It's a bird! It's a plane! It's ... that jacket your ordered from Asos.com.
Within months, some Australians might get the option to have items they purchase online delivered straight to their doors by drones. 
Australia Post is trialling the use of remotely piloted drones, with the backing of the Civil Aviation Safety Authority. If the two-week trial is successful, the company hopes to test the service with consumers by the end of the year.
"We're exploring the viability of adding this to our multiple methods of delivery," Australia Post chief executive Ahmed Fahour said.
A consumer trial would use drones to deliver parcels to 50 locations twice a week in an outer metropolitan location, Australia Post manager e-commerce platforms and marketplaces Ben Franzi said.
The technology could be especially valuable for rural customers whose homes are far from their mail boxes. The drones would be operated by delivery drivers who would launch the drone from where they are parked on a road.
Some of Australia Post's big retail customers were interested in participating in a consumer trial, Mr Fahour said.
However, "we'll only bring it into play once we are 100 per cent sure that it's safe and reliable", he said.
The delivery drones were developed by Melbourne company ARI Labs. They are fitted with a high-definition camera, as well as a parachute, alarm and warning lights.
They also send encrypted data back to a ground station so engineers can safely monitor flight activity in real time. ARI Labs hopes to be able to automate the monitoring in future.
CASA, the government body overseeing air traffic safety, recently relaxed some regulations for commercial drone operators.