Rant on shipping

[California]

Ordered a tire for my suburban. It showed up today. I guess i was expecting it in a box, but it was just a tire laying on the front steps with a label on it. Looked kinda funny. Too bad I didn't have an old couch out there for them to set it on.

Low-waste shipping. Nothing but that label to discard! I got a coupe of 8" trailer tires/rims like that. Just taped together and left on my porch.

Reminded me of a video showing how a basketball was shipped. It's own fancy trademarked carton then bubble wrap around that within the shipping carton. WTH? Kid opened the box and immediately dribbled the ball on concrete.

But my personal classic was HF's adapter for the top mount of their 3-point quickhitch. Indestructible, rated 40 hp. Small enough to wrap your hands around. Shipped in a cubic ft carton stuffed with styrofoam (non-recyclable) peanuts. A Tyvec envelope would have been sufficient, or an Amazon-style bubble wrap envelope to avoid damage to other mailed items, maximum. Again, WTH???

 

[PILOON]

My best was when I shipped an light aircraft strut from Montreal to Vancouver.
I simply taped 2 shipping labels on that strut and sent it without any protection at all.
It made the trip without any damage !

I gambled!
Being longish and very light I figured it would ride on top of the load or along a bottom side of the truck.
Also aluminum is a tough material that I doubted any carton could cause it damage.
Buyer responded that it arrived in great condition.

LOL, saved me wood and time to 'crate' it.

 

[3Ts]

I ordered one of the small 2 gallon water heaters from Amazon - it came in the mfgr's box with a label on it. Which is fine and what I expected. Then I ordered a battery powered edger, instead of putting a label on it like the water heater, it was put in another much bigger box with no padding and shipped. ??? Never can tell the reasoning behind the packing methods.

 

[Dftodd]

My pharmacy by mail has $0 deductible. All other pharmacies charge me a $4 co-pay for a 90 day supply. Very Happy as some of my Scripps are very expensive.

They sent out a benefits survey several years ago now. At the time we were locked into a $10/ month or $20/ 90 day supply.

Local pharmacy had two profiles set up for me. One with insurance that she ran most of my meds through. But if I could get it cheaper without insurance then she ran it through the other profile.

My statin was $14 for a 90 supply without insurance.

After quite a few of us complained about it, they revamped the prescription drug plan. Those drugs we were being over charged for are now supplied to us for free

 

[Dftodd]

Here's one that I'm happy about and need to give some thanks where it is do.

I didn't realize that chewy is similar to prime as far as shipping goes.

Recently our shepherd got really sick and we had to change her food. Canned dog food for an 80lb dog is expensive. Chewy saves us around $0.60 a can. With free shipping over a certain amount. I order a months supply at a time.

I place the order when we get down to 12 cans left of her food.

Placed the order yesterday. With a shipped notice last night and arrival date of Tuesday.

Got back from doing errands a little while ago. Our order was sitting on our door step

 

[Oaktree]

But my personal classic was HF's adapter for the top mount of their 3-point quickhitch. Indestructible, rated 40 hp. Small enough to wrap your hands around. Shipped in a cubic ft carton stuffed with styrofoam (non-recyclable) peanuts. A Tyvec envelope would have been sufficient, or an Amazon-style bubble wrap envelope to avoid damage to other mailed items, maximum. Again, WTH???

Do ya one better, had to order a button-cell battery for my camera. Came by itself in a box that was probably 8x8.

Health care treatment likewise, usually a $10 fee as you check in for anything then never an invoice or discussion of cost.

Going into Kaiser can feel like the DMV but that's just the screening counter, the medical professionals are excellent.

I hope it isn't too political to say Kaiser has been looked at as a model for lower cost health care.

I wouldn't call that political. Never heard of them, but I'm in northern New England.
Most cities of any size have pretty decent health care facilities, but when you're out in the country you get what you get. Not enough population density to support a facility of the scale that could do what you have where you are. We did finally get our first "doc in the box" walk in clinic here a couple years ago. Before that if you needed to see a doctor outside of 9-5, it was the ER or nothing.

 

[MossRoad]

My best was when I shipped an light aircraft strut from Montreal to Vancouver.
I simply taped 2 shipping labels on that strut and sent it without any protection at all.
It made the trip without any damage !

I gambled!
Being longish and very light I figured it would ride on top of the load or along a bottom side of the truck.
Also aluminum is a tough material that I doubted any carton could cause it damage.
Buyer responded that it arrived in great condition.

LOL, saved me wood and time to 'crate' it.

I just ordered an aluminum rim for our 2013 Impala. It showed up in a box. Opened the box and there was bubble wrap surrounding another box. Opened that box and there was the rim surrounded by bubble wrap.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

Both shipped by USPS.
What’s weird is 2nd one disappeared from Amazon orders, unless I search it, then it shows shipped by USPS.

Amazon now showing my order again, “running late”. USPS so incompetent.

 

[Oaktree]

I just ordered an aluminum rim for our 2013 Impala. It showed up in a box. Opened the box and there was bubble wrap surrounding another box. Opened that box and there was the rim surrounded by bubble wrap.

Probably a good idea, if an unboxed rim (especially an aluminum one) didn't get all scratched up in transit, who knows what damage it could cause to other items.
Tire, makes sense to ship it naked.

 

[LD48750]

Probably a good idea, if an unboxed rim (especially an aluminum one) didn't get all scratched up in transit, who knows what damage it could cause to other items.
Tire, makes sense to ship it naked.

But it too could get scuffed up, dirty, scratched and who knows what being shipped naked.
Should be bubble wrapped in a cardboard box inside a wooden crate at least.