Amazon FBA seller program now apparently requires you to bubble wrap vinyl to ship it to them?

Discussion in 'Marketplace Discussions' started by kwadguy, Sep 11, 2013.

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  1. kwadguy

    kwadguy Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Cambridge, MA
    I'm reading that Amazon FBA program is now requiring sellers to bubble wrap each individual record before shipping it to Amazon. If this is true, it's a new policy. I've sold vinyl (albums, new) on Amazon in the past, and just shipped them records properly double-boxed in record boxes.

    If this is true, it really sucks. More time and money required to prepare anything to sell through them...

    Or, I guess, you can pay them to do it, for $1 per record. (Which begs the question of why you need to do it in the first place--if they are willing to accept the shipment without bubble wrap for $1/album, then it appears that damage isn't on their minds).
     
  2. Gumboo

    Gumboo Forum Resident

    Location:
    Metry, Louisiana
    Sounds like a case of "don't do as I do, do as I say!"
    So Amazon want LPs packaged a certain way, yet many instances have been reported of Amazon packaging LPs catty-corner in too small of a box, and instances of slapping address labels on box sets and shipping without protection of any sort.
     
  3. davidbix

    davidbix Forum Resident

    I think they've changed their policies with shipping vinyl. I chatted with an Amazon rep because I've been thinking of pre-ordering the new "In Utero" double 45 RPM & bonus LP set, and was concerned because of the horror stories about them sending boxed sets with labels on them or LPs in baggies. I was told they now use their own custom "certified frustration free packaging" LP mailers and even linked to a photo of one. I had just gotten a record in one of those from a 3rd party seller (not fulfilled by Amazon, but in the mailer w/ the "frustration free" logo, so I guess sellers can order them), so that makes sense.
     
  4. Gumboo

    Gumboo Forum Resident

    Location:
    Metry, Louisiana
    davidbix, thank you for noting Amazons updated shipping practices for LPs. Their policy change is good to hear.
    Link to Amazon's page describing the new practice.
    http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000733581
    Amazon acts like they reinvented the wheel with a special shipping box, when in reality all they did was start using actual LP shipping boxes. Their mailer appears be similar to what the record clubs were using back in the LP days.
     
  5. davidbix

    davidbix Forum Resident

    To be fair, most LP mailers I see don't have pull strips. :)
     
  6. Gumboo

    Gumboo Forum Resident

    Location:
    Metry, Louisiana
    Your right and I noticed that too, but I do remember receiving Record Club mailers with a pull strip. :)
     
  7. quicksrt

    quicksrt Senior Member

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    Are you really using FBA services? I would go broke fast selling under those terms. It makes much more sense to to it all yourself unless you are moving major units. and about to go Gold.
     
  8. aoxomoxoa

    aoxomoxoa I'm an ear sitting in the sky

    Location:
    USA
    Yeah I can't see why you would use FBA.

    As far as the Amazon mailers, I would say they are cheap but somewhat effective. I have had some bent corners because they are flimsy I just receieved two LP's last week that were not in those boxes.
     
  9. kwadguy

    kwadguy Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Cambridge, MA
    I use them. They are very good for some stuff, i.e. where your cost is very low relative to what you can sell it for.

    If your margin is only a few bucks to begin with, no, you're gonna get burned as a small seller...

    I wouldn't use FBA to sell rare collectables, either.
     
  10. aoxomoxoa

    aoxomoxoa I'm an ear sitting in the sky

    Location:
    USA
    I guess for music related items, I don't see it. Maybe if I were selling a surplus of something.
     
  11. kwadguy

    kwadguy Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Cambridge, MA
    Does anyone know if there's a source (at a very inexpensive price) for either bubble wrap that has dimensions of 13"x13" (i.e. large enough that a couple of folds will cover an LP cover) or else some other cheap and light solution?

    Basically, I don't want to use cardboard mailers (expensive, add a lot to shipping weight). And standard bubble wrap is 12" wide, which is not quite wide enough to cover a side of an LP cover (so you need to makeshift a cover with 4 sheets, which doubles the cost per LP shipped and wastes time putting the "cover" together).

    I'm getting tired of paying Amazon a buck an album because I ship them LPs without bubble wrap around them.
     
  12. kwadguy

    kwadguy Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Cambridge, MA
    Has anyone figured out a cost effective way to mail albums to FBA for Amazon to sell them in the new, pointless, era of FBA requiring you to bubble wrap (or cardboard wrap) EACH LP you send them--even if shipping a bunch in deluxe multi-LP boxes.

    Bubble wrap bags are about $0.40 each, plus then you have to sticker them with a suffocation warning ($0.12 each), so you're adding more than 50 cents to each LP, plus your added time, to meet some nonsense requirement. (And the bubble bags have the bubbles on the outside, which means that you have to hope and pray your stickers don't fall off).
     
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