How does Amazon send books in terms of packaging?

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swiftdog2.0

I tell you one and one makes three...
Mar 16, 2010
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This confirms what I thought. In recent years it's become worse in most places. There used to be more care in the past.

Is there a way to find out where they are being shipped from and if that warehouse handles them well?

If it's a third party seller that would be noted when you place the order. I believe there is usually some kind of link for the actual seller in those cases.

As for orders fulfilled by Amazon, I'm not sure if they list what distribution center the items will come from. I would assume that it would be whichever is geographically closest to the customer. You could call / email their customer support center, I suppose.
 

danie

I am whatever you say I am.
Feb 26, 2008
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Kentucky
I'm about 250 miles from Lexington, KY, so I assume my books come from their Amazon warehouse. Most of the books are shrink wrapped, and all have the little air pillows upon which to rest their little book heads. I have never received a damaged box/book, and I'm a regular orderer.
 

Gerald

Well-Known Member
Sep 8, 2011
2,201
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The Netherlands
Does anyone know if Amazon uses Colompac bookwraps:

CP 020 / Mailers and book wraps / Products / Media - Colompac

This seems one of the best ways to send a book undamaged - just got one this way from another retailer. The book is basically protected by two layers of cardboard, and the cardboard is slightly longer than the book, so if the corners are dented it's just the corners of the packaging, not directly the book itself.

I got the Entertainment Weekly Stephen King Guide from Amazon.de and it was just in a single cardboard enveloppe en the spine was slightly dented. So for magazines I probably won't use them again, but haven't ordered a book from them.
Too bad this is such an ongoing problem. You're more worried than excited about a purchase.
 

Spideyman

Uber Member
Jul 10, 2006
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Just north of Duma Key
Does anyone know if Amazon uses Colompac bookwraps:

CP 020 / Mailers and book wraps / Products / Media - Colompac

This seems one of the best ways to send a book undamaged - just got one this way from another retailer. The book is basically protected by two layers of cardboard, and the cardboard is slightly longer than the book, so if the corners are dented it's just the corners of the packaging, not directly the book itself.

I got the Entertainment Weekly Stephen King Guide and it was just in a single cardboard enveloppe en the spine was slightly dented. So for magazines I probably won't use them again, but haven't ordered a book from them.
Too bad this is such an ongoing problem. You're more worried than excited about a purchase.

I have received books from amazon in something similar . Usually, it is placed in a cardboard box which offers no waterproof protection. Not good in rain or snow!
 

Gerald

Well-Known Member
Sep 8, 2011
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The Netherlands
Amazon only gives a discount if it arrives damaged. They won't fully replace it, only based on the payment method you use. This is really bizarre. What does payment method have to do with how you receive an item? Why do they offer that payment method if it doesn't give you the guarantee of getting your product in a good state?
It seems so bizarre, that they have this really extensive site which seems to think of everything, yet they don't put your product in a packaging that is protective enough.

I used to get cardboard sleeves dented often, but even lately there are more damaged and broken plastic boxes than ever. Some retailers are not difficult about sending a new one, so I have a number of blu-rays double now, which is not bad as a back-up. But it's truly amazing how frequent it has become.

Too bad Amazon is so difficult, it's the last place where I can buy the Mario Bava book by Troy Howarth for a reasonable price.
 

Gerald

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Sep 8, 2011
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I bought the Bava book at Amazon. Exactly the same problem as with the Ultimate Stephen King guide. It's just sent in a single brown cardboard enveloppe with nothing protective around it. It's dented in exactly the same place on the spine.
It's just so stupid that they do it that way. I'm now through with ordering books online. Actually I already was, but I couldn't get this book at my regular bookstore.
I don't understand why they do it that way. They seem only to care about selling it, not the state in which it arrives. They admit at the phone they get complants about it, but they don't change it.

I'm returning it, it was 40 euro, so that's too much for a damaged article. Which even means I have to invest in printer ink, because they only accept their own return-labels, and I hardly print ever.
 

Spideyman

Uber Member
Jul 10, 2006
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Just north of Duma Key
I bought the Bava book at Amazon. Exactly the same problem as with the Ultimate Stephen King guide. It's just sent in a single brown cardboard enveloppe with nothing protective around it. It's dented in exactly the same place on the spine.
It's just so stupid that they do it that way. I'm now through with ordering books online. Actually I already was, but I couldn't get this book at my regular bookstore.
I don't understand why they do it that way. They seem only to care about selling it, not the state in which it arrives. They admit at the phone they get complants about it, but they don't change it.

I'm returning it, it was 40 euro, so that's too much for a damaged article. Which even means I have to invest in printer ink, because they only accept their own return-labels, and I hardly print ever.
Do you have an office store that can print the label for you?
Books form Amazon come in the worst packing. I live in a state that had daily almost daily and all the corners of the box are exposed to the elements.
 

GNTLGNT

The idiot is IN
Jun 15, 2007
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time-machine-assembly-instructions-1-place-box-on-floor-2-25814579.png
 

Doc Creed

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Nov 18, 2015
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I'm about 250 miles from Lexington, KY, so I assume my books come from their Amazon warehouse. Most of the books are shrink wrapped, and all have the little air pillows upon which to rest their little book heads. I have never received a damaged box/book, and I'm a regular orderer.
Everything I've ever ordered for myself or for the library has arrived without damage. Once, I received a trade paperback book that had a crimp on the cover but it could have happened in the warehouse shuffle. (Why am I picturing Amazon workers doing the Harlem Shake?) ;)
I do, however, understand someone hesitating to order a collectible from them.
 

