Sometimes packages just go missing. For whatever reason the phone charger you ordered from Amazon or silicon spatula from Etsy doesn’t show up and you wonder: ‘where did it go?’
Maybe it was a covertous neighbour? Or worse a thief on a package stealing rampage? There are occasions when these reasons just don’t make sense. Your brown parcel never seemed to get close to your doorstep and is now lost somewhere in the ether.
At that stage you’ve probably got your refund or replacement and have happily moved on.
So the question of where your package ended up isn’t as annoying any more.
However, on a trip to an unglamourous corner of Berlin I stumbled upon something that not only suggests these undeliverables are stored somewhere central, but also suggests those undelivered items might have a second life.
The Soviet-built Berlin suburb of Marzahn is not exactly a tourist hotspot, that’s not a slight on the place – there simply isn’t much to see there beyond the fairly bland 1970s brutalist concrete architecture.
Yet, tucked inside the area’s Eastgate shopping centre is a truly unique attraction: The ‘mystery prize’ abandoned package vending machine.
To the average passer-by the ‘Loot Pack Hunters’ machine is just a regular dispenser of sweets or electricals.
But get a little closer and you see the goods it deals are out of the ordinary.
This is because it’s undelivered packages of all shapes and sizes in the vending machine berths.
For a flat €10 fee users choose which package takes their fancy. The lucky dip set-up means sometimes an item is worth more and other times less.
Those behind the machine are mysteriously known as Loot Pack Hunters who, according to their website, claim their ‘Secret Pack’ machines stand “for the adventure of the unknown”.
“Our goal is to give undeliverable packages and returns a second life – and offer you an unforgettable surprise in the process,” they say.
They add that “each package tells its own story and transforms everyday objects into an exciting experience.”
Of course, the only way for me to understand the mystery machine was to test it myself.
I stepped up and eyed the options.
Soon it was clear. The process of assessing what undelivered parcel held the most precious bounty was harder than it looked.
There was a temptation to go for the ones which look boxy – could they hold a phone or some other high-value device?
Then again, a lot of products can fit in such a parcel, maybe it was too obviously wishful thinking.
So I decide to go for the curveball, the least appealing package in the machine.
Taped sideways into a triangle with a big spray-painted mark over the address, there is little to suggest the parcel is the high-ticket item that you dream of landing.
And that, I was banking, would be why it would be the winner.
I punch in the number and eagerly await as the the robotic system rises to grab the package.
It lands at the base with a thump, I grab it and begin removing the layers of masking tape.
Eventually, I pull back the card to reveal my prize… a set of women’s work-out gear.
Completely useless and far from the expensive bounty I’d hoped for, but I guess that’s the beauty of a lucky dip.
