Why shopping in-store will always be better than ordering online

[J.D. Lombardi]

Like many of us here (most of us?) I'm a collector of various things. These "things" (blu-rays, action figures, etc.) have become less and less plentiful on store shelves due to how popular online shopping has become.

I'm in New Jersey, just outside of Philly, so it isn't like I'm in the boonies where there is only one big-box store. There are plenty of stores and malls within an hour our of me.

My gripe - there is always a whine in there somewhere, right? My gripe is that, okay I get that I have to order most things online these days (I think Best Buys stock only what came out that current week when it comes to blu-rays now), but WHY can't the shipping be better?

Strike that, why can't the shipping even be subpar? lol Damn, whether it is Best Buy, Amazon, Target, Shutterfly...has anyone ever opened up a box from somewhere and been impressed with how their item was shipped to them?

Ebay, to me, is the only place that has folks shipping things close to what I'd hope for and that is only because those people are collectors too.

lol Post shots of your mangled deliveries here! Got a gripe with shipping? Let me hear it because I have hundreds!

How can stores mail out collectibles in boxes too large and not use a square inch of bubble wrap around said item? On Shutterfly, I create books that with a %50 off coupon still cost in the $100 and up area (I have a son who I can't stop photographing). Despite the cost, Shutterfly just tosses it into a thin cardboard mailer and off it goes. When I complain, the company simply ships a new book to me the same exact way. They don't want the old one back, which is nice, but I didn't want 2 books, I just want one perfectly sent to me.

I'm on the verge of ending a large portion of my geekdom and NOT purchasing anything I can no longer get in stores because if it is just me, I have no luck at all when it comes to shipping.

Help. Tell me I'm not alone here in this crisis !

[Heapashifter]

Originally Posted by J.D. Lombardi

[Show spoiler]Like many of us here (most of us?) I'm a collector of various things. These "things" (blu-rays, action figures, etc.) have become less and less plentiful on store shelves due to how popular online shopping has become.

I'm in New Jersey, just outside of Philly, so it isn't like I'm in the boonies where there is only one big-box store. There are plenty of stores and malls within an hour our of me.

My gripe - there is always a whine in there somewhere, right? My gripe is that, okay I get that I have to order most things online these days (I think Best Buys stock only what came out that current week when it comes to blu-rays now), but WHY can't the shipping be better?

Strike that, why can't the shipping even be subpar? lol Damn, whether it is Best Buy, Amazon, Target, Shutterfly...has anyone ever opened up a box from somewhere and been impressed with how their item was shipped to them?

[Show spoiler]Ebay, to me, is the only place that has folks shipping things close to what I'd hope for and that is only because those people are collectors too.

lol Post shots of your mangled deliveries here! Got a gripe with shipping? Let me hear it because I have hundreds!

How can stores mail out collectibles in boxes too large and not use a square inch of bubble wrap around said item? On Shutterfly, I create books that with a %50 off coupon still cost in the $100 and up area (I have a son who I can't stop photographing). Despite the cost, Shutterfly just tosses it into a thin cardboard mailer and off it goes. When I complain, the company simply ships a new book to me the same exact way. They don't want the old one back, which is nice, but I didn't want 2 books, I just want one perfectly sent to me.

I'm on the verge of ending a large portion of my geekdom and NOT purchasing anything I can no longer get in stores because if it is just me, I have no luck at all when it comes to shipping.

Help. Tell me I'm not alone here in this crisis !

Yes. All the time.

Ordering things from Korea is always good. (Sites like Plain Archive, Kimchidvd, and Novamedia) Those are the places I order from the most too. You get a lot of bubble wrap and a sturdy box.

US shipping methods suck though. They don't care about blurays at all. I always go into the store to get new steelbooks and such.

[weberrygt]

The best packaged movie I got was from eBay - layers upon layers of bubble wrap.

Each movie I buy from Target comes with the uncertainty of how it will arrive in the mail. I do a lot of pre-orders for their gift cards. Sometimes I do an exchange, sometimes I don't, but I figure getting a $5 GC for my next purchase is worth the risk/hassle.

[J.D. Lombardi]

Originally Posted by Heapashifter

Yes. All the time.

I always go into the store to get new steelbooks and such.

You and I are 100% on that one. I don't need my limited little metal box getting dented due to ZERO padding.

[shinobipopcorn]

You don't live in central PA, stop complaining.

I have to order everything online, and I dread shipping. Broken things, ripped covers, you name it. I used to work for UPS and they taught us to bad mouth the post office when selling at the counter, but TBH I'd rather have the PO deliver something because I've had less breakage.

[J.D. Lombardi]

I think it is fair to mention - "fair" being a seriously subtle word in this case - Disney Movie Rewards in this shipping disaster thread.

