Amazon Over-Packaging of the Day

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Amazon is notorious for using packages ten times the size of the product but this one takes the cake. Thanks to Tara for the image and the link.
 
"Hmmm, out of small boxes! Take care of the customer and ship today in a big box, or screw him and wait two days to ship?"

Good call Amazon shipping dude! Kudos from me.
 
I LOVE me some Amazon, especially when I was in Alaska. Free shipping on shit that weighed a ton, I'm good with their packaging ;)
 
I hope one did not have to pay for shipping on that item. . . .

No problem with not making margins on the part, let's make it up on the shipping cost. . . . .
 
I had a box from Newegg come in last week the same size as that one. What was in it? A single copy of SBS 2011 Essentials in the standard DVD case in a yellow bubble pouch not much bigger than what is in the box in the OPs' picture. Rest of the box was stuffed with paper wrap. Could not believe all that box and packing for that one product.
 
It doesn't have peanut things like my overpackaged amazon order!

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:D
 
if they did that to me they would be getting a bill for the increase cost for it to come to me, being out side the U.S a box that sized would easily jack my 3rd party shipping rates through the roof!
 
I had an exact opposite from Amazon UK when i ordered a retail copy of Windows 7. It was literaly put inside a folded sheet of cardboard. Absolutely minimalistic packaging.
 
ir0nw0lf said:
I had a box from Newegg come in last week the same size as that one. What was in it? A single copy of SBS 2011 Essentials in the standard DVD case in a yellow bubble pouch not much bigger than what is in the box in the OPs' picture. Rest of the box was stuffed with paper wrap. Could not believe all that box and packing for that one product.
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I haven't had anything like this happen but I did have 2 BF3 codes sent from Newegg in a seperate box than the SSDs, which had no packing material, stuffed full of that brown paper they love to use.
 
faugusztin said:
I had an exact opposite from Amazon UK when i ordered a retail copy of Windows 7. It was literaly put inside a folded sheet of cardboard. Absolutely minimalistic packaging.
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That's usually how I receive my books from them. At least they're not damaged, so I don't mind.

Nobody should be complaining, better that than squeezing stuff into small boxes at a risk of damaging the actualy content.
 
Amazon just opened a huge distribution center about 50 miles south of me.
At first I was upset because technically this means I have to pay the high Tennessee sales tax because they have an entity in the state. But they cut a deal with the Governor, and they are not collecting state taxes. This is GREAT for me. I can order things and get them next day on supersaver free shipping. ;)
 
M'ichal said:
Nobody should be complaining, better that than squeezing stuff into small boxes at a risk of damaging the actualy content.
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When you have a box the size of Buick sitting in your kitchen, and you have to figure out what to do with it, it's reason to complain. Especially when you order something like tire valve stem caps, as was my case, and they pack it in a box big enough you could have fit a V8 in it.
 
Obviously they've taken measures to prevent damage when the stupid fed-ex/ups/usps/dhl etc. guy tosses your package around. ;)
 
B2BigAl said:
When you have a box the size of Buick sitting in your kitchen, and you have to figure out what to do with it, it's reason to complain. Especially when you order something like tire valve stem caps, as was my case, and they pack it in a box big enough you could have fit a V8 in it.
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That is tough. What will you ever do with a box? Amazon put you in a very precarious position. They didn't even consider the psychological damage this could have done.
 
Topweasel said:
Aren't they the one that shipped a whole pallet for a single box?
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Yes, I have seen 2 pictures like that for HP packaging. One was a power cord, in a box, strapped to a full sized pallet. The other was a mouse, in a box, strapped to a pallet.
There was also another one with one huge box and inside were 16 individual boxes. In each of the 16 boxes was 2 sheets of paper. They were certifications or something like that.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/07/23/enormouse/

http://consumerist.com/2009/08/hp-throws-in-free-wooden-pallet-with-every-power-cord-purchase.html

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/07/18/hp_packaging/
 
I find the packaging from Amazon to be invariably perfect.

I guess every now and then you'll get a box bigger than normal, but I attribute that to lack of box availability on the shipping floor. No big deal.
 
I receive about 20 amazon shipments a month, and have never seen anything like this.

I'm not calling Shens or anything but, well, wait. I guess I am :)
 
If the only thing you have to complain about Amazon shipping is that they occasionally use too big of a box, then they are doing a great job.
 
