How good is Amazon shipping vinyl?

Discussion in 'Marketplace Discussions' started by fungomatto, May 8, 2018.

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  1. fungomatto

    fungomatto Forum Resident Thread Starter

    I would like to buy few vinyl from Amazon but I'm pretty scared how they'll be shipping. Lately they send me some McCartney Archives Deluxe Box only in plastic bag without any other packaging... I didn't accept them since I saw they are all damaged... how is your experience buying vinyl from Amazon. Seems that few years ago they were better shipping.
     
  2. Ski Bum

    Ski Bum Happy Audiophile

    Location:
    Vail, CO
    I've purchased vinyl from Amazon recently and the packaging was fine -- cardboard box with air packs IIRC.
     
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  3. Brendan K

    Brendan K Forum Resident

    Location:
    California
    If you order from an Amazon outside your home country, I've had perfect packaging as well as the dumbest shipping methods I've ever seen (I.E. literally putting a shipping label on the Vinyl LP Sleeve, and sending it boxless. Really, Amazon.fr?!).

    On the other hand, I've had 0 issue with Amazon US.
     
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  4. Daniel Plainview

    Daniel Plainview God's Lonely Man

    I get a lot of warped vinyl from Amazon. I'd say 8/10 are warped. All are still playable, but it's warped enough that I take notice and it bothers me. I don't know if this is Amazon's fault or the vinyl is just being made this way these days.

    Always click the "conceal item" box. They put the "frustration free" record mailer into another larger Amazon outer box. I failed to check this recently on an Amazon UK order and one corner of my record got totally bent.

    I bought three 45s last week. All three were tossed in a giant box flopping around. Two had been put in a protective bag, so they stuck together and were at least sorta okay, but the third was rolling totally free from the sleeve. I found the record wedged in the box's cardboard flap getting all scratched up.
     
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  5. fungomatto

    fungomatto Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Not always... I've ordered Ram deluxe box from UK to Italy and they ship it only in a plastic bag that was all broken at the custom to see what it contains... very amazing how sometimes they were dumb
     
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  6. fungomatto

    fungomatto Forum Resident Thread Starter

    What you mean for "conceal item"? Is it the same of "gift item". I've ordered two vinyl and only one has this option... but why? Very very strange!!!
     
  7. It’s good. Those triangular boxes are very sturdy. Sometimes they put it in a second outer box.

    Sh/t happens with shipping with any retailer. I rarely have problems. Worse can happen with couriers heat etc.
     
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  8. Eobard Thawne

    Eobard Thawne Forum Resident

    Location:
    Canada
    I'd imagine they pack it well, I use to buy laserdiscs from them or when it was CDnow and they used good cardboard, bubble wrap etc.
     
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  9. DaverJ

    DaverJ Forum Resident

    Location:
    East Tennessee
    I've had mixed results with both Amazon 3rd parties and shipped from Amazon in the US. Fortunately they are great about returns/exchanges, so I hold my breath and continue to use them for the occasional vinyl purchase.
     
  10. polchik

    polchik Forum Resident

    it is usually excellent .... proper cardboard packaging specifically for vinyl ..... sometimes they'll even stick THAT box, into a larger one as well .....

    VERY rarely, you'll get someone new or inexperienced ... packaging it pathetically .... like the two times i recently tried to get an undamaged cover for 'lust for life' ..... it was packaged loosely both times, in a big box w too much room, and a little bit of newspaper ....... so the 2nd time they messed up, i went directly to chat, and they guaranteed i would get a properly shipped LP, and gave me a refund too, since i'm a long time customer ....

    KNOW that you do not have to accept it or you can get it exchanged very easily, or receive a refund, very easily ...... if you have issues.

    i certainly know i will always be satisfied, via amazon.
     
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  11. Sci-Fi Kid

    Sci-Fi Kid Forum Resident

    Location:
    Lindenhurst, IL
    Sadly, I don't order vinyl from Amazon UK to the States anymore. They put whatever you order in a box twice it's size and don't secure it with air packs or styrofoam. Then for whatever reason the package is used in a rugby match or two before it makes it to the States and it arrives oblong in shape or taped back together. I'm done with that. My few orders from Amazon France and Italy have been lovingly packed and arrive in pristine condition, so it appears to be a UK (or UK to USA) issue?
    The vinyl from Amazon US arrives to me just fine in the States 4 out of 5 times. When they use their LP mailers inside another box all is good. For some reason 20% or so are just chucked loosely into a huge box, kicked out the door, and arrive too damaged (severely bent corners or bad seam splits) for my loose guidelines and back they go. I'm guessing it's one certain warehouse, but haven't tried to isolate.
     
