Packaging from S@H

[kenny3011]

Hey, I was about to order a few sets from S@H and was wondering how well do they pack the sets? Has anyone received crushed boxes etc?

[Sir Fred]

I've done a couple orders and never had any issues with crushed/damaged boxes. They do cushion the boxes fairly well inside their larger boxes with what are essentially inflated plastic bags.

[darkagent]

I've only ordered some of the larger sets and every time, the boxes have been crushed. They use the air cushion bags, but not enough to keep the Lego box from moving around in the shipping box.

[Spyder]

I live in the US, and have never had a crushed box. They fill a cardboard box with big plastic air bubbles, and then put the box actually containing the set in between the bubbles. The only issue there might be is the pieces crushing the instructions and sticker sheet, but that happens when you buy sets from the store too, so you can't really get around that problem.

[Destroydacre]

Yes Lego packages their sets pretty well. On the whole the boxes I receive have no/minor damage. I used to work for USPS as a mail handler so trust me when I say sometimes your package is going to get damaged no matter how nicely a box is packaged. When you move the huge volumes of boxes as companies like USPS and UPS etc do, that's just how it goes.

[Shadows]

There are very few areas where I have bad things to say about TLG. US shipping service is one, and if you check the Bricklink forums where you'll find large numbers of sellers (the kind of people who order and need products to arrive undamaged), you'll see that it has been a widespread problem in the past. I haven't ordered in a couple of months and things did seem to be improving as of the last boxes, so one can hope it's been resolved, but it's always been a little bit of a gamble for me.

That said, you can improve your odds by not mixing things. Single items usually arrive fine. Two large sets, especially if they aren't the exact same size, will often result in one with damage from the other one. Lots of small items has always given me some that are seriously crushed (impulse sets are the worst).

As always, your results may vary and it would be good to get a current perspective on the situation, so if you do order, please report back and let us know.

Good luck!

[ProducePrincess]

I live in canada and i have never actually gotten a order with crushed boxes or even slightly damaged . Most of my orders are for a bunch of small sets though so there isn't much weight to the box.

[kenny3011]

Oh thats kind of depressing to know :( Guess Ill try to find it at a local store or maybe try eBay then. Any Aussies that can share their experience with S@H?

[Siegfried]

I've had one decently crushed box in over 10 orders. (Please note that I'm from Australia too.)

No part damage, but one set (I think it was Custom Car Garage) had a split box, the others just minor compression. Since I collect parts not sets or boxes I don't really care, but if you want a pristine box everytime I'd avoid S@H. Most of my orders ended up with at least some minor box damage.

Just to clarify though I've never had damaged parts and I still use S@H; I even did an order today.

[Svelte]

Shadows is right to draw a distinction between North American shipping and 'Rest of World' as these seem to be packed differently. I think that US is worse for shipping sets in ridiculously large boxes with minimal packing so they do end up damaged.

I'm Sydney-based and I've had mixed experiences with shipping, and I place orders quite regularly. I would say that it is much more likely than not that boxes arrive with some damage, ranging in the spectrum from minor box creasing (very common) to complete crushing of sets (uncommon but yes, it's happened to me). 2009 seemed particularly bad for me, with one order missing an item completely, another big order that failed to arrive (although I was eventually refunded) and an expensive order (a Dropship, MMV and KCS) that arrived where the latter 2 box were completely squashed and the first damaged.

If you like MISB, you're better off waiting til it arrives in stores here and picking out a fresh piece for yourself

Shadows makes a good point that the kind of sets you buy can make a difference in the order, but so also does number of sets and type of shipping. Sets warehoused at LEGO's distribution centre come tightly packed in their own factory cardboard boxes, and if you order enough, the distribution centre doesn't usually open these and redistribute. Eg, if you want a MISB 10185 Green Grocer, for example, you're better off buying 2 as that's how many are factory-packed together, and this will probably be put inside the regular (but more delicate) shipping box. Choosing Express shipping is more pricey but within Australia DHL won't dump it through the ordinary Australia Post system (as the courier company does for standard shipping) and is more likely to arrive in better condition.

