The most important packaging decisions get made by people with the least information.
A founder sources a beautiful glass serum bottle, ships it in whatever box their supplier recommends, and watches the first three months of Amazon reviews fill up with "arrived broken." A packaging engineer at a mid-size CPG company inherits a shipping spec nobody tested properly and spends a quarter firefighting damage claims. A student graduates with a degree in packaging science and realizes the classroom stopped somewhere short of what actually happens on a lab floor or a loading dock.
The Drop Test exists for all of them.
What gets covered
Packaging testing — ISTA, ASTM, Amazon SIOC, and how to choose the right standard for what you're actually shipping.
Failure analysis and troubleshooting — why packaging fails in the field, how to find the root cause, and how to fix it properly rather than just adding more void fill and hoping.
Packaging engineering and design — corrugated construction, protective materials, structural design, and how to spec packaging that performs.
Beauty and DTC shipping — the specific challenges of shipping fragile, high-value products through e-commerce channels where you have zero control over handling.
Standards and compliance — what ISTA, Amazon, and retail compliance programs actually require and what happens when you get it wrong.
Free and paid membership
Most posts on The Drop Test are free to read. Paid members get access to the full archive, downloadable templates, test protocol checklists, specification sheet guides, and deeper technical content that goes beyond what a free post can cover.
If one post here prevents a product launch failure, a compliance rejection, or a wave of damage claims — the membership pays for itself before the first billing cycle ends.
A note on The Drop Test
This publication has no advertisers, no sponsors, and no agenda beyond accurate, useful information. Posts are not written to sell you a material, a supplier, or a system. They are written to help you make better packaging decisions.
If something published here is wrong, say so. If there's a topic you need covered, ask. The contact form is there for exactly that.
The work speaks for itself.
