Shipping: Padded/Bubble Mailer vs. Manilla Envelope

[nielse16]

In my mind, shipping a video game requires a padded/bubble mailer or sturdy box with some type of packing material to fill the empty space. However, I have recently purchased several Wii games from Half.com or eBay and about 7/10 have been shipped in manilla envelopes (some did manage to try a little bit harder and wrapped the game in newspaper before depositing it in the envelope).

Am I crazy for thinking that this is a terrible way to ship these items? Should I leave these sellers negative feedback? So far, I have only contacted them and let them know I was upset with their handling of my purchase. That said, it is incredibly frustrating to see how little care was put into assuring that my purchases arrived safely.

[AppleQueso]

No reason to give negative feedback unless the item actually arrives damaged from the shipping.

Perhaps just make a note that the packaging could be better.

[Hobie-wan]

I agree with Mr Cheese. But yeah, should have been sent in bubble packs IMHO.

[BoringSupreez]

I've never sent or received a game in a manilla envelope. Sounds unsafe to me. I think everyone should use bubble mailers.

[StuntDouble]

Just to expand on the original question, is it safe to send games that come in regular cd cases in a bubble mailer, or should they be sent in a box?

[videogameexperiment]

The smaller manillas that house a dvd case really snug would 95% of the time be fine. Jewel cases on the other hand, not so much. But no excuse for a seller that sells in volume since bubble mailers are just pennies more if bought in bulk.

[isiolia]

Just to expand on the original question, is it safe to send games that come in regular cd cases in a bubble mailer, or should they be sent in a box?

I think some decent bubble wrap/etc should be sufficient. CD cases, or the older longbox type stuff (Sega CD/etc) justifies some better packing due to how brittle the cases can be. DVD style cases are fairly sturdy. I'd be more concerned with a loose disc in those than the case getting banged up.

[Hobie-wan]

Jewel cases need bubble packs because they're likely to crack or break while getting tossed around in sorting. DVD cases are certainly more resilient to being broken, but any corners of boxes bumping into them could mar the outer window and artwork. This is more likely with the stupid eco cases.

[Croooow!]

When I mail jewel cases and game cartridges I use bubble mailers and throw a little more bubble wrap in there for good measure. For DVD cases I use a bubble mailer without any additional padding and I've never had a problem with that. With larger packages I have used manilla envelopes but always made sure there was plenty of padding. I also go over the seams with packing tape to make sure nothing comes apart.

[Gnashvar]

I wouldn't give negative feedback since everything arrived ok but you should suggest or make a comment that his shipping methods should be better.