With absolutely no warning to customers, and just in time for gift-giving season, Amazon has given a massive gift to porch pirates: shipping items in see-through packaging. Of course, even if your neighborhood isn’t plagued by porch pirates, this still presents another problem: people for whom you are purchasing gifts, or to whom you are sending gifts directly from Amazon, can see exactly what you are giving them. Here are two ways, neither of them without their downsides, to make sure that your gift recipients won’t know what’s inside, and that those porch pirates (i.e. people who steal deliveries that have been delivered outside such as on to the porch) won’t be further enticed.
Real Item Delivered from Amazon in See-Through Packaging
Nowhere in either the product listing or the shopping cart does it say that the item is shipped in a clear plastic mailer, revealing its contents.
What’s worse, there is no indication on either the sales page (i.e. the product page) or in your cart that the item ships in clear packaging.
The Internet Patrol is completely free, and reader-supported. Your tips via CashApp, Venmo, or Paypal are appreciated! Receipts will come from ISIPP.
CashApp us
Venmo us
Paypal us
How to Avoid Having Your Item Shipped in See-Through Packaging
As we mentioned, there are two ways to get around this:
1. Pay for Amazon’s gift wrapping (gift bagging) service
Your first option is to choose the “this is a gift” option and pay Amazon to put your purchase in a gift bag (not great for your pocket, but great for Amazon’s bottom line). We really do have to wonder whether this is in part a money play on Amazon’s part. “Don’t want us to reveal what you’re getting for Uncle Fred for Christmas? Pay us to cloak it in a gift bag.”
2. Choose ‘Ship in Amazon Packaging’ at Checkout
Not until you get to the checkout page are you notified that your item will be shipped in see-through packaging and, in fact, sometimes not even then (read on).
If you’re lucky, you will see this wording next to your item just as you are about to finalize your purchase:
Items arrive in packaging that shows what’s inside. To hide it choose ‘Ship in Amazon packaging’
When you click on the ‘Ship in Amazon packaging’ button you are presented with a pop-up that explains:
Some items in your order will ship in their own box and will be visible when delivered. To cover this package for free, choose “Ship in Amazon packaging” for each item listed below.
Below will be a list of items that ship in packaging that shows what’s inside, with a checkbox next to each one. If you are offered and choose this option, it results in Amazon taking the whole package and sticking it in another box (not great for the environment, but what does Amazon care?).
Check the checkbox next to the item that you want to have dropped into an extra box and hit ‘save’.
Now when you look at your listing in your checkout area it should say “Ship in Amazon packaging selected”.
WARNING! Sometimes the “Item arrives in packaging that shows what’s inside” warning isn’t there!
This happened to us when we went back to remove something else from our cart; when we went back to the checkout page the “Some items in your order will ship in their own box and will be visible when delivered” warning had disappeared.
All in all, we think this was a pretty poor thing to do, right around gift giving time, and with no warning. Don’t you agree?
The Internet Patrol is completely free, and reader-supported. Your tips via CashApp, Venmo, or Paypal are appreciated! Receipts will come from ISIPP.
CashApp us
Venmo us
Paypal us
