STOP DROPTM
Shipping  Mishandling  Sensors

Frequently Asked Questions
  • Q: What is Stop Drop?
  • A: Stop Drop is a small, single-use, sophisticated, yet inexpensive electronic impact sensor designed for use with packaged shipments. Stop Drop's capabilities include:

    • Detecting if your package was mishandled – Stop Drop senses any impact likely to damage properly packaged items.

    • Detecting when your package was mishandled, and therefore by whom – In the unfortunate event that damage occurs and filing an insurance claim with your shipping company becomes necessary, the ability to establish who had possession when mishandling occurred, and is therefore accountable, is invaluable.

    • Serving as a deterrent to shipping company negligence – Unlike passive "Fragile" or "Handle with Care" labels that are easy to ignore without consequence, Stop Drop is actively monitoring the handling of your package at all times.

  • Q: Why should I use Stop Drop?
  • A: Using Stop Drop as a shipment sender, or requesting it be used as the recipient, affords you peace of mind knowing that Stop Drop will detect not only if your package was mishandled in transit, but when. Stop Drop's active monitoring serves as a deterrent to negligence, but in the unfortunate event that filing an insurance claim with your shipping company becomes necessary, Stop Drop also provides an invaluable, independently verifiable source for determining when abuse occurred, and therefore by whom.

  • Q: When should I use Stop Drop?
  • A: Any time that fragile, valuable or rare items are being shipped or must otherwise leave your possession. If it's worth insuring, it's worth protecting with Stop Drop!

  • Q: Why should I pay to use Stop Drop on a package I'm sending to someone else?
  • A: While it may not be readily apparent, Stop Drop protects you as the sender every bit as much as the recipient! Here's how: The sender, not the recipient, contracted with the shipping company. Therefore, any resulting claims action can only be initiated by the sender! In the unfortunate event that items are damaged in transit, the recipient (who is likely a customer you want to keep happy), will simply contact you or their financial institution and be refunded. The sender, on the other hand, has to file the damage claim and hope it's paid in order to avoid taking a loss. Knowing that the package was mishandled, when it occurred, and therefore by whom, gives you the upper hand.

  • Q: How does Stop Drop work?
  • A: Stop Drop responds to impact forces in excess of thresholds established by the ISTA (International Safe Transit Association) test procedures devised to simulate package mishandling. Once triggered, it enters reporting mode and conveys the elapsed time since impact with an externally visible, color encoded flash sequence.

  • Q: What impact force is required to trigger Stop Drop?
  • A: Stop Drop has been independently verified to only respond to impact forces in excess of the thresholds established by the ISTA (International Safe Transit Association) test procedure 1A / 1G, which is defined as a "general simulation test for individual packaged-products shipped through a parcel delivery system". The ISTA's procedures are referenced by many shipping companies' package preparation and handling best practices, so if your Stop Drop is flashing, the carrier didn't uphold their end of the bargain.


    For more information about Stop Drop's activation threshold, please visit our Technology page.

  • Q: How accurate is the time-of-impact data provided by Stop Drop?
  • A: Stop Drop reports the time-of-impact in one hour intervals and is accurate to within +/- 1%

  • Q: Is Stop Drop only intended for use with packaged shipments?
  • A: Certainly not! Stop Drop can be used to detect mishandling under any circumstances when fragile or valuable items must leave your possession; e.g., luggage mishandling, moving company negligence, etc.

  • Q: Should I ship my package insured when using Stop Drop?
  • A: If you're shipping a fragile, valuable or rare items and insurance is available, absolutely! In the unfortunate event that filing a damage claim with your shipping company becomes necessary, Stop Drop serves as an invaluable, independantly verifiable source for determining when abuse occurred and therefore by whom.

  • Q: I received a Stop Drop protected package, and the indicator LED is flashing. Should I open it?
  • A: Some shipping companies' policies stipulate that opening a package signifies a release from liability. Stop Drop provides the time of impact, however, which should prevent them from claiming your item was damaged after it left their possession. If in doubt, contact the shipping company in question first.

