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Generic Object Tracking

it's a nonsense each is proprietary
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I've just sent something off to a lucky ebay purchaser,and decided to protect us both by sending it registered mail.

It struck me at the time that I'm only really doing it so if there's a problem I can say 'look, I sent something to you' so I was thinking a generic object tracking service might be in order. You go to a website and print off a unique barcode (it writes the number underneath) and affix it to your item. Then anyone that wants to can comment on that item e.g.

[neilp] : I've just sent that thing you bought
[Auspost] : recieved at St. Peters post office (see pic)
[Auspost] : delivered to address in Melbourne
[Dan]: thanks mate- I got that thing and it's great.

I think it would be much more useful as an end-to-end process and quite cheap for organisations/people to add into their existing workflows.
It might work a bit like bookcrossing (see link).
neilp, Dec 16 2004

a site that gives you a unique number http://www.bookcrossing.com
so you can pass-on books to strangers. [neilp, Dec 16 2004]

[link]






       This sounds like a great concept, but I don't know about the bookcrossings model. Bookcrossings is a great concept too, but in my experience it seems to rely heavily on the users acceptance of the possibility that some large percentage of the books you release will just vanish. That part of the appeal isn't it? You never know when something will resurface.   

       Not how I would want to handle an ebay transaction... but plus anyway for getting the ball rolling.
tiromancer, Dec 16 2004
  
      
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