"AestheticsInMotion" (aestheticsinmotion)
09/23/2020 at 09:53 • Filed to: None
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"AestheticsInMotion" (aestheticsinmotion)
09/23/2020 at 09:53 • Filed to: None | 4
| 22 |
Often, it’s the shipper that causes major headaches, not the courier. Here’s one way that they do so.
Recipient was understandably not thrilled to see his expensive, brand new front bumper all banged up. I was not happy to see it illegally shipped through us instead of freight where it belonged—seeing as it was over 150 pounds a nd wrongly marked as 150 on the label, but that’s a topic for another day. Neither of us was happy about the fact that a massive chunk of metal with numerous sharp edges had no foam wrap, no pool noodles, not even a shitty attempt at a cardboard wrap.
Even when it comes to standard box sizes, many times the big warehouse stores you all order online from will ship items in cardboard that is not rated for the item’s weight. Yes, cardboard boxes have ratings for how much weight they can stand per square inch, and yes, there are some well-known offenders who consistently fail to supply the correct box weight.
If a warehouse uses the incorrect box, the chances said box gets damaged in normal, by-the-books transit increases significantly. When that happens, the box either returns to be repacked which can add a significant delay , or is given to a customer in poor condition. Both bad options.
It’s not all doom-and-gloom though. Occasionally you come across a company that goes above and beyond!
Just Jeepin'
> AestheticsInMotion
09/23/2020 at 10:02 |
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Is there a good way to identify problems like that in advance? Do couriers have a website somewhere they can shame offenders?
vondon302
> AestheticsInMotion
09/23/2020 at 10:03 |
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Ouch. FCA is consistently horrible when it comes to packaging but this bad boy showed up the other day. I really want this box. Export to New Zealand too.
Down at the loading dock.
Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
> AestheticsInMotion
09/23/2020 at 10:04 |
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Judging the level of effort that went into fabricating that bumper, I’m not surprised at the level of effort that went into shipping it...
davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
> AestheticsInMotion
09/23/2020 at 10:07 |
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Was it actually damaged? It’s clearly going to get painted anyway.
Captain of the Enterprise
> AestheticsInMotion
09/23/2020 at 10:19 |
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The wheels built into the box is pretty nice!
Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
> AestheticsInMotion
09/23/2020 at 10:50 |
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It almost looks like they just forgot to pack one. How did that even get far enough to get loaded on a truck package car ? Is there no way for couriers to say, “nope, that’s not gonna work” for an item?
Michael
> AestheticsInMotion
09/23/2020 at 10:52 |
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Preachin’ to the choir here. My business card reads “Packaging Engineer”
Unfortunately most customers aren’t super willing to pay for good packaging.
smobgirl
> AestheticsInMotion
09/23/2020 at 11:12 |
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I order most of my pet supplies from Chewy. It’s cheaper, saves me time, and their customer service is great...but their shipping and packing range from amusing to godawful. Pet food and 40-pound bags of cat litter are heavy. Putting canned food boxes into an overweight package with the lighter corn-based litter bags means I get a giant cardboard box that’s oozing litter from every opening . Plus half the boxes are so heavy that I have to un pack them on the porch so I’m sure the FedEx employees hate me.
Shift24
> AestheticsInMotion
09/23/2020 at 12:11 |
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Your close on the weight, problem is though board grade in ECT or Mullen doenst exactly tell you how much weight can go in a box (more detail below) . It might be in in/lbs but not exactly for the weight of that one box. Bo xes are all sorts of shapes because the products are as well. Yes there might be a general guideline but its not a set rule. There is still a lot of guessing to get it right.
Agreed its on the Company/Seller. They dont want to pay for the packaging. They have a set cost and some forget to factor in the margin for packaging or underestimate the cost. Or some companies are having a hard time switching from Brick and Mortar (i.e. Walmart) to online. A box that was great in the warehouse might fail a Amazon SIOC test. In which board grade or design might need change and drives up their cost
I will say Amazons SIOC testing has improved what companies are willing to pay for packaging and the strength of boxes have improved. Thats mainly because if they dont Amazon will literally put them on the C.R.A.P list (they also have a name if you fail shipping but forgot it) and possibly delist their product.
