The new Amazon packaging change.

swingaloo

Just seen the ad on tv from Amazon showing how they are  now going to use 50% less packaging and showing the delivery person passing boxes to customers.

As the items are now just in the original boxes making it obvious what the contents are I would imagine it it going to be a nightmare if parcels are left on doorsteps etc. 

I'm not to bad as my doorstep is not accessible to passers by and someone is always home anyway but I wouldnt be happy having a box left by my door clearly showing it contained something expensive.

oldernonethewiser

swingaloo said:

Just seen the ad on tv from Amazon showing how they are  now going to use 50% less packaging and showing the delivery person passing boxes to customers.

As the items are now just in the original boxes making it obvious what the contents are I would imagine it it going to be a nightmare if parcels are left on doorsteps etc. 

I'm not to bad as my doorstep is not accessible to passers by and someone is always home anyway but I wouldnt be happy having a box left by my door clearly showing it contained something expensive.

Haven't seen the advert (don't have a TV) but reading up they will only ship without a covering of some sort "when it is safe to do so" - their words.  The safety aspect seems to apply to the likelyhood of an item being damaged, not necessarily safe from a light fingered passer by.

Admittedly this is info from their EU site, wonder if it will apply in the UK?

Stop using Amazon would be a way to counter this. 

El_Torro

This is probably related to the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulations (PPWR) that the EU is currently implementing. As with most regulations it’s a pretty dull read but one of the rules is to reduce the amount of wasted space in packaging by 2030. This has a big impact for e-commerce (e.g. Amazon) as they will no longer be allowed to deliver small packages in large boxes. 

The PPWR only applies to the EU, it’s not clear if the UK will adopt any of this regulation. Even if the UK doesn’t adopt any of it I expect many multinationals which operate in Europe will implement the same rules for their UK operation as they do with their EU operations. 

RFW

From the seller side you have to put if an item can be shipped in its outer layer or needs packaging. Sellers get a pitifully small rebate if no packaging is used. 

As a buyer you can opt to make sure items cannot be seen. All the items I sell that can be shipped without additional packaging are in plain boxes. 
Also from what I've seen Amazon aren't doing this as much as they say they are. The biggest problem with packaging was in mismeasured item, as an illustration they could have a DVD that was 20 x 15 x 1cm but somewhere the measurements were 20 x 50 x 100cm and so the system told the packer to use a box that size. The packer was not allowed to use their discretion and take a smaller box so they then used a big box with loads of packing. They may have improved this system, but I doubt it.

oldernonethewiser said:

Stop using Amazon would be a way to counter this. 

Gee thanks. 

molerat

I had a charger cable coiled into a 100mm square plastic bag arrive in an A4 size card mailing envelope the other day, there is an A5 size so why wasn't that used.  My daughter received an electronic toy purchased for christmas with no outer packaging, address label stuck onto the item which cannot be removed without pretty much destroying the box and the box looked like it had been used in  game of football.  Utter madness.  Do they still not have the "receive in Amazon packaging" option ?

Just checked and the wording has changed.  The default is "reduce packaging, receive in manufacturer's container" but you can choose "hide what's inside, dispatch in Amazon packaging".  One problem is that many of the Amazon option choices are not obvious on mobile devices.

RFW

molerat said:

Do they still not have the "receive in Amazon packaging" option ?

They should have. I've not bought that much recently where I was bothered to check the packaging so I'm not certain. Your daughter should complain, if possible try and get on to live chat (they make it increasingly difficult) and she should get a refund. 

MattMattMattUK

molerat said:

Do they still not have the "receive in Amazon packaging" option ?

Just checked, yes they do. 

High value items, delicate items etc. all still get dispatched in Amazon packaging, from a paper bag for clothing to multi-layered double walled boxes for bottles of spirits. 

oldernonethewiser

RFW said:

From the seller side you have to put if an item can be shipped in its outer layer or needs packaging. Sellers get a pitifully small rebate if no packaging is used. 

As a buyer you can opt to make sure items cannot be seen. All the items I sell that can be shipped without additional packaging are in plain boxes. 
Also from what I've seen Amazon aren't doing this as much as they say they are. The biggest problem with packaging was in mismeasured item, as an illustration they could have a DVD that was 20 x 15 x 1cm but somewhere the measurements were 20 x 50 x 100cm and so the system told the packer to use a box that size. The packer was not allowed to use their discretion and take a smaller box so they then used a big box with loads of packing. They may have improved this system, but I doubt it.

oldernonethewiser said:

Stop using Amazon would be a way to counter this. 

Gee thanks. 

You are most welcome.

ButterCheese

I'm all for reduced packaging.  Sadly the high level Amazon bods can make all the changes they want, but ultimately it's the delivery drivers who often fall short by leaving things on wet and exposed doorsteps when a safe dry location has been specified

Blackbriar_040

I ordered a large item for Christmas last week, I almost didn't noticed the mention about, "ships in product packaging"  Luckily I saw the "ship in Amazon packaging" option at checkout!

I had read some similar stories of people having ordered large LEGO sets, and Amazon sent them in the original boxes with the despatch sticker stuck on them and the box itself completely trashed!

I collected my order from my local Post Office, and the original box had been placed inside two outer boxes!
Condition was pretty decent with only a small dent on one side, that hadn't gone through completely! 

swingaloo

One of the items visible on the tv ad is a set of headphones but not sure what the others were.