Can you get infected from an Ebay Parcel?

... The low risk scenarios include things like delivery driver or loader sneezing or coughing on your shipment...
Having seen a lot of articles and videos on this, the opinion that I have come to share is that the infected human being would have to cough onto a package, with the other person instantly touching it and then rubbing his nose with infected hands.

And most/all delivery drivers are wearing masks now (as they should), thereby breaking that chain of events.
 
My thesis from the start was the low probability/high impact nature of the risk, and I agree 100% that the probability of getting an infection via a received shipment is very low. But it is still non-zero. The most/all classification for delivery drivers wearing masks have associated compliance probabilities. It may be in the P&P but have a compliance ratio < 1. As to the deposition vectors I can think of cough, sneeze, wiping nose then package, and deliberate contamination.
 
Some people assume I am ordering from China so I might as well clarify. I rather pay triple than buy from China now. China's blatant disregard for human rights and the welfare of other nations the reason behind that decision. ( Moderators feel free to block me now, I don't care ) Getting back to my "ebay purchase", there's plenty of other places I can buy the same item from, including US, UK, Germany, Japan and other places. The US was actually high on my list since it's got a huge marketplace, but with the crisis now hitting the US the hardest, I have to admit I am extremely reluctant to make that purchase just based on the risk factor to myself. Regarding one other purchase I really need - an ultrasonic type of dental cleaning device - I have heard is made in China, and not anywhere else, so I might not end up making this purchase for the aforementioned reasons. The situation is complicated I agree, but something's gotta give.

Edit: Aren't Chloro-based disinfectants made of chlorine ? Did a brief search and found this:
Pool chlorine and household bleach both contain hypochlorite ion, which is the chemical agent responsible for their “bleaching” action. Pool chlorine, however, is substantially stronger than household bleach.
I have been avoiding bleach for years after learning the hard way those chemicals are too strong. Not sure if I'd use chloro-based disinfectants for my own expensive cinema lenses, or lighting gear or even the dental cleaning device I mentioned.
 
Last edited:
Some people assume I am ordering from China so I might as well clarify. I rather pay triple than buy from China now. China's blatant disregard for human rights and the welfare of other nations the reason behind that decision. ( Moderators feel free to block me now, I don't care ) Getting back to my "ebay purchase", there's plenty of other places I can buy the same item from, including US, UK, Germany, Japan and other places. The US was actually high on my list since it's got a huge marketplace, but with the crisis now hitting the US the hardest, I have to admit I am extremely reluctant to make that purchase just based on the risk factor to myself. Regarding one other purchase I really need - an ultrasonic type of dental cleaning device - I have heard is made in China, and not anywhere else, so I might not end up making this purchase for the aforementioned reasons. The situation is complicated I agree, something's gotta give.
Even if a lab in China, or a Chinese government, etc., is responsible for a virus, I don't see how the many individual Chinese companies, owner's of those companies, employees of those companies, etc., are responsible for the virus. So why punish them?
 
It's not about "punishing them", it's about stopping our reliance on China and chinese made products. In our film production industry it is well known that "made in Japan" or "made in Germany" usually means a superior, more reliable product. Why settle for second best? And especially now, with the risks involved. B&H and Adorama have most of what we need anyway. For anything else I usually buy local or from Europe.
 
Even if a lab in China, or a Chinese government, etc., is responsible for a virus, I don't see how the many individual Chinese companies, owner's of those companies, employees of those companies, etc., are responsible for the virus. So why punish them?

Aaaand, that's a question that will undoubtedly lead to answers that will exceed our tolerance for political responses, so how about we just don't?
 
And Australian-made Miller tripods ! :thumbsup: I got me a used DS30 last year through ebay. No regrets !
 
My thesis from the start was the low probability/high impact nature of the risk ...
The high impact is also in question to most demos. There are various immune system studies about the genetic predisposition vs. all flu group viruses (corona is originated in bats, but there's also bird, swine and every other animal based subsets). For example, my (late) father never got sick with a flu. I, on the other hand, was a welcome host going back to my childhood. And the answers to why that is are still unknown but many virologists suspect that positive Covid test results that are from the asymptomatic sufferers are not due to the current contagion but to the existing presence in lymph nodes of the previous ones.
 
Just to worry people China has now contained the outbreak and they are well past the worst .
I'm hearing reports of a surge in death rates and a second wave. Also the number of unreported deaths is suspected to be far higher than the US.
 
Back
Top