They should be called what they are "we'll take all your points and offer you awesome, but totally wrecked posters."

I remember when I was a wee laddie and my father took me to an actual movie collectibles store. Imagine that. They had a Revenge of the Jedi poster for sale, I'll always remember that since there was no internet to school me on why it wasn't called what I'd seen at the movies around that time.

[BHolst]

Originally Posted by J.D. Lombardi

[Show spoiler]Like many of us here (most of us?) I'm a collector of various things. These "things" (blu-rays, action figures, etc.) have become less and less plentiful on store shelves due to how popular online shopping has become.

I'm in New Jersey, just outside of Philly, so it isn't like I'm in the boonies where there is only one big-box store. There are plenty of stores and malls within an hour our of me.

My gripe - there is always a whine in there somewhere, right? My gripe is that, okay I get that I have to order most things online these days (I think Best Buys stock only what came out that current week when it comes to blu-rays now), but WHY can't the shipping be better?

Strike that, why can't the shipping even be subpar? lol Damn, whether it is Best Buy, Amazon, Target, Shutterfly...has anyone ever opened up a box from somewhere and been impressed with how their item was shipped to them?

Ebay, to me, is the only place that has folks shipping things close to what I'd hope for and that is only because those people are collectors too.

lol Post shots of your mangled deliveries here! Got a gripe with shipping? Let me hear it because I have hundreds!

How can stores mail out collectibles in boxes too large and not use a square inch of bubble wrap around said item? On Shutterfly, I create books that with a %50 off coupon still cost in the $100 and up area (I have a son who I can't stop photographing). Despite the cost, Shutterfly just tosses it into a thin cardboard mailer and off it goes. When I complain, the company simply ships a new book to me the same exact way. They don't want the old one back, which is nice, but I didn't want 2 books, I just want one perfectly sent to me.

I'm on the verge of ending a large portion of my geekdom and NOT purchasing anything I can no longer get in stores because if it is just me, I have no luck at all when it comes to shipping.

Help. Tell me I'm not alone here in this crisis

!

Your whole OP is my experience 97% of the time from Amazon.com (and living in Sweden that is almost the only place I order US Blu-rays from, just learned of a new place that I need to give a shot)...

Yes, eBay is *usually* better but there have been some real head-shaking inducing packages received from sellers on there as well (one had filled a box with bubble-wrap and placed a VERY expensive hardcover comic collection on top of it. There was probably 10-15 centimeters of bubble-wrap below the book and nothing between the book and the top of the box).

It's become so bad from Amazon that they have contacted me (some time during summer 2016, I think) because I complain so much (yeah, sorry that I want my stuff mostly unharmed ) and threatened with closing my account because there is "simply no way that one person has problems with so many orders"!
That's another thing if you happen to get on Amazon's bad side, they think in "orders" and not "items"! since I, as mentioned above, live in Sweden I try to place large orders with many pre-orders and price-tracked items in them as possible. If I complain about one of the items having been damaged (that can be one out of 15 or 20 items) Amazon sees it as me complaining about the whole order! So if I place 8 orders in 6 months (let's say it's a total of ~100 items) and complain about 5 items from 5 different orders, Amazon goes through the roof. Had I instead placed 50-100 orders they don't care (as much) about me complaining about 5 items (orders)...

As Heap says, PLAIN, Kimchi and Nova from Korea would rather smother 1 Blu-ray in 15 metres of bubble-wrap than risk something happening to it

[filmbuffTX]

From the retailers point of view they have to ship thousands of items everyday and want to get your item to you as quick and cheaply as possible. If they bubble wrap every media item or put everything into a box, it will slow down their processing time massively. It will also greatly increase their shipping and processing costs.

Should they pass on that cost to consumers? These are for profit companies so they want to maximize their profit.

It's cheaper for them to simply replace or refund a few thousand items a year than giving special care to the hundreds of thousands or millions of items they ship every year.

The smaller overseas retailers ship things better because the parcel has a longer trip and thus more opportunity for the parcel to get damaged. Also, the types of releases people order from Kimchi, Novamedia, etc., are usually more valuable collectible type items, so more care is taken with them.

I agree with the OP though. It's frustrating continually getting damaged product. For the most part I'd say my items mostly arrive in good to great condition.

[shinobipopcorn]

Originally Posted by J.D. Lombardi

I think it is fair to mention - "fair" being a seriously subtle word in this case - Disney Movie Rewards in this shipping disaster thread.

They should be called what they are "we'll take all your points and offer you awesome, but totally wrecked posters."