[Fumoffu]

I had order that arrived in mint condition and orders that arrived crushed. Lego is pretty good with crushed sets tho because when I complaint about the crushed set I was asked to send it back to a local address and they sent me out a replacement set straightaway. The replacement arrived quickly and in mint condition.

[Svelte]

I had order that arrived in mint condition and orders that arrived crushed. Lego is pretty good with crushed sets tho because when I complaint about the crushed set I was asked to send it back to a local address and they sent me out a replacement set straightaway. The replacement arrived quickly and in mint condition.

Does that include S@H Exclusives, I wonder?

I should add LEGO customer service is pretty good and when I've felt annoyed enough to complain about the poor state of the boxes, they have refunded the shipping amount. You're still left with damaged goods but it's something.

[Fumoffu]

Does that include S@H Exclusives, I wonder?

I should add LEGO customer service is pretty good and when I've felt annoyed enough to complain about the poor state of the boxes, they have refunded the shipping amount. You're still left with damaged goods but it's something.

The set that I exchanged was the Green Grocer. I reckon the delivery company dropped something very heavy on it because the set was packed into a much larger box and the set still managed to get crushed badly. I thought I had to take photos and all that or even have to chase the delivery company for a solution but Lego was really good. Didn't ask for photos or anything. Just asked me to complete the return form and send it back. Within 3 weeks I got a replacement set.

Lego has the best customer service of any organisation I dealt with ... and I am not a Lego employee. Just a customer.

[kenny3011]

Thats good to know I can get it exchanged if it gets damaged then :) The set I was ordering was the Tanitve IV which isnt in stores yet

[Svelte]

Thats good to know I can get it exchanged if it gets damaged then :) The set I was ordering was the Tanitve IV which isnt in stores yet

If it's the Tantive, I'd hold out for the July sales or even get it from starwarshop.com

$345 is too much!

[Rick]

S@H here (Netherlands) is fine, but as Svelte pointed out, S@H in the US seems to be having issues. But, next to S@H packaging, I guess it also makes a great difference how the postal services that handle the package along the way (the local branch of DHL in The Netherlands is pretty bad in terms of delivery service, but they seem to handle packages with a little respect at least ).

[kenny3011]

If it's the Tantive, I'd hold out for the July sales or even get it from starwarshop.com

$345 is too much!

Yeh I guess I could hold out until July, any ideas on which store will be carrying it?

[Siegfried]

Yeh I guess I could hold out until July, any ideas on which store will be carrying it?

My bets are on K-Mart.

Choosing Express shipping is more pricey but within Australia DHL won't dump it through the ordinary Australia Post system (as the courier company does for standard shipping) and is more likely to arrive in better condition.

I didn't know that. Even so, for the price they should include a kiss too.

[Svelte]

I didn't know that. Even so, for the price they should include a kiss too.

I haven't yet seen any suitable candidates

[Shadows]

I haven't yet seen any suitable candidates

The one that delivered the white bunny?

[Princess Muttonchops]

In these recessional times, you might have to settle for a firm (not limp-wristed, please!) hand shake.

[Siegfried]

I think adding new meaning to "Packaging from S@H".

[brickzone]

Here in Ireland I've had a number of slightly damaged boxes from shipping, and one more major incidence. It seems pretty usual that the set boxes have quite a bit of space inside the packing box, and the air bubbles don't quite do the job. Also the major incident I had was a whole bunch of small (and reasonably heavy combined weight) sets packed *on top* of a large set. I also had at least one shipping box arrive with holes punched in it.

The shipping to Ireland is DHL with the local post service (An Post) acting as the local partner. At least this ensures the packages get delivered - in my experience other couriers can't really cope with a lack of local information and us not having post codes or standard addresses.