POLL: Amazon Packaging fail
8So today I received an order and there was NO outer carton. The UPS label was just slapped on the product box and it was shipped.
This is an issue b/c the item is a gift. Guess I have to call Amazon to discuss.
This is the first time I have encountered such a shortcut. Anyone else ever have this experience?
A. YES
B. NO
C. Let’s chat about the stupid shit they did
- 19 comments, 32 replies
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Walmart is usually really bad for this. Cannot recall having this particular problem with Amazon.
Amazon usually puts a warning on items they ship this way.
@devyanks90 I just checked and you are right. I totally missed that sentence
/giphy son of a bitch
A. Amazon has been doing this for bulk items for a few years. For some items it just makes sense to use the original box instead of wasting paper by adding another.
I think I read an article where Amazon was responding to criticism about how much waste was generated by their shipping practices. They responded by saying that they were pushing manufacturers to put their items in ready-to-ship boxes. (they also mentioned recyclable shipping envelopes, the brown ones).
The problem is that manufacturers don’t want to make two versions of their boxes, one for visible retail and one for online shipping, but they do want that Amazon money. So they make bright and shiny ready-to-ship boxes that technically work for both.
The result is less waste, but can result in issues with gifts or package theft. There is probably a middle ground where Amazon tightly wraps the boxes in a single layer of paper (with robots of course). But they would have to determine they need to invest in that.
D. I probably just forgot to the click the checkbox that “this order contains a gift” during checkout.
Is the box intact enough? If so, take a hair dryer to the shipping label and peel it off.
@narfcake hey that is a genius hack. Thanks
Happens all the time here. 50% of what I order comes beat to hell with just a label slapped on the retail box. Amazon does such a large volume here that I think it’s just easier for them
I’ve just read a couple other reviews lately of people with the exact same problem and them even checking the gift box. I think this also creates a problem if you live in apartment or area where people can easily see what you bought bc of theft.
I ordered replacement H1 headlight bulbs for my car through Prime delivery. Received the bulbs placed in a plastic baggie and no packaging material in an oversized box. Of course the filament was broken when I received it.
@braveit1 oh that is terrible
@braveit1 sounds like meh shipping for many items.
@braveit1 I got 2 bulbs in a bubble pack just last week, appropriately packaged and safe; when you contact them to set it right, promote yourself to Captain Obvious and tell them that they should package fragile items more carefully. Sometimes people need to hear the Obvious. He made Captain for a reason.
I just got a package a couple of weeks ago that featured the “new” packaging of slapping a label on the box. For some reason no one stole my spacebags.
A.
/giphy eyy Fonzie
Yes, it states it in the description of the items usually. Most often for me it’s things like my dogs kennels, and other larger items or items known to be well packed from the manufacturer.
It was a gift. Did you check the “This is a gift” box?
Also, B: No.
I often wish they would just slap a label on the box; I have to recycle more than twice as much cardboard when often, the product box is fine. Many products already come in a box within a box, too. But if you told them it was a gift, it should have been boxed.
You know what I hate? Those brown padded envelopes that have like loose, shredded styrofoam inside so when you rip it open, the white crap goes everywhere.
@medz a million times YES! or styrofoam peanuts. They stick to EVERYTHING
/giphy styrofoam peanuts
@medz But that is their new fully recyclable packaging. The white plastic ones show the recycle logo but if you look you have to take it somewhere special to be recycled.
Even if I don’t recycle the paper seems it will break down much better than the plastic ones so I am ok with them.
@raccoon81 Yeah, more like “mostly” recyclable.
Apparently, the white stuff inside has to be mechanically separated, but it’s water-based, so it’s easy…I think.
All I know is it gets everywhere when rip it open.
@medz Interesting, I have not gotten an envelope like that yet. Thought you were talking about the ones that were just kind of shredded cardboard as the padding in the envelope.
Looked this one up and yeah, exploding when opened would be annoying, but easy to recycle supposedly so some bonus.
