I ordered a stem bolt from CRC and couldn’t believe it when it turned up in this

got 2 tyres posted from somewhere else arrived with 4 bits of packing tape holding them together and an address label perfect

I’ve just become the proud owner of park tool tyre levers. Came in an A4 sized box! Jesus Christ, could of popped them in a packet FFS. boils my blood it does.

Play.com are just as bad. I ordered 2 SD cards and they were sent separately in 2 A4 cardboard packets. Madness

I suggest the reason is the carriers. They’ll have a set charge for a given volume of box, and they’ll definitely lose anything smaller than the minimum size. It’ll cost the same for that size box if it’s filled with helium or solid neutrinium.

CRC will have negotiated a set rate and standard boxes keep it cheap.

(I fully agree that it’s environmentally stupid, but economics rules over ecology)

I emailed CRC too, but got the same auto response back as jamesb did. I guess it’s not top of their priority list, but it is seriously strange.

Since RM started to charge more for bigger sized parcels, and CRC do use RM for smaller stuff, it seems an odd way to waste money. Aside from that, for ‘The World’s Largest Online Cycle Retailer’ to have such a carefree attitude to resources seems an odd stand to make. I recall the protests in the US outside Apple’s stores with respect to their (rather lovely but way OTT) packaging a few years ago.

The whole thing (with CRC) just seems odd. I can’t get my head around *anyone* however they’re paid, whatever they’re told, not questioning the sense in sending so many small items in such vast packaging.

Ah well. At least it’s not just me. 😕

We noticed this with CRC and Play too.

Ordered 2 printer cartridges from play and got them sent in individual A4 boxes.

Ordered a pack of 2 headset spacers – 10mm and 5mm in one pack and they came in an A4 box.

Madness!

I am keeping hold of the boxes to use them when selling stuff which kind of off-sets the waste.

gonetothehills wrote : “Aside from that, for ‘The World’s Largest Online Cycle Retailer’ to have such a carefree attitude to resources seems an odd stand to make”

I think using that phrase may be a way of getting CRC to see some environmental sense when I next contact them about it all 🙁 They are setting an extremely poor example in sensible useage of packaging. Yes it probably makes economic sense, but if we all let economics rule entirely over environmemtal sense then we`d be even more destructive
and short term on planet earth !

A box that was 70cm x 70cm just got delivered. I was puzzled as I’d not ordered anything that big from anywhere.

My new riser bars from Evans were hiding in the bottom. They’ve taken the ludicrous packaging crown from CRC now.

They’re using a new automated packaging machine, it automatically folds the box to the required size and labels it.

You can see it in the photos here:

http://www.bikeradar.com/road/gear/article/chain-reaction-cycles-behind-the-scenes-29496

This is the machine:

http://www.bikeradar.com/road/gallery/article/chain-reaction-cycles-behind-the-scenes-29496?img=21&pn=chain-reaction-cycles–behind-the-scenes&mlc=gear%2Fin-depth%2Farticle

Cool machine – shame it don’t work 😉

Surely its not a problem if everyone recycles the excess card?

Just received an avid brake line olive in one of those A4 expandable boxes.

In another identical box was a chainring.
From a totally selfish point of view, I was peeved ‘cos I had to go to the the PO to pick them up. Are they using recycled card? I will recycle, but no everyone does. Waste of card…