Amazon and wasteful packaging

[Heinz57]

Hi all,

So I recently orderd a couple of DVD box sets from Amazon, they arrived today. In a rather large box.

I thought to myself 'These box sets must be bigger than I thought'. I proceeded to open the box expecting to find two rather large box sets. I didn't, instead, I found two smaller boxes inside, with the rest of the box packed out with brown paper.

These two smaller 'sub boxes' contained the box sets, but they didn't fill the boxes. No, each box set only half filled the box, the rest of it was packed out with card trays. I know stuff has to be well packaged, but this is just rediculous.

Its interesting to note that the box sets are about as thick as three standard DVD cases, and BOTH of them can fit comfortably inside just one of the 'sub' boxes with still enough room to fit the invoice, the family car and a decent layer of packing. Should Amazon have done this, they could have saved more than HALF the packaging they used for the parcel.

Now I'm not sure if this is just me, but are Amazon becoming more and more wasteful with packaging? I thought online retailers were becoming more 'greener'. This clearley isn't the case with all this packaging.

Actualy, its quite ironic that Amazon should package my parcel with half of the Amazon rain forest.

Heinz

 

[causton]

Go back into your account and under the order, you can "leave packaging feedback" and tell them! I did and they apologised

 

[gazthomas]

Why not download - no packaging?

 

[causton]

Why not download - no packaging?

A link to a torrent file doesn't make as good a Christmas present

 

[gazthomas]

A link to a torrent file doesn't make as good a Christmas present

Hadn't thought of that!

 

[AndyLandy]

A link to a torrent file doesn't make as good a Christmas present

Nor does it look any good on the DVD shelf.

 

[wintonian]

I ordered an ink cartridge (yes just 1, not a set or anything) from HP 2 or 3 years back and it came all the way from Holland rattling around the bottom of a box large enough for a set of sauce pans, and on the 2nd occasion it came again loose but this time in a confidential waste sized paper sack.

Sent from my HTC Desire S using Tapatalk 2

 

[Mojo]

ls there a possibility that they ran out of the smaller boxes?

Whenever l order from Amazon (although it's normally books) they send them in compact boxes which are just the right size.

 

[GB]

Better to have too much packaging than too little!

We recycle the packaging anyway, either via kerb side collection or more often than not ebay packages that we need to send.

 

[Crossover]

There is a supplier I used at work recently who sent a box of network cables where volumetrically the paper took more space than the cables...that said, they used recycled boxes so that may be why (the one I had previously housed a Samsung toner cartridge)

One thing I have found some companies (including some of the Amazon stuff) do, is despite a big box, the contents are held down in shrink wrap stuck to the bottom of the box. I still do think some of the boxes are a tad ridiculously sized, though

EDIT: Just remembered one where I ordered a single PS/2 to USB converter...it shipped from the Netherlands I seem to recall, and was in a box the same size of a couple of reams of A4 paper...the rest was stuffed with bubble wrap...and they charged £15 + VAT delivery into the bargain!

 

[tony_mac]

I once ordered two identical items, from the same company, about 30 minutes apart. Both were sent, on the same day, but by different couriers!

This one gives a nice example of crazy packaging.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/07/18/hp_packaging/
and another one from HP

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

 

[SS4]

ls there a possibility that they ran out of the smaller boxes?

Whenever l order from Amazon (although it's normally books) they send them in compact boxes which are just the right size.

I buy CDs and they invariably come in jiffy bags of just the right size. It seems to me they ran out of small boxes or decided to play it safe.

Being a concerned citizen I'm sure the OP will recycle the packaging

 

[Bungle73]

There is a supplier I used at work recently who sent a box of network cables where volumetrically the paper took more space than the cables...that said, they used recycled boxes so that may be why (the one I had previously housed a Samsung toner cartridge)

One thing I have found some companies (including some of the Amazon stuff) do, is despite a big box, the contents are held down in shrink wrap stuck to the bottom of the box. I still do think some of the boxes are a tad ridiculously sized, though

EDIT: Just remembered one where I ordered a single PS/2 to USB converter...it shipped from the Netherlands I seem to recall, and was in a box the same size of a couple of reams of A4 paper...the rest was stuffed with bubble wrap...and they charged £15 + VAT delivery into the bargain!

What? Why would you spend £15+ delivery, plus whatever the adapter cost, and get it from another country when you could pick it up few a few quid from somewhere in the UK?

 

[Crossover]

What? Why would you spend £15+ delivery, plus whatever the adapter cost, and get it from another country when you could pick it up few a few quid from somewhere in the UK?

