Shanghai Courier Draft Would Require Inspection Alerts for Clearly Damaged Outer Packaging

Shanghai is reviewing a draft local implementation rule that would tighten requirements for courier acceptance, delivery, and service commitments during peak periods. A key provision: when a parcel’s outer packaging is clearly damaged or otherwise abnormal, the courier would have to proactively tell the recipient to inspect the contents before signing.

The draft, titled Measures of Shanghai Municipality for the Implementation of the Postal Law of the People's Republic of China (Draft), was submitted on the 7th to the Standing Committee of the Municipal People's Congress for deliberation. It also says courier firms should publish service commitments in advance during specific periods and inform senders when accepting parcels.

Subhead: Damaged outer packaging and “inspect first, sign later”

Under the draft, if the outer packaging is intact, the recipient may sign for the parcel. If there is obvious damage or another abnormal condition, unless the courier company and sender have agreed otherwise on inspection, the courier must tell the recipient to check the inner contents before signing.

At acceptance, courier companies would need to remind senders to read the service contract terms and to fill out the waybill truthfully. For parcels whose safety cannot be determined, the company has the right to ask the sender for a safety certificate issued by the relevant department.

The draft also requires electronic and written records of the parcel’s name, specifications, quantity, weight, acceptance time, and the names, addresses, and contact details of sender and recipient. These records must be kept for at least one year.

Once a parcel is accepted, the courier should deliver it to the recipient or the location agreed by both parties within the agreed delivery time. This sets basic expectations for delivery timing and handover location.

The draft also addresses last-mile convenience: government agencies, enterprises and institutions, and residential property service units should make it easier for couriers to deliver parcels face-to-face to recipients, and they must not charge any fee.

If internal rules or residential management covenants prevent face-to-face delivery, the relevant entity, owners’ committee, or entrusted property service unit should set up a parcel receiving point, assign staff to keep parcels safe, and hand them over promptly. (Li Xin)

Subhead: Tackling “slow express” during holidays and promotions

For frequent online shoppers, holidays and major promotions can bring a surge in courier volume, leading to slow delivery, backlogs, and delays. The draft stipulates that courier companies should announce service commitments in advance during specific periods and inform senders when accepting parcels.

Li Huide, director of the Municipal Postal Administration, said some courier companies blindly take on business to expand market share without considering their handling capacity, causing parcel backlogs and delays. This is especially clear during Spring Festival and other peak periods, he said, when “slow express” is common.

In response to this public concern, the draft draws on practical measures from some courier companies and adds notification duties for courier business operations, aiming to ease the supply-demand gap in express services.

The draft requires courier companies to define service commitments in advance based on parcel volume changes during specific periods such as Spring Festival. Those commitments should be announced to the public in advance and communicated to senders at acceptance, helping users prepare and gain their understanding and support.

For promotions that may cause a sharp increase in parcel volume, merchants running the promotion should discuss a delivery plan with courier companies in advance. If a courier company needs to change its service commitments, it should also announce the change in advance.

If a courier company goes bankrupt, changes production, or closes down and stops operating without properly handling parcels already collected—causing backlogs and delays—the draft gives the Municipal Postal Administration emergency handling authority. Postal enterprises and other courier companies would be required to follow the municipal postal administration’s unified dispatch during sudden backlog incidents and deliver the backlogged parcels promptly. Source: China Packaging Network (pack.cn), original link: http://news.pack.cn/show-362075.html