One package from amazon wasn't even a real box. It was two pieces of very heavy paper stapled together around the package. The package wasn't damaged amazingly.
 
Galvin said:
One package from amazon wasn't even a real box. It was two pieces of very heavy paper stapled together around the package. The package wasn't damaged amazingly.
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Are you sure it was directly from Amazon, and not an Amazon third party seller? I've been shopping at Amazon for 4 years, never once had that happen.

At most, they'll have one of those fold together cardboard containers, with perforated tabs to open it with. But I've never seen anything with just staples on it.
 
usually amazon is good on packaging, but I ordered a sink recently, and it was under-packaged and unable to withstand the abuse by UPS.
 
What a waste. Amazon shareholder should be pissed that Amazon is spending so much on shipping when that part of the expense could be drastically reduced. I've gotten some over-packaged stuff as well, but nothing that bad. :eek:
 
beowulf7 said:
What a waste. Amazon shareholder should be pissed that Amazon is spending so much on shipping when that part of the expense could be drastically reduced. I've gotten some over-packaged stuff as well, but nothing that bad. :eek:
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In reality, the cost of the box is probably more than made up for by the time not lost having a worker leave station and go hunt down some smaller boxes.
 
Lol. I've received orders like that from part suppliers before. I once received an FL inverter, less than the size of a pen, wrapped in one layer of pink bubble wrap and taped to the bottom of a box that size. It was free shipping so no biggie. But what a waste!
 
Forgot to ask if anyone else noticed the "big smile" logo on the box? Put one on my face. I love irony!
 
If you look at the comments on that article, there was a manager from Amazon that made a very good point. He said that the packagers are required to follow whatever the computer tells them for the size of the shipping box. So if the item was scanned improperly when it was first entered into the system and had a much bigger box assigned to it, the packagers still has to use the ridiculously large box. If they don't, they will most likely get negative performance reviews.
 
NoOther said:
If you look at the comments on that article, there was a manager from Amazon that made a very good point. He said that the packagers are required to follow whatever the computer tells them for the size of the shipping box. So if the item was scanned improperly when it was first entered into the system and had a much bigger box assigned to it, the packagers still has to use the ridiculously large box. If they don't, they will most likely get negative performance reviews.
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This is also why Amazon's packaging feedback system exists. It lets you rate the packaging and even upload a picture of the packaging.
 
As an Amazon Associate, HardForum may earn from qualifying purchases.
Back when I ordered my 4800 pens from Office Depot for 86 cents shipped overnight, they put the 4 page invoice into it's own 12x12x5 box instead of including it in one of the other 3 large boxes.
 
I work at Amazon's Fernley, NV Fulfillment Center in receiving. One of the processes we do when we receive a brand new item in the facility is called "Cubiscan." What this basically is, is a laser scanner and scale that measures and weighs the product. I've seen some people that are doing this process put the whole case of a small product instead of just a single item on the Cubiscan station. If this does happen then of course the packing system is going to "recommend" a larger box than what is needed.
 
Entity said:
I work at Amazon's Fernley, NV Fulfillment Center in receiving. One of the processes we do when we receive a brand new item in the facility is called "Cubiscan." What this basically is, is a laser scanner and scale that measures and weighs the product. I've seen some people that are doing this process put the whole case of a small product instead of just a single item on the Cubiscan station. If this does happen then of course the packing system is going to "recommend" a larger box than what is needed.
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Great no finally get some insider info! Thanks for the heads up!
 
TechLarry said:
I receive about 20 amazon shipments a month, and have never seen anything like this.

I'm not calling Shens or anything but, well, wait. I guess I am :)
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Nope, it happens. Recieved the same size box for ONE roll of scotch tape. I ordered a chair, and they had some promotion on scotch tape (automatically entered in a contest if you buy one). Saw one roll for 2 bucks, so ordered it. ONE small roll in the box + foam peanuts.
 
They do this just as bad at my work...

We get parts in, say there is 3-4 little tiny threaded bosses... and it's in a 12x15" box.. 10" high. For 3-4 parts that could take up no more room than a Coin roll.
 
I'm not sure if I've ever gotten a shipment from Amazon with foam peanuts. The best I ever get are those damn air things, and half the time they're deflated.

In the last year I've gotten a few things that were jacked up because Amazon did a crappy job in the packaging department. To their credit, though, they made it right after I complained.
 
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