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ECT is rated as stacking strength, How much weight or force it takes to crush the edge. This is normally calculated for stacking (how high can you stack in a warehouse), yes its used in single parcel delivery but not always the best solution. But there are times a box is just a box.
Mullen is burst strength, how much force it takes to puncture the box. This is a very old school method (1930s?). With the increase in popularity of Amazon and single parcel delivery, this type of board grade is coming back into popularity. And I believe this type of board grade is better for shipping to places other than Brick and Mortar. This is because when it was first introduced, the standard was designed for use in rail cars as the corrugate would be jostled around (much like in a Fedex/USPS/UPS trucks) and increase the possibility of damage
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Shift24
> Michael
09/23/2020 at 12:37 |
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W ell that or the company doesn’t know how to go from Brick and Mortar to online single parcel.
We have seen companies try to improve their packaging as for the unboxing experience. (links below)
Amazons SIOC and ISTA 6-Amazon testing has forced companies to comply or get delisted. Now of course there are other places prodcts are sold and other than select retailers, there isn’t an industry standard you have to comply too.
https://packhelp.com/unboxing-phenomenon-why-people-watch-unpacking-videos/
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Michael
> Shift24
09/23/2020 at 13:02 |
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Yeah right as that Amazon standard came online I couldn’t get any of my product into the testing labs - they were booked out, overtime, for months trying to meet the deadline for all these vendors.
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Shift24
> Michael
09/23/2020 at 15:53 |
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Yep, my previous employer was lucky enough to have at least a drop tester. Wouldn’t be certified but gave use enough of an idea if changes were needed
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AestheticsInMotion
> smobgirl
09/23/2020 at 23:57 |
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Chewy is a pain, for the reasons you stated. And then every once in a while they’ll ship out something miniscule and lightweight—still in the same large box. M ost drivers have at least a dozen heavy chewy boxes everyday. They're not fun, but definitely not even cracking the top 5 worst things to deliver
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smobgirl
> AestheticsInMotion
09/24/2020 at 00:08 |
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I truly appreciate your reply. I’ve felt so guilty over their awful boxes I’ve considered not using them anymore but they’re so much cheaper than anything local.
pip bip - choose Corrour
> AestheticsInMotion
09/24/2020 at 05:16 |
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i’ll have to take pics of unwrapping an OppositeLock bullbar.
the amount of plas tic and cardboa rd on one of those is e yewatering
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Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
> AestheticsInMotion
09/25/2020 at 15:01 |
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$4,000...
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/388789602113048
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AestheticsInMotion
> Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
09/25/2020 at 15:10 |
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I don't think I'd touch that for anywhere near $4k...
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AestheticsInMotion
> Shift24
09/25/2020 at 15:10 |
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Lots of really good info there, thank you!
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AestheticsInMotion
> Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
09/25/2020 at 15:14 |
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There are a few different places in the system where someone could go "no, that's not going to fly", but at the end of the day whoever does that has to take responsibility for that decision. Oftentimes it's easier to just pass it along to the next person, and hope the delivery goes through without issue.
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AestheticsInMotion
> davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
09/25/2020 at 15:15 |
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Probably not. It's thick steel. I'm more worried about my drivers getting damaged handling it. And the possibility of the recipient believing this is a courier issue and responding as so
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AestheticsInMotion
> Just Jeepin'
09/25/2020 at 15:16 |
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No, but I would reccomend whenever buying an expensive or irreplaceable item to go over the fine details of packaging.
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Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
> AestheticsInMotion
09/25/2020 at 15:33 |
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That’s a culture of blame shifting. Not good for employees but good for shareholder profits.