receiving packages covered with tape, 30 minutes opening it & 2 broken finger nails.

[traveling.2007-2017]

Lately I am receiving packages from sellers covered all over with tape. It has taken me up to 30 minutes & 2 broken finger nails to open these packages. The object is not to make it difficult for the buyer to open a package that you ship to the buyer. This tape does not make the package safer from damage or breakage. I keep a list of these sellers as I want to make sure that I never buy from them again. Please learn to pack & ship properly. Is anyone else having this problem?

[berserkerplanet]

I leave it as an exercise for the reader to determine if that refers to the recalcitrant pkg, the OP, or both

[couldabeenworse]

While I understand your frustration at it taking so long to open packages (not to mention the broken finger nails) due to use of a lot of tape, the use of a lot of tape is far better than the use of very little tape. 

Sort of; there's a lot of room in between those two extremes.  Tape is meant to seal or reinforce the seams of an already suitable shipping container.  Sellers who use it as wallpaper or as an ace bandage are creating a problem for their buyers. 

The first impression from a poor OOBE (Out Of Box Experience) can sour a buyer's view of the overall performance of the product and the seller.  Smart sellers take ease of extraction into account when packing.

[oaklandmaryland]

It does protect the package from being torn or getting wet. I receive far too many packages that are ruined by the post office. I totally appreciate the time and expensive put into wrapping the item. Why are you removing all the tape to begin with. Totally not necessary and just so you can complain. Just open near a side or the top seam. I am convinced that people just love to complain.

[ebbyisme]

I am one who has been known to use tape very freely.

1. I tape all exposed seems. I know what happens to packages, best to be safe than sorry.

2. It has been very hot lately and the tape doesn't seem to stick to the box as well as normal, but it will stick just fine to itself.

3. Ordered toys from a huge toy store with a giraffe at Christmas time a couple of years ago. They had one piece of tape across the flaps JUST on the top, The box was 10 times bigger than needed and I could squeeze the corner, and reach into the box, pull the items out without opening the box! Needless to say one arrive broken and another wasn't even the thing I ordered.... and to top it off it must have been a return or something because the packaging had been opened badly and taped back together.

4. Protection, from weather and moisture.

[rolenboy01]

Would you rather have a broken product?

[the*dog*ate*my*tablecloth]

Wow I'm thinking some of you are being overly harsh to the OP. I get many packages that are mummified beyond belief and I NEVER buy anything breakable. There's no good place to start and sometimes I get so frustrated I have to put the package aside to deal with later.

There are no absolutes on Ebay or in shipping. Some sellers use too much packaging. Some use too little. Open your ears and listen to what the poster is saying. Buyers are frustrated when they get mummies that they cannot open without risk to the product. Risking the product to open the package is NOT GOOD PACKING.

Please stop telling the poster they have no place to complain and understand how this affects your business.

Oh hey good buyer, welcome to the forum! Here let's make you feel bad about raising an important concern that could actually help people. Seriously. On the buyer forum no less. SMH.

[couldabeenworse]

Risking the product to open the package is NOT GOOD PACKING.

Exactly.  And sellers who fail to consider the difficulties and risks their "packing" creates are by definition inconsiderate.

[takikawa4]

That's one thing I like about the box cutter: you can easily remove the very top 1/16 or so of an inch. I would never use my fingernails to open anything.

Maybe some of us are being a bit hard on the OP. And I have never said an overly-taped box/envelope is good packing. On the other hand, it's never taken me more than a few minutes to open anything I've received. Even if it's taped to heck and back.

[michael_atw]

May have to teach some of you how to use a sharp tool to make pilot cuts before you stab it 2" into the package 😉

You can damage literally anything packaged with a sharp object regardless of the packaging involved.  You can stab a knife 6" into a box and get at whatever is in there.  

I'd like to see how some of you handle shrink wrap on a pallet of rock salt or chemical powder.  You'd be there for an hour trying to reduce it with fingernails.  LOL. 

[castlemagicmemories]

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@div_style wrote:

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@thatsallfolks wrote:

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@michael_atw wrote:

Scissor, knife, box cutter all work pretty well, ya know. 

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Blowtorch

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Pit bull

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T-Rex?

[yuzuha]

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@the*dog*ate*my*tablecloth wrote:

Wow I'm thinking some of you are being overly harsh to the OP. I get many packages that are mummified beyond belief and I NEVER buy anything breakable. There's no good place to start and sometimes I get so frustrated I have to put the package aside to deal with later.

There are no absolutes on Ebay or in shipping. Some sellers use too much packaging. Some use too little. Open your ears and listen to what the poster is saying. Buyers are frustrated when they get mummies that they cannot open without risk to the product. Risking the product to open the package is NOT GOOD PACKING.

Please stop telling the poster they have no place to complain and understand how this affects your business.

Oh hey good buyer, welcome to the forum! Here let's make you feel bad about raising an important concern that could actually help people. Seriously. On the buyer forum no less. SMH.

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It really depends on what's inside.  Anything heavy, for example, should absolutely be mummified with tape to keep the box from bursting open.  We get 10+ lb packages at work on a regular basis and they are always taped to high heaven... but they have also always arrived intact.

[everythingvintageforever]

I'M WITH YOU.  MY HANDS ARE ARTHRITIC....IT'S A REAL NIGHTMARE....SOMETIMES THERE'S THE BOX OR ENVELOPE INSANELY TAPED THEN INSIDE A BOX AND INSIDE THAT A PLASTIC THAT'S EXCESSIVELY TAPED....

[smabrouk]

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@yuzuha wrote:

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It really depends on what's inside.  Anything heavy, for example, should absolutely be mummified with tape to keep the box from bursting open.  We get 10+ lb packages at work on a regular basis and they are always taped to high heaven... but they have also always arrived intact.

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"Mummified with tape" -- I like that!

Any time I receive a package encased in tape, I pretend that I am opening a present with lovely wrapping paper.  What a lovely package!  What beautiful wrapping paper!  I hate to open this as it must have taken you a very long time to wrap it so beautifully!  Playing that in my makes the untaping and cut-taping more enjoyable as part of the unboxing process.  Then, as I become able to access the item(s) inside the package, ... Oh, what a lovely gift!  Thank you very much!  : )   Item(s) received.

I am alway grateful to have items arrive safely and securely wrapped:  it is worth my time and effort cutting tape when my sellers has taken such care to wrap my items to ensure that I receive them.  I received such a package just today -- the gift idea helped a lot as did a GREAT pair of scissors!  : )   Oh, what a lovely gift!  ; )

[uzumakey]

Nails are accessories, not tools. Why are you using them to open packages instead of a pair of scissors? If you're dealing with boxes use a box cutter.

I package my items very securely because they're not handled gently by the post office - they're getting tossed around and probably crushed by other packages during transit. The tape ensures that a box won't pop open or that a bubble envelope won't rip and spill its contents on its way to a customer. As a buyer myself I really don't like receiving a poorly-packed envelope that's been ripped because a seller didn't use enough tape.