[Blake]

i order a lot of stuff on amazon and i just got the biggest surprise yet. i've always known they've used a cannon to kill a mouse when it comes to packaging, but check this out! gigantic box with almost nothing in it for 2 curtain rods. i have a longer curtain rod that's set to arrive tomorrow...it starts at 66" in length. i can't wait to see what kind of ridiculous box it comes in! it appears i'm definitely getting my money's worth with amazon prime. i can't imagine what it would have cost to plainly ship that beast 2 day air.

[BMW F22]

Lol I guess they don't have a smaller (not as tall) box. Amazon does that a lot though. It's just to protect the merchandise.

[SoYank]

It's rubbed off on you. Those are gigantic pictures.

[Blake]

Originally Posted by BMW E90

Lol I guess they don't have a smaller (not as tall) box. Amazon does that a lot though. It's just to protect the merchandise.

i know it's to protect, but damn, maybe have some different sized boxes? they must be losing a fortune on shipping. shipping a box with those dimensions air freight is majorly expensive, no matter what the weight is. i know they're probably getting a good rate on the shipping, but i can't be cheap.

[Blake]

Originally Posted by SoYank

It's rubbed off on you. Those are gigantic pictures.

it's what my phone takes. too lazy to resize. maybe you should get on amazon order a monitor that supports higher resolution.

[BMW F22]

Originally Posted by Blake

i know it's to protect, but damn, maybe have some different sized boxes? they must be losing a fortune on shipping. shipping a box with those dimensions air freight is majorly expensive, no matter what the weight is. i know they're probably getting a good rate on the shipping, but i can't be cheap.

Yeah that would cost quite a bit to ship. I'm sure they get good shipping rates from the couriers like you said. Imagine what it's like with Prime- they ship it via 2nd day for free. How are they making money off of it? Crazy.

[immiketoo]

Dang dude...all that and no peanuts or paper? Just a big ol empty box...

[Blake]

Originally Posted by BMW E90

Yeah that would cost quite a bit to ship. I'm sure they get good shipping rates from the couriers like you said. Imagine what it's like with Prime- they ship it via 2nd day for free. How are they making money off of it? Crazy.

you know, i did some research a while back how they're making money with such cheap shipping. i came across some article that says they're basically banking on leveraging their vendors with volume and making up for the losses in shipping through acquiring products cheaper. the article also went on to say that it's a risky move on their part, but so far it's paying off. initial losses were in the millions, but it's starting to catch up. what the article didn't mention was if you select free shipping or standard shipping, they take their sweet time processing the order, thus making their prime service seem more and more like a good "investment." i order a ton of stuff from amazon so prime is worth it to me. i've already got my money's worth several times over even if amazon is getting deep discounts on shipping.

edit: here is a google answer containing a lot of info on how amazon does it: http://answers.google.com/answers/th...id/727708.html

Originally Posted by immiketoo

Dang dude...all that and no peanuts or paper? Just a big ol empty box...

there was some paper, you can see it on the floor in pic 2.

[MCMLXXXIX]

yea they need smaller boxes. i had a similar experience with Uline, but this is just WOW haha

[Scorpion]

You ganna keep the box lol?

[immiketoo]

Originally Posted by Blake

there was some paper, you can see it on the floor in pic 2.

Yeah, I'm a trained observer....sorry

[SoCali E36]

Originally Posted by Blake

it's what my phone takes. too lazy to resize. maybe you should get on amazon order a monitor that supports higher resolution.

[Inspired]

Originally Posted by BMW E90

Yeah that would cost quite a bit to ship. I'm sure they get good shipping rates from the couriers like you said. Imagine what it's like with Prime- they ship it via 2nd day for free. How are they making money off of it? Crazy.

Not necessarily free. Free Trial but it cost a $79 annual fee.

[Blake]

Originally Posted by twinturbo335

Not necessarily free. Free Trial but it cost a $79 annual fee.

well to put it in perspective, to ship a box like the one in my first post on your own at a ups store 2nd day air, it would cost over $400 because it's oversized.

[BMW F22]

Originally Posted by Blake

you know, i did some research a while back how they're making money with such cheap shipping. i came across some article that says they're basically banking on leveraging their vendors with volume and making up for the losses in shipping through acquiring products cheaper. the article also went on to say that it's a risky move on their part, but so far it's paying off. initial losses were in the millions, but it's starting to catch up. what the article didn't mention was if you select free shipping or standard shipping, they take their sweet time processing the order, thus making their prime service seem more and more like a good "investment." i order a ton of stuff from amazon so prime is worth it to me. i've already got my money's worth several times over even if amazon is getting deep discounts on shipping.

edit: here is a google answer containing a lot of info on how amazon does it: http://answers.google.com/answers/th...id/727708.html

Hmm that's interesting. I remember reading about them in business class. They basically started out losing millions every year. The guy that started it knew that when he put out an IPO. However, he told them that it would be a few years before they start making profits. I guess it's worked out nicely for them.

Originally Posted by twinturbo335

Not necessarily free. Free Trial but it cost a $79 annual fee.

Oh for sure. I realized they charge you a fee but it's a small fee to pay if you buy a lot of things from them. I mean you could buy a chaise lounge or a tv stand and have them delivered 2nd day. Imaging how much that would cost.

I think what they're banking on is the number of items people buy. Most people don't buy many big items (or just items) in a year so the rest of that fee is just profit for them. If they do buy many things from there, however, they can offset the cost for the 2nd day and overnight shipping. Either way it's a win-win for them (and the customers).