has almost arrived and just needs to find its way to my door. So much can happen during that last leg and before one has the awaited package in hand, very cold weather, very hot weather, people who shop for goodies in rural mailboxes and/or front porches and garage doors, problem during the last leg transit where a temporary worker might decide that your package marked fragile doesn't really need special handling and could be punted to the door from the truck and so on.
Since it is not always possible to be home when deliveries are made and In an effort to give myself peace of mind, I took the delivery by the Post Office or package carrier out of the equation by putting a stop and hold for pickup at the post office or at the package carrier and request text notifications on shipping progress, etc on the routing / tracking number provided to the shipper when the package is initially sent.
In this manner, I will get a phone text msg on shipping progress along the various stages and know exactly when it comes into the Carmel PO or shipping carrier. Per instructions and usually free of any special charges, they will hold it there for me to pick up as soon as they are open....
This has proven to me to be the safest way to remove weather and hot delivery trucks and other risk factors from the shipping and delivery process. Everyone on the forum may already be doing exactly the same as it does appear to be a fairly good best practice but in case anyone isn't, perhaps you might want to consider adopting the same model, especially if you have ever receive frozen or cooked plant material as a result of less than optimal handling during the last leg of the shipping journey.