What a waste!

[Rik ShawParticipant @rikshaw]

I read about Vitrex radial hacksaw blades on here a couple of days ago and thought how handy one might be. It arrived this morn via Amazon courier. Is OTT packaging like this REALLY necessary? I think not!

Rik

Edited By Rik Shaw on 25/08/2018 14:32:04

[Rik ShawParticipant @rikshaw]

[SherlockParticipant @sherlock]

Amazon, are well renowned for doing this unfortunately. Think they were even publicly pulled up on it on some documentary programme a year or two back where they promised to be more careful. Seemingly not eh, Yep, such a waste indeed.

[RainbowsParticipant @rainbows]

In some warehouse there is a man with a bunch of boxes and a bunch of things to pack- I tend to imagine they will use the nearest box instead of getting off their seat to find a parcel bag

[Brian HParticipant @brianh50089]

Agree entirely with you Rick about the packing, but are the blades any good?

Brian

[OuBallieParticipant @ouballie]

It's a cost cutting exercise that Amazon did some time ago.

They rationalised on the number of different sized boxes that keep in stock, but this really takes the proverbial.

A few sizes of padded envelopes wouldn't take up much space.

Geoff – At least those boxes are handy.

[Brian GParticipant @briang]

According to the European Packaging Waste Regulations "Member States must ensure that packaging placed on the market complies with the essential requirements of Annex II:

• to limit the weight and volume of packaging to a minimum in order meet the required level of safety, hygiene and acceptability for consumers;"

Brian

Edit:  At least the plastic and cardboard elements are separate which enables recycling.  Too many padded envelopes these days consist of bubble wrap and paper stuck together.

Edited By Brian G on 25/08/2018 15:26:49

[WearyParticipant @weary]

It may be worth bearing in mind that lightweight small packages are more likely to 'go astray' or get delayed in transit. This is an additional financial and reputational hidden cost.

When I worked in courier shipping we regularly placed a small and/or lightweight customer package into a larger box or bag and/or made them up into a heavier weighted package or bag to reduce the chances of a (mechanical) miss-sort or of being misplaced or hidden in a physical sort. Lightweight 'envelopes' are murder to convey in a mixed package system as they easily disappear behind or between larger packages.

From a shipping point of view, although your package was rendered very volumetric, it makes sense to put it in a more significant box given the system that Amazon uses and the volumes passing.

Regards.

Phil

[Andrew TinsleyParticipant @andrewtinsley63637]

But were the blades any good?

Andrew.

[Rik ShawParticipant @rikshaw]

"Is the blade any good?"

I haven't tried it yet but I'd need to attack a variety of materials before I could make a meaningful evaluation. Watch this space if interested.

Rik

PS. I only bought a single blade, I hate to think what size the delivery box would have been for a pack of ten.

[NigeParticipant @nige81730]

Having worked for Amazon packaging items I can say that the packaging for any item is specified by the system though it is allowable for the packer to reduce the size of the specified box if it is obviously far too big (or small). The packaging type is bar coded and is checked by the system as the package proceeds. There is limited space on a packaging line to provide space for every size and type of packaging. If the system specified packaging is obviously wrong it is supposed to be sidelined so the system can be updated with a more appropriate size but this usually doesn't happen as it slows an individual packers output on which they are measured. Small higher value item like jewellery are deliberately packed in larger boxes to disguise the contents. Smaller packets are also more easily 'lost' in just about any package handling system that involves human handling.

[FarmboyParticipant @farmboy]

Doesn't make much difference how it's packed when Amazon 'logistics' just dump it round the back of a random house somewhere within a quarter mile of the destination

[Mike PooleParticipant @mikepoole82104]

Amazon tracking assured me item had been handed to resident, it had not, replacement received. Neighbour came back from holiday and delivered the original package.

Mike

[David ColwillParticipant @davidcolwill19261]

Perhaps if you order a pack of ten, they will come in a tea chest

[John HaineParticipant @johnhaine32865]

Photo in latest Which? of open box with camping groundsheet and enough spare space for 9 year old boy curled up!

