Consumerist
stupid shipping gang
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handled with care
UPS: iPod Touch Delivered In Box Looks Like Hippo Sat On
Lucas opened his door one day to find this mangled package, containing an iPod Touch that was a birthday gift for his wife. No doubt he had the same expression as Rosemary when she saw her baby for the first time. More » -
stupid shipping gang
It's Not The Size Of The SD Card That Matters, But The Size Of The Package
Amazon sent Will this humongoid package for his tiny little SD card, apparently concerned shipping complications might mutate the SD card into a giant mutant capable of eating a computer. More » -
stupid shipping gang
HP Throws In Free Wooden Pallet With Every Power Cord Purchase
We know not all of our readers agree on our stupid shipping gang posts, but here's one we can all get behind: you probably don't need to deliver a ten-foot power cord in a large box on a wooden pallet.
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stupid shipping gang
Cisco Now Offers Cardboard Nesting Wireless Access Points
The Stupid Shipping Gang strikes again! Their visit to Cisco led to a lovely set of matryoshka wireless access points being shipped to an unsuspecting university in Oregon. Reader Eliot had the confusing experience of opening these packages, and took pictures of the process and the mind-boggling pile of waste it left behind. More » -
stupid shipping gang
Sam's Club Includes Free Giant Box With Each Pen Sold
Reader Steven bought some cheap fountain pens from Sam's Club. Perhaps unaccustomed to such a small purchase, Sam's Club had trouble finding the appropriate packaging. More » -
stupid shipping gang
Tower Hobbies Provides Free Craft Materials With Gear
Reader Sean sent us what may not be the most egregious example of wasteful packaging, but in terms of the proportion of the item shipped to the size of the box it came in, it comes pretty close. Sean ordered a gear the size of a fingernail — literally — from Tower Hobbies. More » -
stupid shipping gang
Continuing Adventures Of The Stupid Shipping Gang
Today's "Toothpaste For Dinner" Web comic features a visit from the Stupid Shipping Gang. A bigger version of the comic, and more adventures of the Stupid Shipping Gang, inside. More » -
stupid shipping gang
Target Ships Clock in Box Fit For Human Habitation
We love to report on comically overpackaged mail-order items and Target's reality vortex here, but I didn't think that the two would coincide. A wedding gift that John and his fiancĂ©e received proved me wrong. In the photo are the gift, the box it was shipped in, and the lovely bride. Who fits in the box along with the clock. (Paging Dr. Seuss?) More » -
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stupid shipping gang
This Think Geek Sticker Clearly Wouldn't Fit In The Other Box
We may have to invent a new tag just to accurately describe how absurd Think Geek's shipment to Micah in Ontario was. It was bad enough that the shipping was over $30, but that's a consequence of stupid shipping options from the US to Canada. What really elevates this story to the top of the stupid shipping mountain is how they packed a sticker. But hey, at least the sticker didn't get broken in transit. Update: Think Geek responds in the comments below (which is awesome because we felt kind of bad talking about a site we like so much).
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amazon
Amazon Introduces Packaging Feedback
Is Amazon trying to kill off our "stupid shipping gang" tag? Alex wrote to us today to point out that now there's a new "Packaging Feedback" link under your "My Account" page on their site. Among other things, you can leave feedback on the size of the box relative to what's inside. More » -
stupid shipping gang
Ponderables: Why Must Amazon Ship Air All Over The United States of America?
Reader Marc would like Amazon to stop shipping bubbles of air all over the country. He ordered two items that would have been fine to ship in an envelope — but instead he got the usual large box with several air bubbles. This makes Marc mad. More » -
stupid shipping gang
Apple's Uses Ultra-Large Boxes To Replace Ultra-Compact USB Power Chargers
Remember those ultra-compact USB adapters Apple recalled because they could electrocute people? Like most Apple products, they were cute and small, but apparently the "environmentally friendly" computer maker decided to ship the replacement chargers in surprisingly large cushioned boxes. More » -
staples
Staples Would Tape Your Projector To A Postcard If They Could Manage It
Usually our stupid shipping gang entries focus on comically large boxes containing one or two small items, but this time we've got the reverse situation. Eli ordered a projector from Staples. As you probably know, projectors are fairly fragile pieces of electronic equipment. This is how Staples sent it. Eli thinks their new slogan should be, "Staples: That Was Easily Damaged."
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packaging
Buy.com Ships Four Hard Drives In Four Over-Sized Boxes
Steven at The Jewish Channel ordered four hard drives from Buy.com, and got them, along with a packaging surprise. The packaging was very excessive. Each hard drive came in its a separate packing box 4591.75 cubic inches larger than the hard drive box it was meant to contain. In addition, that extra dead space was taken up by what amounted to a waterfall of brown packing paper. The containers, measuring 24" x 18" x 11.5" could each have held six of the 10.75" x 7" x 5" boxes. More pix inside. Steven writes:
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acer
Acer's Secret Business Model Somehow Involves Envelopes
We don't know what Acer is up to, but they've clearly figured out some way to make a lot of money by mailing unnecessary discs free of charge to customers. Do they own the envelope company? Is Acer secretly owned by the USPS? Or maybe someone at Acer is just trying to look busy. Nick writes:
To date I've received one batch of five flat pacs [and] one batch of seventeen flat pacs. Each flat pac has three restoration discs (for a total of 66 discs), none of the flat pacs I've received has contained the promised system disc.
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stupid shipping gang
Don't Even Think Of Ordering A Pizza Stone From Amazon
We'd like to share a personal story: it involves Amazon, Christmas presents, and three broken pizza stones.
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stupid shipping gang
Amazon Fails At Gift Wrapping Your Nephew's X-Mas Present
Matt would like to let Amazon know that there's no point in gift wrapping a present if you then put the gift wrapped item inside a box that says what the gift is. This should probably be self-evident — but alas — it isn't. More »