I remember when I was a wee laddie and my father took me to an actual movie collectibles store. Imagine that. They had a Revenge of the Jedi poster for sale, I'll always remember that since there was no internet to school me on why it wasn't called what I'd seen at the movies around that time.

They've started putting them in plastic sleeves, but some people still report damage from how they cram the invoice inside.

But if you want to complain about Disney, let's take a moment to mention the poor excuse for a container that they ship their movies out in. Sticky corrugate.

[J.D. Lombardi]

Originally Posted by shinobipopcorn

They've started putting them in plastic sleeves, but some people still report damage from how they cram the invoice inside.

Interesting. I haven't ordered a poster since Rogue One, so I'll be interested to see how my next one comes.

[J.D. Lombardi]

Originally Posted by filmbuffTX

From the retailers point of view they have to ship thousands of items everyday and want to get your item to you as quick and cheaply as possible. If they bubble wrap every media item or put everything into a box, it will slow down their processing time massively. It will also greatly increase their shipping and processing costs.

Should they pass on that cost to consumers? These are for profit companies so they want to maximize their profit.

It's cheaper for them to simply replace or refund a few thousand items a year than giving special care to the hundreds of thousands or millions of items they ship every year.

But why not have the option there on the order to pay more for better/safer packing? You then can still do the assembly line mass packing, but for those who pay more, you have a "premium" sort of shipping too.

I'd pay. I HATE shopping online, even if packing was perfect. lol Call my crazy, but I like spending my cash and having what I bought immediately in my hands. The last 10 years really has beat up stores and malls. So many places have literally empty shelves. It amazes me.

[filmbuffTX]

Originally Posted by J.D. Lombardi

But why not have the option there on the order to pay more for better/safer packing? You then can still do the assembly line mass packing, but for those who pay more, you have a "premium" sort of shipping too.

I'd pay. I HATE shopping online, even if packing was perfect. lol Call my crazy, but I like spending my cash and having what I bought immediately in my hands. The last 10 years really has beat up stores and malls. So many places have literally empty shelves. It amazes me.

I prefer finding things in stores as well, whether new or used. Online is great too though for items I want that are only available overseas or out of stock in stores. I pre-order most items from Amazon because of their pre-order price guarantee. I also like the flexibility to be able to cancel just a day or two before it ships out if I change my mind or find a better deal in store.

I'd be for an option for better shipping and packing. I would definitely pay for the upgrade on box sets, limited edition items, or steelbooks.

They would probably never do this though, because then people would accuse them of forcing customers to pay a premium for adequate packaging.

[jacobsever]

From 8 years of ordering blu rays and dvds online...I think I've maybe 10 damaged from shipping? Out of thousands.

Most of those coming from Amazon UK/Zavvi.

[Dynamo of Eternia]

Originally Posted by jacobsever

From 8 years of ordering blu rays and dvds online...I think I've maybe 10 damaged from shipping? Out of thousands.

Most of those coming from Amazon UK/Zavvi.

You're lucky. I've had more items damaged out of a much lower number.


I will order online when I have no other choice, or if an online retailer simply has an unbeatable price that for some reason I cannot find and/or price match in another retailer's physical store.

But whenever possible, I try to buy my Blu-Rays, DVDs (when the content isn't available on Blu-Ray, and video games in a physical store. It just takes the guess work out of the condition that I will receive items in.


Unfortunately some collectible figures and stuff are hard to find in stores, though I'm not really a "MOC/MIB" collector of those things for the most part. I generally open them, so usually it's not as big of a deal for me if the packaging of those items is a little dinged up, so long as the figure/collectible is fine.



I really wish online retailers, especially big ones like Amazon, had some kind of shipping options of better/extra packing or something. They focus so much on shipping speed with Amazon Prime and such. If given the choice between how well the item is packed or how fast I receive it, I would opt for a more standard shipping speed, but better packing that better ensures that the item arrives in good condition. If that was an option with Prime, or if there was even an option to add better packing to your order for an extra buck or two, I would happily utilize those options.

[Dynamo of Eternia]

Originally Posted by filmbuffTX

From the retailers point of view they have to ship thousands of items everyday and want to get your item to you as quick and cheaply as possible. If they bubble wrap every media item or put everything into a box, it will slow down their processing time massively. It will also greatly increase their shipping and processing costs.

Should they pass on that cost to consumers? These are for profit companies so they want to maximize their profit.

As I just said in my post above, I would happily pay an extra buck or two for extra packing and/or take a slower shipping speed in exchange for better packing (theoretically it should cost the retailer less money to ship at a slower speed, allowing the saving to be allocated to better packing).