@medz haven’t gotten that but several vendors i buy from have been switching to recyclable packing and there are these cardboard-but-padded looking mailers that when you rip them open (even if you can find the tear strip and it works properly) it reveals it’s stuffed with essentially dust. it poofs out into the air and goes everywhere, like someone just vigorously shook an open dustbuster. after a few of those i finally started remembering to hold them down into a trash bin while i open them.
@jerk_nugget I haven’t gotten one of those in awhile, but those are worse than the new ones. I agree about the ones you’re talking about. It’s almost like it is a bunch of pocket lint in there that just explodes everywhere.
@medz yes exactly! well, i’m at least relieved to know these aren’t new, and as such there will hopefully be newer better options headed my way.
@medz @tinamarie1974 My friend’s daughters call those styro peanuts “ghost poo.”
My Woot robot dinosaur and shoe holder thing came all beat to hell. The robot’s shipping box had stickers on it making it look like a tablet or something but it was more than half-way crushed from the side and stepped on. I think maybe the UPS guys beat up on the boxes hoping they’ll get refused or something and then BONUS! FREE ELECTRONICS!
I bought it for my grandson, so I’ll just have to take it out of the all bended-up retail box and put it into something else. Grandpa was planning on “testing” it anyway ha ha.
The shoe closet was all beat up in the flimsy retail box. It is practically falling out. I haven’t checked it out yet to see if it was damaged.
I have received several things packaged this way. Most recently it was a car part. A fairly heavy part. The packaging didn’t fare well in transit, but fortunately the part was in good shape. Most often the Amz packaging fail is when they toss a tiny, delicate thing into a giant box with one little inflated air pillow. This happens way too often.
@ruouttaurmind “Here’s your thing inside of a giant box. Oh, and here’s a sheet of kraft paper for you to recycle also.”
Haven’t had a problem with packaging, yet.
I have had a couple of problems with delivery, though, and I think it’s great that (at least some) Amazon delivery drivers take a picture of the delivered item that then gets emailed in the delivery confirmation.
If they didn’t do this, I’d have had no way of knowing when they left my package on my neighbor’s doorstep a few weeks ago.
Also, just a couple of days ago, there was this delivery:
You’ll notice that the nice man was kind enough to drop it in the snow instead of tossing it another foot so it would land on the dry, sheltered stoop. Fucking dick.
In the email, they do include a “How was your delivery?” poll where you can click “Great!” or “Not so great”, and of course I clicked “not so” for both of those deliveries.
I just wish they let you make comments instead of just ticking boxes for generalities.
I really wanted to comment, “please see pic and tell me if you think that’s ok”.
In any case, I really do wish all delivery services would adopt the practice of emailing pictures of every delivery.
It’s an excellent idea that promotes accountability and, in cases like the first one, allows a customer the opportunity to find a missing package on their own, without having to involve the seller/shipper who’ll most likely respond with some version of:
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
@DennisG2014 the pics are great. If you have an ongoing issue you can call Amazon Logistics to discuss an issue.
I had to call once because the driver was wedging the packages between my porch and the front door at an angle. In other words he made it impossible to OPEN my door to get the package. I called in and told them he is a really nice guy, does a great job and I don’t want him to get in trouble, but can he stop wedging the packages. I positioned it as a service enhancement.
I guess they passed along the info b/c it has not happened again since.
@DennisG2014 I like the AMZN driver pictures too. It’s a great idea.
@DennisG2014 love the pictures. first time i got one of those i got excited that this would be The Way from here on out, unfortunately it seems not only random but few and far between. alas.
we hate amazon logistics with a passion, around here they are a complete joke. they have almost never just delivered a package like they’re supposed to. we also aren’t permitted to contact them, and amazon can’t contact them on our behalf either. all they can do is apologize and refund and/or re-send which, obviously is much better than nothing but it’s still a hassle when a.) it’s usually something i needed in a timely fashion and b.) we have to go through the whole song and dance every time logistics “delivers” something. amazon has assured us on several occasions that they’ve “deprioritized” logistics deliveries on our account which i’m certain is code for “i’ve done nothing and can do nothing but please get off my telephone.” what i wouldn’t give to be able to see which carrier would deliver something before i placed an order - if i knew it was logistics i’d just not order it at all and save myself the trouble.