  12. SurrealCereal

    SurrealCereal Forum Resident

    Location:
    California
    I’ve ordered a few records from Amazon and I’ve never had any problems that were their fault. They typically ship records in a sort of cardboard envelope, which seems to work pretty well. Sometimes they’ll put it in a box, and when they do that, they attach a piece of cardboard to the record to brace it. They seem pretty aware of the potential ways for vinyl to get damaged and take measures to avoid it.
     
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  13. Chemguy

    Chemguy Forum Resident

    Location:
    Western Canada
    Let me be frank: Nobody does it better.
     
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  14. Never had any problems with Amazon.ca - if anything, they overpack. Last album I got from them was packed in a standard cardboard mailer inside a larger box filled with airpacks. When I ordered a box set from them a few years ago, it came so well packed you could've backed a tank over the package without crushing the records.
     
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  15. Psychedelic Good Trip

    Psychedelic Good Trip Beautiful Psychedelic Colors Everywhere

    Location:
    New York
    Packed beautifully with vinyl I've bought from Ammy over the years.
     
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  16. Myke

    Myke Trying Not To Spook The Horse

    I have found personally, it's never the same way twice. Whichever distribution center it comes from, whoever was doing the packing that day... you just never know.
     
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  17. drbryant

    drbryant Senior Member

    Location:
    Los Angeles, CA
    Completely hit and miss. Standard sized albums are your safest bet. Usually, they put them in custom LP mailers and often put those in an outer box. BUT, any non-standard size item - box sets, in particular - can be a mess. They usually stick those in an oversized box with minimal padding.

    Definitely less reliable during the holiday seasons - I’ve been told that’s because they hire tons of part timers to work in the warehouse. Sounds logical.
     
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  18. DaverJ

    DaverJ Forum Resident

    Location:
    East Tennessee
    Amazon ProTip... place your vinyl order separate from any other items.
     
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  19. Daniel Plainview

    Daniel Plainview God's Lonely Man

    If you don't check "Conceal item" you get just the LP mailer, usually with a small sticker on it indicating the title inside. If you click "conceal item" they will put the mailer in another box. I like having the extra protection, especially in light of the record that I received that was bent badly last week. The conceal item option is also good for other things you might not want sitting on your front step in clear view of the world (i.e. inflatable woman).
     
  20. villiers terrace

    villiers terrace Forum Resident

    Generally, they’re pretty good in my experience but as someone mentioned above, they can also do the dumbest things. A few years ago I ordered the Bowie At The Beeb 4LP set and like Brendan said, they literally just stuck an address label on the front of the box which didn’t even have any shrink wrap on it. I was all set to refuse it but amazingly there was no damage at all to the box or contents and the label came off fine. I think it was because I’d ordered a few other items that all came together that I just got lucky as it must’ve been protected between the other boxes in the van.

    That was just one bad experience out of dozens of LP’s and box sets I’ve bought from them though and the rest have been fine. Indeed the Wings At The Speed Of Sound SDE I got was so well packed I keep it in the box it came in to this day.
     
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  21. Myke

    Myke Trying Not To Spook The Horse

    And that depends on each buyer's situation. An album mailer can be hidden behing the porch furniture we have out here.
    But my last purchase of the new Neil Young album was set inside an outer box so large, a collie could've been inside of it, and not only could it not be hidden, but it's size guaranteed it could be seen from a block away. :agree:
     
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  22. Mo0g

    Mo0g Forum Resident

    Location:
    London
    I am from the UK and recently ordered Who Live at Fillmore East from Amazon France. Previously the few Amazon vinyl orders from everywhere I've ordered from have come perfectly packaged.

    It arrived in a big box with a scrap of scrunched up paper inside, the box was dented and the LP cover itself was bent, there was spine damage as if the box was dropped from a height, the front of the cover was gauged etc. Anyway, I contacted them and they insisted I sent it back for a replacement (rather than keep it, damaged) at an additional cost to them of £13.

    Got a knock on the door the next day, they had sent the replacement immediately after I had spoken with them (on live chat, using google translate), brilliant eh? Except this time they literally slapped a delivery label on the record shrinkwrap and sent it. Bearing in mind this was a replacement for a record sent with insufficient inadequate packaging the first time.

    Zut alors!
     
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  23. lightbulb

    lightbulb Not the Brightest of the Bunch

    Location:
    Smogville CA USA
    That’s the solution!

    Order an inflatable woman, “inflated”, with every vinyl LP order!
    That should provide enough of a buffer to prevent records from rattling around in a box!

    :laugh::winkgrin::oops::sigh:
     
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  24. Abbagold

    Abbagold Working class hero

    Location:
    Natchitoches, LA
    Just got a couple of LPs yesterday from amazon and they were in mailers inside a box. No issues.
     
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  25. I have found the opposite. Packages from the UK, Germany and France have always arrived in excellent packaging. Never had an issue.
     
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