The Dishonest Courier January 1st, 2002

So how do you send the goods and foil the dishonest intentions of the kleptomaniac courier? We received a number of interesting proposals. Here are a few examples:

• Abraham Fotiadis, Athens: I think it's enough, if our associate sends us an empty box with an open padlock (which should be put outside of the box, through the latch of course). We put the goods in, then we push the padlock in order to close it, and send it back. – Sorry, Abe, the courier steals locks.
• Daniel Schütt: We send an empty box with an open padlock (first padlock) on the latch and keep the key. The courier doesn't steal the lock, because of it's not inside the box. etc. – Nice try, Daniel. Before he delivers the box he steals everything he can get his hands on.
  
• Christian Söderberg: I solved all the problems above the same day they were published, but decided to deal with this last one later. Then January passed with lighting speed, and I suddenly realized I hadn't finished the puzzle yet. Fortunately you had set 24:00 Fiji-time to be the deadline, so I had some time to make a feeble attempt (though I'm very tired and not really satisfied with my solution). One idea is to send an empty box with a non-locked padlock to the final receiver (although it is possible that the courier steals the unlocked padlock as well). The receiver then sends her own opened padlock in a box, and seals the box with my padlock (to which I, of course, have the key). Thereafter I put the valuable in the box and lock it with her padlock. There must be a better solution, but I'm to tired to find one right now. – See above, Christian.
  
• Amudhan Krishnan: How about simply breaking the lock? – Hmmm. Not what we has in mind.
• Mikhail Chetverukhin: Send the box first without the key. After person gets it, send the key by courier service. But I must be wrong because I did not experience a "Wow". – Yep. He steals keys.
• Clifford Enoc, Philippines: Hand deliver the valuable goods personally to your partner! Am I correct? – Yes, correct solution – to a different problem.

Now for the solution, which was correctly given by a surprising number of readers. This is the way to get the goods across:

We regret to inform you that the solution has been removed by a mean-spirited member of the editorial staff. In an emergency you can get the answer directly from us.

Frederic Friedel