César Hernández-Meraz

Wants to be Nick, ends up as Larry
May 19, 2015
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I've had almost no problems with this. Depending on the book, they do send the strong cardboards and the bubbles to fix it in place and protect it. There have been times with some comic book TPBs where they only add some bubbles and the books have some movement inside the box, and there have been small damage at the corners of the cover because of this.

I have had the slightly cutter-ed covers twice, I think. I just accepted it, although I wish I had known about the discount, as I could have used that.

When ordering a lesser amount of comic book TPBs, I have been getting them on the yellow paper envelops that have their own bubble inside. These are surprisingly good for protection, as long as they do not get any heavy things places above. In these cases they have arrived with no damage at all.
 

JMR

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Aug 26, 2017
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Some people will review bad if comes from a place where the books where hurt on the way to them. I get a lot of manga off them for gifts. I had one come so bubble warp.. I wonder why the paper sheet was sticking so far out. Another was sent big bog for one book full of peanuts. Like I said check the reviews.. also sometimes will have address of where it coming from before you order.
 

Gerald

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Sep 8, 2011
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Do you have an office store that can print the label for you?
Books form Amazon come in the worst packing. I live in a state that had daily almost daily and all the corners of the box are exposed to the elements.

It has to be printed from an e-mail link to their site, which is sent to my pc. So I don't see how I could take that to an office store...

It's like they don't even try. A simple extra cardboard around the book inside the enveloppe might already have prevented it. I'm also surprised it's not reflected in the comments, I never see a review at Amazon that says they got it damaged - unless they don't put those up on the site.

The thing with a book is, you can still read it of course. But you've paid for it to be new, and it looks bad on your shelf.
 

Gerald

Well-Known Member
Sep 8, 2011
2,201
7,168
The Netherlands
Everything I've ever ordered for myself or for the library has arrived without damage. Once, I received a trade paperback book that had a crimp on the cover but it could have happened in the warehouse shuffle. (Why am I picturing Amazon workers doing the Harlem Shake?) ;)
I do, however, understand someone hesitating to order a collectible from them.

I assume you order within the USA? Have you ordered recently?

My book went from the UK via France to the Netherlands, but within the USA they must travel even longer distances.
 

Gerald

Well-Known Member
Sep 8, 2011
2,201
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The Netherlands
Yes, within USA. My last three orders were around Christmas and they all arrived promptly and without damage.

You would think Amazon as a brand would have quality assurance worldwide, but apparently not.

Bol.com, which is the main Dutch online store that is comparable to Amazon, is as bad. They use similar enveloppes and you get a lot damaged.

The enveloppe from Amazon I got both the Stephen King guide and the Mario Bava book in, is identical to the one shown in this video at 3 minute 29:


Here it's used for a blu-ray instead. So they use those standard for dvd as well as books. When you look at the label this was ordered in the USA.
 
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Gerald

Well-Known Member
Sep 8, 2011
2,201
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The Netherlands
Actually I was really tired of this subject and didn't feel like talking about it anymore. Last week I had a long conversation on the phone with someone from customer service from Amazon and he completely understood the problem and put it down to a kind of laziness/indolence. He said it didn't have to do with costs as to a company that big the costs of packaging are almost nothing. What it comes down to is that the packaging department is basically real bad. However he couldn't change anything about it.

What truly amazes me is that so many companies are so bad about it. There almost seems no quality control anywhere. Today I got a cd I ordered. It was amazingly delivered on the date of release and it was signed by the artists. The jewel case had even survived the mail (despite being not packaged optimal) and all seemed well, but when I opened it the signed booklet was completely creased.
And it's so often like that. What you order are problems basically. Problems of having to send back and replace. And it's the majority of companies that is like that.
 

Alexandra M

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Mar 12, 2015
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Kelowna, B. C., Canada
Really really late answering this question, but only just saw it. I received a book from Amazon last week and it was in a heavy duty bag with bubblewrap.
The book was in perfect shape., and that's from U.S. to Canada. My problem was Amazon Primes guaranteed 2 day delivery --later an email saying it would take 7 days. It arrived 3 weeks later.
 

Gerald

Well-Known Member
Sep 8, 2011
2,201
7,168
The Netherlands
Really really late answering this question, but only just saw it. I received a book from Amazon last week and it was in a heavy duty bag with bubblewrap.
The book was in perfect shape., and that's from U.S. to Canada. My problem was Amazon Primes guaranteed 2 day delivery --later an email saying it would take 7 days. It arrived 3 weeks later.

You would think a worldwide company works with the same policies everywhere, but apparently it varies from country to country. Perhaps even from department to department.
Overall here it's really bad. They're almost completely careless about it. To the point that it's just not fun for me to order online. You can decide to not order anything anymore online, but sooner or later you see something you truly like. Plus there are much fewer actual stores anymore (a lot of branches disappeared here in recent years) and not all real stores can get the items you can get online.
The decision for me always comes down to: do I want it damaged or not at all? It's that bad. It wasn't always like that, some 15 years ago I received more often well-packaged items, but it's become real bad since then. I still get something well-packaged once in a while, but it's the minority.
Of course, as a ruie, I never order real expensive things online.

I find it quite sickening to be honest. It's a matter of purely money-thinking. They don't do what's best for the customer or for the product. They're doing something that's bad, but they don't change it, because they still make enough money.