In the height of a busy shipping and return season, we verify whether ‘fragile’ labels ensure a package is handled with care.

ATLANTA — Pictures of crunched and battered packages are not what you want to see, especially on your doorstep. When the photos are coupled with a ‘fragile’ label, that’s even more confusing. Are we taking it for granted that labeling a package as ‘fragile’ can protect it?

In the height of a busy shipping and return season, we turned to Allen Kim at Edwin Jarvis to verify.

“A lot of times people prefer to use stickers because they are more visible but writing [fragile] does make an effect,” Kim said. But according to Kim, there’s a limit to a label’s effectiveness. For instance, factors like reusing a box could diminish the message.

The VERIFY team checked in with UPS, the United States Postal Service and FedEx to learn more about each carrier’s policy for fragile packages and whether a label serves as an alert for special handling.

According to a spokesperson for UPS, the most important part is how items are packed, “not necessarily how they are labeled.” UPS policy indicates a package should not leave an employee’s hands until it’s on a surface. The spokesperson said that policy applies to all packages, whether labeled fragile or not.

U.S.P.S statement instructed packages to be marked ‘fragile’ if they can break. The postal service also offers preferential handling for fragile items for an added fee, but that does not insure the item against damage. While a response from FedEx included a list of packing tips but no mention of fragile labels. 11 Alive Atlanta