Amazon Has Learned How To Ship Vinyl

There have been a lot of folks, including myself and Art Dudley (Stereophile April 2011), who have strongly criticized Amazon for their very poor shipping methods for vinyl records. Well, I have very good news, but first a little history.

I started ordeing vinyl from Amazon about two or three years ago when their price for a given release was simply too good to pass up. Their method of shipping at that time was to take the album and use shrink wrap to hold the album to a piece of heavy cardboard that was slightly larger than the album. This was then put in a box (the box was always slightly larger in the case of the albums that I ordered) and sometimes add air pillows to the larger box, sometimes not and ship it. To my surprise all of the 12 or so albums that I ordered arrived safe and sound accept for one. That one they managed to melt their shrink wrap to the album's outer poly sleeve and to melt both of these to the front cover of the album. When I tried to extract the album the front cover art work tore. I returned the album and got a replacement that was just fine.

Around the same time I also started ordering vinyl from Amazon.uk when I could not get the album I wanted here in the US or the album had not been released yet in the US or I wanted the British version of the album. To my very pleasant surprise these albums came airmail in a heavy cardboard mailer that is specifically designed for vinyl albums. I will not say it is 100% bullet proof, but it is the best mailer for vinyl that I have ever seen. I kept thinking to myself how can Amazon UK do it so right and Amazon US do it so wrong.

OK, so the good news is the last two vinyl albums that I have received from Amazon in the last two weeks have both arrived in the US version of the Amazon UK mailer. It is the same mailer accept it says Amazon.com on it and has a circle in which "Certified Frustration Free Packaging" is printed. In my case both orders contained other items so the mailer was placed in a larger box. There was not bending (it would be hard, but not impossible to bend this mailer) and the albums arrived in perfect condition.

If you buy vinyl from Amazon please post your latest experience with their packaging of it.

 

I received the vinyl pressing of Petty's "Highway Companion" last week, and all the Amazon shipping department had done was toss the album into a large box. Not a bit of packing material to protect it. The corners were all dinged up. Someone hasn't gotten the full message yet. I did respond to the packaging section on their website, for sure

 

Got some records from them last week that were packed very well in a sturdy cardboard like envelope and were then placed in a slightly larger box. Two of the three were warped though

 

My last vinyl purchase from Amazon, Tom Petty, Damn the Torpedoes was double boxed with the vinyl in a separate mailer. All other previous orders were just send in boxes with bubble wrap.

 

Good news for the cardboard industry too.

 

My copy of "Moondance" came excellently packaged in a record mailer, and arrived in perfect shape. This was back in February this year. I remember being very surprised and impressed with the quality of the packaging. And you can't beat free shipping! (I ordered an additional item I needed to get above the $25 free shipping threshold).

 

I have also had good luck with Amazon purchases in the last year.

 

Even for cd's it's getting worse ... All my digipaks I got recently were damaged.

5 days later I got my new copy ... Guess what. It's even more damaged than the first one. Though it was (re)sealed the 2 of the cd's were full of scratches and fingerprints.

I think Amazon wants to get rid of music ... Stocks seem to be very low these days, and the more "risky" albums (underground, rare stuff,...) are sold by third party sellers (only fulfilled by Amazon).

I've had many good experiences with them, but last 6 months I got nothing but used and damaged cd's, all sold as "new".

 

And to think I was happy when I saw it was shrink wrapped to a larger piece of cardboard. My Exile On Main Street Deluxe box was just thrown into a larger box with some of those plastic air pillows.

 

The last two vinyl LPs that I bought from amazon were properly packaged. In the past it was hit or miss, mostly miss. It has only taken them three years to figure out how to ship vinyl!

 

Folks, Here are some pictures, this is what you want Amazon to do. If they are not sending them like this complain, real loud.

 

Art's story of the record being bent round in the shipping carton was a total nightmare!!

 

I don't normally purchase vinyl from Amazon, but I ordered Robert Plant's Band of Joy LP two or three weeks ago when (a) I found that the item was backordered at Acoustic Sounds and (b) I saw a post on this Forum that Amazon was selling it for $7. It arrived quickly and in packaging of the type in Tony's post #11.

 

Posted this over in the Fleetwood Mac thread in response to your mention of Amazon's improved packaging:

"Not to derail this thread but kind of like the whole Rumors 45rpm situation, you never know what you are going to get as far as LP packaging goes from Amazon until it arrives at your doorstep. After a series of problem shipments, I started seeing improvement in the packaging like you've seen and then out of the blue I'll get one with the LP wedged into a box with no protection. It seems to depend on first, which warehouse your LP gets shipped from and; second on who is doing the packaging."

Bottom line is, they've gotten better but I've never been sent an LP from Amazon in a box like you show in this thread and I've ordered three LP's in the last few weeks. I'm hoping to see that packaging the next time I order from them.

 

Great news!

 

It's always a crapshoot with Amazon. For every 4 LPs that I order, I definitely end up returning at least 1.

 

Hal, I order the UK pressing of BoJ from Amazon UK before there was a US vinyl version. Not quite as cheap, but what a fabulous pressing, wonderful sound. Arrived in one of the mailers in perfect condition.

 

That's how my last few orders have been shipped. No problems.

How's the sound on that Adele LP? I haven't got a definitive answer on it. The CD is extremely loud.

 

This is how my last two Amazon vinyl orders have been packaged.

 

My recent vinyl orders from Amazon have been similarly packaged. It is a huge improvement over how they used to package LPs.

 

Same here. got two in the last two days doubled boxed. Real happy

 

I have yet to ever receive an LP properly packaged from either Amazon UK or Amazon Germany. Corners are usually bent or crumpled. I've given up at this point, but maybe they've received enough complaints to change. Nice to hear that they at least have the ability to send an LP in a proper pack.

 

If only they'd stop using "Lasership" and "Velocity Express". My Foo Fighters vinyl shipped Monday and I've yet to see it... and I have "Amazon Prime" even. Fat chance on renewing "prime".

 

Just got it today, I ordered a bunch of LP's in the last two weeks so I am backed up on listening, will try to remember to post when I play it.