I know with my mycomicshop.com orders they slide around a bit inside but they have the books attached to a huge rigid piece of cardboard so it takes any dings and the comics are left unscathed. I do get nervous when I lift the package and the books shift but no issues thus far.
It’d be interesting to see how many orders a place like TFAW gets and then get an estimate of average time per order package takes for each packer (employee).
I’d say orders with 5 or less that get in rigid mailer take at least 5 minutes per order on average, that’s being generous as I’d imagine a competent worker could do it in half the time (if packing materials and comics are organized, easy to find, locate, etc). That comes to what, fulfilling around 12 order per hour? That’s someone printing order, pulling comics to pack, throw in rigid mailer, seal with tape, print mailing label.
Now, you want only boxes (which I’d imagine requires someone to unfold and prepare for comics) on some account holders after verifying individual needs?
Maybe you see where I’m going here… any additional request adds time, which bumps overall cost and then slows down over all process time that adds to employee wage costs, etc…
In a perfect world, I’m on board but on a business trying to ship out thousands of orders each week in a timely manner while also keeping overall costs low so they can pass the savings off to customers, seems unrealistic to me. It all comes back to risk… if TFAW can ship out a thousand orders in one day and only 50 are damaged during transit compared to say, only being able to ship out 500 orders in a day and cut the risk to maybe 10-20 that get damaged… they’re likely doing what makes most sense on a business level rather than… let’s try to make every single person happy every single time type of scenario…
We already have users complaining they’re behind during the pandemic… so it’s only a lose lose situation if you ask me… speed up processing of orders, take risk on damages compared to slow down processing of orders, customers grow weary of delayed shipment orders…
IDK… in the end, I go with best customer service when things do go wrong… so far for me, TFAW has been the best to me.
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At one time almost all my pre-orders were arriving in rigid mailers. After their new website update and features of bi-weekly and or monthly shipments, I just make sure my books come in boxes with bigger shipments by playing with the shipping options. The boxes with peanuts have almost never failed me arriving with damages.
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The best customer service Is one you never have to deal with!!
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I shouldn’t of added boards I knew it would be trashed. Usually no boards the books can be salvaged. It’s hard for me to order add carts because 4 books and under is $6 shipping 5 books is $18 shipping
Why are you even messing with comics… you live in paradise! 
True but nothing worse when you do have to contact them to be treated like a criminal…
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To just chime in on a few things (that are logistical; I don’t want to deny someone the chance to share their experience has been bad if it has legitimately been bad for them)
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One issue with upgrading to a box via notes (like adding a do not bend sticker) has to do with shipping logistics. Comics take a lot of space, and our warehouse is only so big. We have about a month of supplies that can fit there in a given time, and place our orders for supplies based on what’s coming up via calculating pre-order, subscriptions, etc. Having a roll of stickers to slap do not bend stickers is easy to store in excess. But if we started having orders switched to boxes and requiring more materials to pack, it could cause issues. We couldn’t do it for just one person and not do it for anyone else who asked. And as poyo mentioned there’s also the cost. Even with mailers we lose money any time people buy 1 or 2 comics because we charge less for shipping than the actual cost is for a lot of orders.
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That being said, we ARE working on adding upgrading for the cost of the box to pre order options if the order doesn’t qualify for it automatically. Most likely that won’t happen until closer to or during Q1 since there’ s a lot more importand and critical issues the devs are working on right now. That way our system would account for the needed resources correctly. (Whether or not we also offer it for in stock is being debated. It would depend on how used it is for pre-orders. The extra time loading checkout might be worse than the benefit from offering it.)
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In terms of damage reports and the two types, we send out FAR more rigid mailers every month than gemini style mailers or boxes. People on this forum are obviously in a more hardcore customer bracket, but a majority of our orders are people who only pre order or subscribe to a couple of comics a month. We have thousands of people every month who only get one or two comics a month.
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Adding a larger piece of cardboard as padding and taping the comics to them (for maybe both the gemini style and rigid?) is something that might be a solution, and I can ask our warehouse team to look into it and see if it makes sense to do and is feasible.
I would pay a extra charge like adding bags and boards is for a second rigid mailer over the original.
Painters tape with a piece of cardboard that extends beyond the edge of the comics goes a very long way in protecting books… Tape two sides, top or sides with small piece of tape to board, you’re gonna probably save yourself a whole lotta damaged books.
And just for the record, I ordered the same rigid mailers TFAW uses for my own eBay sales. I do add cardboard to sandwich the book between cause I got these for 1 - 2 books so I’m not using gemini for the bigger orders of books… I have yet to have a book damaged during transit.
Yeah, I didn’t even want to dabble in the other costs involved like warehouse space, etc. You gotta calculate the cost of storing stuff too, per square foot, etc. I can imagine rigid mailers take up way less space than boxes.
Brendon - one note. Right now, all of my orders (whether in a box or a gemini - I always order 5 to skip the mailer) have the books wrapped in this very thin paper and that paper is taped together. I have not had a single order arrive with that paper still intact. It is always torn into multiple pieces at the edges of the books. Just an FYI here. While I haven’t had any major damages, it just doesn’t seem like that paper is doing what your shipping dept thinks it’s doing. Again, an FYI.
Side note. I’m a big fan of TFAW.
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See your considering what’s going to happen during delivery. At best it will be dropped a few times. At worse you get a Postal employee having a bad day chucking things around. There’s a reason the word postal is used in a different context.
With the cardboard not only securing the comic from shifting but also absorbing any potential damage it’s far superior. Just putting floppies in the mailers with or without bags and boards is asking for trouble.
Shouldn’t orders going overseas be in a box anyway? I mean common sense tells me that if I’m sending something to Hawaii it’s going to be a box inside a box with lots of cushioning.
Why would different locations get different packaging? You want to choose your packaging materials, and now expect them to base that on a location as well? I don’t think it is realistic to expect every comic to arrive in a pristine nature, regardless of how it is packed. TFAW has already stated what their process is.
I just got my latest order, around 60 books. Wrapped in heavier paper, not the cheap stuff, and in a box with peanuts. Turned out fine. Just order more books! Still waiting on Midtown orders from March, and that isn’t packed in anything at this point.
Damn here I thought the rigid mailers were nice. They come crispy everytime. My old address and new address and I’m on the opposite side of the country.
I’m not saying any such thing. Just saying if I shipped to Hawaii it’d be in a box. Not saying they package specifically to region but common sense says it’s in for some rough extended handling times why not package accordingly?
Yes I know of online retailers that would only ship overseas with boxes. You know to avoid damage and customer service having to straighten out the mess. I’m not a business though so.
No, they are junk. Period, regardless of cost
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Not necessarily. If you pack with extra cardboard and spend an extra minute or two with care, I use them. I pack like a brick though as I’m not fulfilling thousands of orders per week…
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Are you just inspecting the books by looking at them through the bag and board? I’ve visually inspected books like that in the past only to actually take the books out later and notice corner impact creases on the back corners that you can’t see from the front.
I get so many books it makes it hard to inspect each and everyone but if the packaging is lacking then they definitely get taken out and thoroughly inspected.
It’s true they can be used like you use them and quite successfully. They work well inside of boxes as well. So they have a place.