[SillyOldDufferModerator @sillyoldduffer]

Nige might know for sure, but it's possible Amazon packers go 'next size up' when they run out of ready use small boxes. Simultaneously running short of small and medium boxes on the line could end in a small item being despatched in a large crate.

On balance I'd rather get my order in a big box on time than hang about waiting for Amazon to restock their packaging.

[Roger Provins 2Participant @rogerprovins2]

I'd far rather have my orders come boxed with packaging than in a padded envelope. I can reuse the boxes and packaging for my own postings but not padded envelopes.

[John ReeseParticipant @johnreese12848]

Just be glad the box didn't contain a bushel of styrofoam peanuts in addition to the blades.

[richard 2Participant @richard2]

I gave up using Amazon a long time ago when I realised they were just "middlemen".

I now buy from the original dealer.

Delivery is better and I rarely have problems.

Richard 2.

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by Rik Shaw on 25/08/2018 14:31:24:

I read about Vitrex radial hacksaw blades on here a couple of days ago and thought how handy one might be. It arrived this morn via Amazon courier. Is OTT packaging like this REALLY necessary? I think not!

Rik

.

If you had informed them that you're a model-engineer, they might have shipped it in a convenient copper tube

MichaelG.

.

http://www.recycling-guide.org.uk/rrr.html

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 27/08/2018 08:34:51

[Alistair Robertson 1Participant @alistairrobertson1]

Last year I bought a Bluetooth USB adaptor from Amazon.

My wife said "what have you been buying from Amazon, there's a big box in the hallway"

A box was there with a size of about 300mm x 200mm x 200mm with no weight and as far as I could see no USB adaptor! My good lady had a look and found the adaptor in a 30mm square plastic bag tucked under one of the bottom folds of the box. Luckily no plastic beads to fly out this time!

Packaging and delivery must have been more than I paid for the adaptor!

[Ady1Participant @ady1]

Nige might know for sure, but it's possible Amazon packers go 'next size up' when they run out of ready use small boxes. Simultaneously running short of small and medium boxes on the line could end in a small item being despatched in a large crate.

Reminds me of a car hire I arranged once as a stint as a hotel porter in the 80s

If a Fiesta got ordered and they ran out an "upgrade" Escort would be sent instead

So I was at the desk one Saturday and this head turning monster Ford Granada Estate Ghia SX type motor turned up at the front door, it really was huge

Turned out it was for the yank waiting in the reception area who had ordered a ford Fiesta for toodling around the single track roads in the highlands for a week

He-was-not-a-happy-bunny

[NigeParticipant @nige81730]

Amazon's system is such that a packer shouldn't run out of any boxes but it does happen. However, the packing lines are segregated such that one line deals with multiple small items with a certain range of packaging, another line will deal with single larger items again with an appropriate range of packaging, the system is really quite slick.

The whole bangshoot is driven by a huge database of items, just about every possible property of an item is held in the database including its physical size and weight. Those details (along with value) are responsible for allocating the type of packaging. Problems however arise if a mistake has been made in inputting the item size to the database, e.g. a USB stick that is .05m x .005m x .025m is input with the first dimension as 0.5m……..your going to get too big a box.

It doesn't happen often, the hundreds of thousands of packages that get the the right packaging and get delivered correctly don't make news but if you have an agenda, waste, recycling, don't like Amazon etc. then the very small percentage that are overpacked or go astray make a much better story.

[Former MemberParticipant @formermember19781]

[This posting has been removed]

[JonParticipant @jon]

Nigel have had a few things like Micro SD cards measuring sub 1" square and thin time and time again coming in too large a box, its been going on for years.
Thinking back last one a few months back, Micro SD Card about 1/2" square in its own case 1" square in a monstrous box of the order 10" x 8" x 8"

Presume thats Rugeley, used to have ex daughter in law work there some years back.

Bright side is have ordered stuff from Amazon and its been delivered within 1 1/2hrs by independant courier paid peanuts. Do know there would be a flat rate charge to courier.

[Author]

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