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We’ve Tested 5 Privacy Protection Methods in 5 Months. Which One Actually Works?

Published By Monica D.  |  Home Privacy

Last update: Oct 27  •  5 min

Every delivery brings something you might not think twice about. The shipping label.
It has your full name. Your home address. Sometimes your phone number too. Then the box goes in the bin, and the bin goes out to the kerb.

 

Most people know this. So they do something about it. They grab a marker. They cut the label off. Some feed it through a shredder. Some burn it.


We wanted to know which of these really hides your details. So we focused on GarboGuard, the paper shredder, the permanent marker, scissors and burning, the five methods we see people use most.

Look at any box from your last delivery. The label usually shows three things. Your name. Your street address. A barcode or tracking number.

That label stays on the box until someone takes it off. In the bin. On the truck. At the depot. So the question is simple. When you are done with the box, is your name still readable or not?

We tested each method over five months on 1,586 shipping labels. We rated them on whether the print stayed readable (including under a torch), whether it works on a box, how much effort it takes, and whether the box can still be recycled. Here are the results:

GarboGuard Privacy Stamp

 

Rating

9/10 - 1st place

Price

$29.95

GarboGuard is a small roller stamp. You roll it over the label and your name and address turn into gibberish. One stroke covers up to six lines of text. It takes about two seconds a label. Then the box goes straight in the bin.

In our tests, the stamped labels stayed unreadable under a torch. It is a good fit for anyone who gets regular deliveries and wants a quick habit they will actually keep.

•   About two seconds per label

•   Covers up to six lines in one stroke

•   Unreadable even under a torch

•   No power, no app, no batteries

•   Small enough for a kitchen drawer or handbag

•   The box stays whole, so it can go in the recycling

•   Refills available

Visit GarboGuard

Why We Chose GarboGuard as the Best Way to Hide Your Personal Information

After five months with all five methods, we confidently chose GarboGuard as the best everyday option.

Here is what we noticed. Every other method has a catch. Most leave your name and address somewhere: under the ink, or on a scrap of cut paper. The ones that truly destroy it need a power point or an open fire, and that is hard to keep up for every box.

GarboGuard works on the print itself. The letters turn into a scrambled pattern, so there is nothing underneath to find. And because it takes about two seconds, it becomes part of tossing the box.

“Why not just use a marker?”

This is the question we hear most. A marker is cheap, and you already own one. Here is the problem. Marker ink sits on top of the print. Hold the label up to a light and the letters can still show through. GarboGuard scrambles the print into gibberish. Hold it up to a torch and there is nothing to read.

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Paper Shredder

 

Rating:

8/10 - 2nd Place

What you need:

A shredder, a power point, scissors

A shredder is great for paper. Bills, letters, old statements. It does that job well.

A delivery box is a different story. A box will not fit through a home shredder, so you cut the label off first. Then you find the shredder, plug it in and feed it through. It works. It is just a lot of steps for one label, and in our test it was the method most often skipped on a busy day.

•   Very good for paper documents

•   Needs power and a spot in the house

•   Box labels must be cut off first

•   Many steps for a single parcel

Permanent Marker

 

Rating:

3rd Place

What you need:

A marker

The marker is the most common method we see. It is cheap, fast and already in the drawer.

It also has the biggest catch. Marker ink sits on top of the print. On shiny labels, the print reflects light differently from the ink, so tilting it under a lamp lets the letters show through. More strokes helped a little. They did not fix it.

•   Cheap and easy to find

•   Print can show through under light

•   Worst on glossy labels

•   Ink can smudge onto hands

Scissors

 

Rating:

4th Place

What you need:

Scissors or a box cutter

Cutting the label off feels thorough. The box has nothing on it.

Now look at the piece you cut off. It is a small square of paper with your full name and address on it, and it still has to go somewhere. Some labels are stuck on hard, so cutting them out can leave a hole in the box and take a while.

•   Box is left with no label

•   The cut out label still shows your details

•   Hard on strongly stuck labels

•   Takes time and a steady hand

Burning

 

Rating:

5th Place

What you need:

Matches or a lighter, and a safe outdoor spot

Burning feels like the most final option. If the label turns to ash, nobody is reading it.

The problem is everything around it. You need matches, a safe outdoor spot and a day when burning is allowed, and many areas restrict or ban outdoor burning during fire season. Glossy labels and thick cardboard don’t always burn evenly, so a corner with your name on it can survive. And a burnt box can’t go in the recycling.

•   Destroys whatever fully burns

•   Needs matches and a safe outdoor spot

•   Often restricted or banned in fire season

•   The box can’t be recycled

All five methods, side by side

Method

Readable under a torch?

Works on a box?

Needs power?

Box can be recycled?

GarboGuard

No

Yes

No

Yes

Shredder

No, once shredded

Only if label is cut off first

Yes

Yes

Marker

Often yes

Yes

No

Yes

Scissors

Yes, on the cut out piece

Yes

No

Yes, with a hole in it

Burning

No, if it fully burns

Only outdoors, in a safe spot

No

No, it’s burnt

Want to try the #1 way to hide your personal information?

Roll It. Bin It. Never Think About It Again.

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This article is published by GarboGuard, the maker of the GarboGuard Privacy Stamp. Questions? Email info@garboguard.com.