This is getting ridiculous. Yesterday I trudged to the sorting office to pick up an enormous CRC package that wouldn’t fit through my letter box.

What was in it? A tiny cassette tool. How big was the box? 30cm x 2cm x 5cm.

I know you have an automatic packing machine which is saving you a lot of money, but not only is this ridiculously bad for the environment, it means that none of the small things I order fit through my (large) letter box, meaning I am spending my life walking to the sorting office.

CRC: sort it out.

Use a different supplier, there are many. Email CRC and tell them why you are using someone else. Otherwise you are complicit in this waste

But I thought they had actually sorted it. Obviously not

I had a box about 30x20x5 for a set of chainring bolts.

I had the same massive box, for a set of 3 tiny little cable oilers.

I think their packaging reasons are listed on their site. It saved them (and passed on to you) a load of money by standardising on two or three different sizes of boxes. However it does mean you get small items in a relatively huge box.

As said above though, if you don’t like it don’t use ’em.

Eta: here we go: http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Help.aspx?HelpTopicID=112#package

I thought the cardboard could be recycled while a jiffy bag goes to landfill.

Also I thought they’d reduced their volume of mail by standardising as it packs better – so less waste? And as above, you can recycle it.

Thanks for the link. Looks like I was wrong about the environmental stuff. Having said that, I always reused the jiffy bags to send other stuff, something you can’t do with the boxes.

I thought the cardboard could be recycled while a jiffy bag goes to landfill.

Yeah, more cardboard is better than less plastic IMO.

Smaller boxes that fit through letterboxes might be an idea though!

Yep, I got the huge box for 6 tiny Middleburn cable oilers which could have fitted in a tiny padded envelope. My major objection is not the waste it is the fact that I have to go down to the sorting office in an attempt to get my stuff. This is a nightmare as they love to leave things in those grey boxes on poles at your street corner for days on end. I am currently waiting for 2 parcels delivered in the middle of last week which are apparently out there somewhere. Monday is the earliest I am likely to get them.
So- 2 days to get parcel from Ireland to my door–good
Because I wasn’t in, 5 more days before I can actually get it–very bad.
Apparently this is a problem with my particular sorting office. Telling a mate who lives in a little village outside town about my situation, thinking he would be in the same boat but no. If the postie misses him, he goes to the post office in the next village and collects in 2hours. I’m going to move to the country!

The video is a great example of how basically all warehouses work, bar the fact they lovingly lower your bits into the pick box (a toss from 10 foot away is more realistic).
I haven’t ever had a problem with CRC and will continue to use their excellent services as long as it continues to be reliable and efficient.

And RE: the letterbox. Why not get it sent to work? And if you aren’t at work, what are you doing spending money! 😆

Why not get it sent to work?

Not an option for lots of folks.

Wait till you need a box full of stuff or if you’re having to walk to the sorting office, walk to the lbs

think youve got it bad i had to explain to my other half why im getting massive box from a bike shop again ! told her it was just a new pair of gloves and they must have ran out of small boxes but shes wouldnt have it !! 🙄

Yup! Huge box for 2 x 6mm olives for brakes.

Does not explain why my chain link arrived in the said box inside a jiffy bag!

CRCs exuberant packaging is just one of the environmental reasons i don’t order miniature items from overseas

Not an option for lots of folks.

How so? Can’t think of a workplace that wouldn’t accept a parcel?

Mine doesn’t, not allowed personal mail delivered.

Mine doesn’t either no postcode for wherever the van may be parked that day, we don’t all sit in offices all day you know!

o96192083 – Member

Can’t think of a workplace that wouldn’t accept a parcel?

Quite a lot don’t. My old place didn’t, too much hassle to check all the extra packages for bombs/ricin/jobbies.