I once had to keep an airport taxi waiting at my front door while the courier (purolator) was on their way to deliver my airline tickets. I totally agree with almost all of this list.. You forgot the whole customs mess though. I've had things stuck in customs for weeks because the department of homeland security had some new forms I need to fill out to ship a CD-ROM into the US.
Fixing customs is a big ask, and there will always be unavoidable amounts of red tape because you can't just vote with your feet and go to another customs provider.
It would be possible, although insanely difficult, for someone to disrupt the courier market.
The box which I mention in my OP, which was due to be picked up between 14:00 and 16:00 GMT (still sat in my hallway now at 17:30 GMT, despite being "guaranteed" to get to Scotland by 12:00 noon tomorrow) is costing me £30 to ship. I'd have paid double that to someone who makes my life _simpler_.
Now looking at my third phone call to the courier in question just to find out what they've accomplished during the last two hours of radio silence in pursuit of operation "Get a man in a van to pick up his phone then go to an address on his route".
