Tiny packages in huge boxes...

Totally unrelated to the issue at hand, but I had purchased several DVDs from Amazon many years ago and when they use to ship everything UPS or DHL (or something like that)  Whenever I ordered 3 or more, I always got my shipment, but whenever I ordered two or less, I did not get them. After about the third time this happened to me, Amazon apparently worked with the Shipping company to track the package very closely along with several others in the area. The end result, I am not sure if it was mine in particular, but they busted a ring at the local distribution center for stealing CD and DVD padded envelopes and selling the product at local flea markets. The difference in the orders.. two or less was in an envelope. Three or more was in a box. (Apparently the workers involved were stuffing the DVD and CD envelopes into their pants during their shifts in the sorting room.) After that, no matter how few I order, it arrived in a box about the size of a shoe box. Amazon recently started sending some stuff USPS... no tracking on the Priority mail, but it always arrives eventually. They again use the envelope when sending here if using USPS, but still use the Box if coming UPS.

I will add that I know several people that work for various shipping companies and what these guys did is rare. Apparently the only way they got away with it was they always only did it when they worked together, which was not often enough to raise any alarms earlier.. I suspect that they also got bolder as time went on, but from what I understand, it was very hard to do unless they all were involved.

ratscloset
aka John