When shipping something delicate, it makes sense to surround it with enough packing material to protect it. However, when shipping a small, resilient item, a large package full of filler materials will leave buyers scratching their heads. One frustrated shopper posted about such an experience on r/mildlyinfuriating.
What's happening?
The original poster shared a photo of all the packaging, along with the tiny item that caused all the fuss.
"All this packaging for a tiny Allen wrench," they said.
The photo shows a cardboard box, two pieces of bubble wrap, an air pillow, and a plastic bag. It also shows the Allen wrench in question, which is smaller than a finger and could have been mailed in an ordinary letter envelope.
Or, as the original poster suggested, "They couldn't have just thrown it in with the large computer I ordered?"
Why is excess packaging important?
Packaging practices like these cause several problems for the end user. They are annoying to unwrap and create extra trash for the buyer to throw out. Plus, all that excess packaging costs money and drives up shipping fees, which are often based on both the weight and size of packages. This raises costs for the buyer, while providing no extra value and a worse experience.
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Meanwhile, it's worse for the planet. Excess packaging means excess trash and pollution. Larger packages also mean that fewer packages can be shipped in each trip of a truck, train, plane, or boat, which means more pollution from shipping worldwide.
Are companies doing anything about this?
Some major retailers, like Amazon, have made changes in recent years that are aimed at reducing excess packaging. For example, it is introducing custom-sized boxes in Europe to address exactly the problem in this post, fitting boxes to what is in them. However, Amazon still has a long way to go, and it is just one of the many retailers shipping products in excessive packaging.
What can I do about excessive packaging?
First, whenever possible, buy your items secondhand or get them from buy-nothing groups in your area. Not only do these products come without any packaging at all, but you're saving the item itself from the landfill and giving it new life while reducing the need to manufacture new goods.
When you do need to buy something new, support companies that use less packaging and more eco-friendly packaging.
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