[PrivatePixel]

Originally Posted by Dynamo of Eternia

I really wish online retailers, especially big ones like Amazon, had some kind of shipping options of better/extra packing or something. They focus so much on shipping speed with Amazon Prime and such. If given the choice between how well the item is packed or how fast I receive it, I would opt for a more standard shipping speed, but better packing that better ensures that the item arrives in good condition. If that was an option with Prime, or if there was even an option to add better packing to your order for an extra buck or two, I would happily utilize those options.

Amazon is an interesting case. Personally, I would never order a special/limited edition release through Amazon (US or Canada), unless I've exhausted all other avenues locally. I skip Amazon exclusives for the same reason: increased likelihood of damage to said items during shipping.

That said, my experiences with Amazon UK have been more positive, especially with items such as Steelbooks. Amazon UK adopted a custom-made, corrugated cardboard shipping box that's used specifically for packaging and shipping Steelbooks, without the need for additional packing materials (such as foam peanuts or bubble wrap). Can this very same shipping box be used for North American-based orders? Other than the cost factor (which would either be applied to the overall cost of the Steelbook, or as an additional shipping fee), I don't see why it can't be used for orders originating from N. America.

[Kinsella5]

Originally Posted by shinobipopcorn

They've started putting them in plastic sleeves, but some people still report damage from how they cram the invoice inside.

What J.D.'s post is conveying (and well I might add) is what we all feel. I have ordered items from Amazon, Best Buy, Staple, and upon delivery have been shocked at the size of the boxes sitting outside my door, for items that are about 1/4th the size. Generally those items are tossed in with no padding. It all comes down to the companies processing the packages faster and faster and along the way cutting corners such as if the package is properly packaged, etc. The more time they spend on a package, the less they get out so in my opinion they are just tossing in the first box available, slapping a label on it, and sending it on it's way.

With regards to the Disney Movie Rewards and how they ship their posters, I have been quite vocal about it because how they are processing their posters is downright embarrassing. I have shipped thousands of posters out in the past 25 years of being in that industry and if I shipped out a poster the way DMR does, I would be out of business. I believe that DMR feels that the people ordering these posters are doing so for their kids, they don't understand that they are a collectible and most people either want to preserve them or display them and one would hope/expect if they are going to redeem 1000 points for a poster ,that the poster is handled, packaged, and shipped properly so it arrives in near-mint/mint condition. That isn't too much to ask.

Shipping them in plastic may cut down on the rub marks the poster gets from inside the tube, but if the person rolling the poster to place in the plastic tube doesn't know how to roll them properly, damage will occur. A poster is a big piece of paper, paper is delicate, so unless they know the best way to roll them, the damage will occur before it is even placed in the tube for shipping. Also if they don't put anything on the ends to prevent shifting inside, or tape down the end caps, more damage occurs.

But J.D. was spot on with his post, I too am a big fan of buying things in stores so I can take it home that day, inspect before I buy, etc.

[Jason One]

I'm with you guys, I wish I could get everything in person at a store.

Amazon's packaging quality has drastically nosedived over the last couple of years. Now almost everything is sent loose in oversized bubble envelopes that do a poor job of protecting anything, especially eco cases.

And there's no real strategy to avoid it. Most recently I tried ordering five movies at once, hoping this would force them to use a box. Instead, they sent the order in three separate bubble envelopes. And, of course, three out of the five movies arrived with slight damage.

I've found BestBuy.com's packaging to be much better. They use a sealed-cardboard mailer that usually gets my movies delivered in flawless condition. I'm ordering from them more frequently lately, and trying to limit my business with Amazon.

[rickah88]

While I never like to see B&M's go out of business, and try to support them when possible...but ordering from Amazon for over a decade has been too beneficial for me and my family. It was an easy no-brainer when Amazon didn't charge sales tax. Those days are gone, which for most instances places them at about the same price as most retailers. True, it's nice to be able to pick up a BD, for example, and see it in-hand prior to purchase but with an often busy schedule, rarely can I make it to the store to buy(mainly store exclusives) before they sell out. So ordering online, be it Amazon or another retailer, just works so much better for me. I've ordered a lot...from all over the world, and I'm very thankful my shipments arrive in fantastic condition. I'm very lucky to have had some good courier routes to ensure my items arrive undamaged!
So if I can get the same item, on release day, in great condition...without having to be bothered with:

Time consumption
Crowds
Using gas for weekly trips
Automobile wear for weekly trips

I will take that all day long!

[J.D. Lombardi]

This shot is from the local Target...I'm telling you, the shelves there are ALWAYS this bare despite good foot traffic at this store.


This one is the same day, at a nearby Best Buy. Notice the hooks each have ONE ITEM on them. WTF?

This is what forces me to buy on the web. I mean, how can they just leave shelves this empty on a consistent basis?