@DennisG2014 by the way, usps offers an “informed delivery” service now, i believe it’s called. i’m told it’s similar - it gives you a heads up on any packages arriving, keeps all your tracking in one place, and provides pictures of delivery. a friend uses it and loves it and recommended it to me - alas, despite being available in my zipcode it is suspiciously not available at my address where usps has admitted to me there are “a lot of problems in that area.” (i.e. my mailman stealing my mail or just refusing to deliver it, forging my signature etc and they don’t care to fire him or allow me to obtain proof via their own service. and since he marks it “delivered” i cannot be refunded via the seller either so it’s great! luckily we can have stuff sent to my partner’s office but it’s a pain to not be able to simply get mail at home, esp if it arrives on a saturday or contains a gift for him i don’t want spoiled.) ANYWAY obv i have a lot of ~feelings~ about the mail
but yeah, informed delivery, check it out.
My buddy works for the USPS and sent me this picture one day… No outside box…
@PyroVanquisher that is awesome! Can you imagine coming home to that on your front porch, or in your apt mailroom!
VAN MURALS! GROUND SQUIRRELS! SPIT CURLS! AWESOME!
@tinamarie1974 Looked it up on Amazon after he sent it. It said explicitly on there, ships in original box.
@PyroVanquisher bet they didn’t notice that little detail. Thank god mine was just a craft project!
@PyroVanquisher @tinamarie1974 Your EXTREME SEX BENCH was a craft project?
@PyroVanquisher @therealjrn sssshhhh it is a secret! Wanna come help me with my crafts
/giphy come hither
@PyroVanquisher @tinamarie1974 Where’s @mfladd?
@mfladd @PyroVanquisher @therealjrn I don’t know, but I miss playing with him!
@tinamarie1974 This is why I always build my own BDSM devices
@mfladd @PyroVanquisher @tinamarie1974 I’ll ask Alexa next time I see her.
@PyroVanquisher @tinamarie1974
Wow…wood shop has really changed since i was in school.
@PyroVanquisher @therealjrn I am afraid Alexa has him chained down in the bedroom. Oh well maybe the kids will set him free
And I buy all my equipment from reputable “ship in brown box” internet retailers. No Amazon for me!
@PyroVanquisher I’m going to send a couple of those to people at work. Delivery right to their offices. Fun times ahead…
@shahnm Very expensive gag gift (pun intended)
Well, ironically (or maybe just coincidentally), my Swiffer air-sweeper thing that I bought from Meh just arrived in the retail box with a shipping label slapped on it.
It’s all good though, the box is in good shape and I’m fine with all my neighbors knowing I don’t vacuum enough.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Just bought a portable A/C from Amazon Warehouse. Used, like new, in original packaging, packaging may be damaged. What they sent was repackaged in a plain box with shitty thin sheets of foam, not the original form-fitting stuff, damaged parts… one of the ones they were selling for ~$20 less than what I paid for one of the ‘best’ ones (best is always relative with warehouse items).
needless to say their customer service has been utterly useless. They might be willing to take it back, but they won’t replace it (understandable since the warehouse is out and they aren’t going to ship a new one) but they won’t even refund the difference in price between what I ordered and paid for and what they shipped.
Amazon’s suck is increasing. Meh would be a really great day for them these days.
Just today I got a motherboard from Amazon with no overbox. The only thing keeping it closed during transit was friction.
Two days ago I got three keyboard/mouse combos in a HUGE thin box with 3 medium air bubbles. All three product boxes were crushed on one end, but their sacrifice saved the contents.
Generally they are pretty good, but there are some astounding lapses.