  • Q: What handling guarantees do shipping companies provide about the conditions my package may experience while in their possession?
  • A: Very few unfortunately. Not surprisingly, most major carriers have stacked the deck in their favor by filling lengthy terms of use documents with lots of things they don't guarantee. Many do publish packaging best practices aligned with the ISTA's (International Safe Transit Association) test procedures, however, and from those guidelines, an expectation of handling conditions can be implied. Specifically:

    • United Parcel Service
      • UPS: Packaging – "...all packages submitted to UPS for shipment must be capable of meeting the requirements of the International Safe Transit Association (ISTA) Procedure 3A test protocol."

      • UPS: How To Prepare for Shipping – "...all packaged products should be tested in accordance with the International Safe Transit (ISTA) Test Procedure 3A to ensure the most appropriate level of product protection is achieved."

      • ISTA: 3A – Packaged-Products for Parcel Delivery System Shipments 70kg (150 lb) or Less (standard, small, flat or elongated)
        Package Weight 0-69 lbs 70-150 lbs
        Drop Height 18in (sides/edges) - 36in (bottom) 12in (sides/edges) - 24in (bottom)

    • United States Postal Service
      • USPS: Publication 2 - Packaging for Mailing – "Mailers can use the International Safe Transit Association (ISTA) Test Procedure 1A to evaluate their packaging (see Appendix A)."

      • ISTA: 1A – Packaged-Products weighing 150 lb (68 kg) or Less
        Package Weight 0-20 lbs 21-40 lbs 41-60 lbs 61-99 lbs 100-150 lbs
        Drop Height 30 inches 24 inches 18 inches 12 inches 8 inches

    Remember that Stop Drop has been independently verified to only respond to impact forces in excess of the thresholds established by the ISTA drop test procedure 1A / 1G, so if your Stop Drop is flashing, the handling expectations defined above haven't been met.

  • Q: How does Stop Drop differ from other impact sensors?
  • A: Other impact sensors provide some, but not all of the information provided by Stop Drop:

    • Mechanical Sensors – Indicate that mishandling occurred, but not when. It's easy and all too common for shipping companies to dispute claims when the time that damage occurred is called into question; i.e., before or after a package was in their possession.

    • Other Electronic Sensors – May detect when mishandling occurred, but don't provide a visible indication of abuse prior to accepting delivery and opening the package. This information is important for the recipient to have and provides an added deterrent to mishandling. Most other electronic sensors are also very expensive—as much as 100 times more!!!

  • Q: How long will Stop Drop last once activated?
  • A: Real world conditions vary (temperature, humidity, etc.), but once activated, Stop Drop should last for more than one month in monitoring mode and at least 10 days in reporting mode once triggered by mishandling.

  • Q: Why is the time-of-impact data provided by Stop Drop reported in one hour intervals (vs. minutes or seconds)?
  • A: Package mishandling usually occurs at large shipping distribution centers and ports when shipments are transferred between trains, ships, trucks, and aircraft, or when being loaded for delivery. Reporting to the nearest hour is, therefore, nearly always sufficient to determine whether your package was still in the shipping company's possession at the time of impact. It also allows us to provide a simple, intuitive interface, which makes our product easier for you to use and less expensive for you to buy.

  • Q: What do the different LED colors mean?
  • A: After being triggered, Stop Drop enters reporting mode and begins counting up in one hour increments. Each color signifies a place value: Red=Ones, Green=Tens, Blue=Hundreds; e.g., a flash code of 1 blue, 2 green, and 3 red would mean that Stop Drop was triggered 123 hours ago. If that was after your package was dropped off to the shipping company, but before they delivered it, someone has some explaining to do! To simplify the flash code conversion, we provide an easy to use calculator on our homepage.

  • Q: I'm sold! Where can I get a Stop Drop impact sensor?
  • A: Stop Drop impact sensors are available for purchase through our Online Store or at numerous retailers. Please reference our Dealers page for a complete listing.

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Stop Drop is a trademark of Stop Drop Sensors, LLC. All rights reserved.