Comments on: Amazon’s Cardboard Conspiracy http://www.friday.com/bbum/2006/09/08/amazons-cardboard-conspiracy/ ...so google can index my head. Mon, 26 Jul 2010 19:42:06 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: Alberto Ricart http://www.friday.com/bbum/2006/09/08/amazons-cardboard-conspiracy/comment-page-1/#comment-22774 Alberto Ricart Fri, 15 Sep 2006 01:30:00 +0000 http://www.friday.com/bbum/2006/09/08/amazons-cardboard-conspiracy/#comment-22774 The size of the box is kind of inconsequential until you figure out: 1) They had to pay more to ship it (dimensional weight) 2) Because it was bigger than it needed to be, maybe something else didn't fit in the truck/plane/car, so additional fossil fuel had to be spent to get the item to you. Potentially several times during the package's journey to your house. It's simply amazing how wasteful our society is. The size of the box is kind of inconsequential until you figure out:

1) They had to pay more to ship it (dimensional weight)
2) Because it was bigger than it needed to be, maybe something else didn’t fit in the truck/plane/car, so additional fossil fuel had to be spent to get the item to you. Potentially several times during the package’s journey to your house.

It’s simply amazing how wasteful our society is.

]]> By: Justin Anderson http://www.friday.com/bbum/2006/09/08/amazons-cardboard-conspiracy/comment-page-1/#comment-20922 Justin Anderson Fri, 08 Sep 2006 19:06:28 +0000 http://www.friday.com/bbum/2006/09/08/amazons-cardboard-conspiracy/#comment-20922 I just got an Apple wireless keyboard through them, and it came the same way, in a box that could've held 12 of them. Luckily my cat likes attacking the chains of little plastic balloons. I just got an Apple wireless keyboard through them, and it came the same way, in a box that could’ve held 12 of them.

Luckily my cat likes attacking the chains of little plastic balloons.

]]> By: Michael Rawdon http://www.friday.com/bbum/2006/09/08/amazons-cardboard-conspiracy/comment-page-1/#comment-20918 Michael Rawdon Fri, 08 Sep 2006 18:33:23 +0000 http://www.friday.com/bbum/2006/09/08/amazons-cardboard-conspiracy/#comment-20918 My guess is that Amazon only has N different types of boxes (where N is probably approximately 6), and if you order something then they put it in the smallest box it will fit in.  If it's long and thin, then it goes in the smallest box of the appropriate length, which I bet is not very thin. It's probably more cost-effective for them to do it this way (since they surely get gazillions of standard boxes for real low per-unit costs) than to get a few <a href="http://www.custombox.com/" rel="nofollow">custom boxes</a> for the small fraction of their orders which don't fit in the normal-proportioned boxes. My guess is that Amazon only has N different types of boxes (where N is probably approximately 6), and if you order something then they put it in the smallest box it will fit in.  If it’s long and thin, then it goes in the smallest box of the appropriate length, which I bet is not very thin.

It’s probably more cost-effective for them to do it this way (since they surely get gazillions of standard boxes for real low per-unit costs) than to get a few custom boxes for the small fraction of their orders which don’t fit in the normal-proportioned boxes.

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