I didn't know at the time they were going to charge that (it was at work and the company normally have a min order charge, which I got them to waive)

In this case, it was inevitable, as the adaptor was for a specialist Zone 1 keyboard/mouse - similar adaptors we'd sourced locally were being problematic so got the above one from the keyboard manufacturer. It wasn't what I wanted to do, but taking the protective cover off the cabinet where the PC resides (fastened with about 12 screws ) was getting quite annoying, so had to "bite the bullet" and accept whatever they were going to charge

 

[Heinz57]

ls there a possibility that they ran out of the smaller boxes?

Same as I say though, both of the items were in these smaller 'sub boxes' inside the main box. One of these smaller boxes could have easily fitted both of the DVDs in.

 

[RPM]

I have to say that isn't my experience of Amazon. I usually find the packaging is adequate but minimal - and all in recyclable cardboard.

 

[Bungle73]

I have to say that isn't my experience of Amazon. I usually find the packaging is adequate but minimal - and all in recyclable cardboard.

Same.

 

[All Line Rover]

Their packaging for books, CD/DVDs, ink cartridges and similar small items is minimal and quite clever, as it is easy to open and recycle.

Their packaging for medium sizes items, however, often leaves a lot to be desired. A few days ago they sent a pair of bathrooms scales (approx. 30cm x 30cm x 2cm) in an approx. 90cm x 150cm x 20cm box!

 

[BlythPower]

I have to say that isn't my experience of Amazon. I usually find the packaging is adequate but minimal - and all in recyclable cardboard.

I normally find it's minimal and inadequate usually leading to battered corners on books.

 

[Heinz57]

Those sleeves they pack books in are useless. They leave books with batterd corners and they arnt very secure. Someone could easily reach in and take something out without the packaging being broke - I know this because I tried it last time I received something in a sleeve.

 

[Bungle73]

Someone could easily reach in and take something out without the packaging being broke - I know this because I tried it last time I received something in a sleeve.

I don't see how. They are completely sealed from the outside with no access unless one opens it...assuming we're talking about the same thing.

 

[Heinz57]

I'm talking about the ones where its basicaly a sleeve of cardboard, and each end is like a flap folded in, Play.com use them, and Amazon use them on larger books and some DVDs.
Maybe you were thinking of the ones which are like card envolopes? In which case yeah, you obviously can't get in. But do leave books a bit batterd!

 

[Bungle73]

I'm talking about the ones where its basicaly a sleeve of cardboard, and each end is like a flap folded in, Play.com use them, and Amazon use them on larger books and some DVDs.

Yeah, that's what I was thinking of. I don't see how anyone could get into them, as you say there are flaps.

 

[wintonian]

Yeah, that's what I was thinking of. I don't see how anyone could get into them, as you say there are flaps.

It would have to be pretty loose for there not to be additional visible bending in the corrugated cardboard that would otherwise be quite obvious tampering.

 

[Heinz57]

A few of the ones I've received have been quite loose. And same as I say I did once succesfuly manage to get something out without damaging the packaging.

 

[maniacmartin]

A few of the ones I've received have been quite loose. And same as I say I did once succesfuly manage to get something out without damaging the packaging.

Mine too. Sometimes they dont even put cuboid-shaped items in them, which makes it even easier - you can just touch the flap and it'll open very easily.

 

[LexyBoy]

I usually find Amazon good, their packaging fits the usual CD/DVD/Book orders snugly without too much waste - and allowing it to fit through the postbox! Maybe the order didn't quite fit in one size of packaging, so they had to go bigger? There's usually an invitation to rate their packaging online on the cardboard.

The worst I encounter regularly is chemicals supplier Sigma Aldrich. If you order 5 grams of something innocuous it's guaranteed to be packed in a bag, in a tin, inside a box 50 cm a side filled with foam chips. Or in 5 kilos of dry ice. Order 10 litres of concentrated acid though, and the bottles will be wedged in a box with no padding and then delivered with the "this way up" symbol pointing to the floor...

 

[deltic1989]

Is it possible that 1 box set was in stock at storage point A and the other at storage point B and they were sent in seperate packages to distribution point C and lumped into a box for transport to you. If all that makes sense.

I ordered 3 books on Amazon from the same supplier and they arrived in 2 seperate packages. Although the packages were just about right for the contents, i wonder why they were sent in this manner when they were ordered and arrived on the same day.

 

[wintonian]

I ordered 3 books on Amazon from the same supplier and they arrived in 2 seperate packages. Although the packages were just about right for the contents, i wonder why they were sent in this manner when they were ordered and arrived on the same day.

I had that a couple off months ago as well, in my case the supplier was Amazon and the 2 books were from the same series, they also got despatched at different ends of the day and duly arrived together.

I have however been thoroughly impressed with Amazon's ability to choose just the right amount of packaging, with due consideration of both the security and the environmental impacts, with every book I have ordered for my Kindle so far.