How Not to Package Books

I purchase many bulk lots of books that are not described well by the sellers and are priced too low.  The books tend to arrive in packages that were not prepared well.  In short, the sellers make mistakes through most steps of the transaction.  Understand that I bring these experiences upon myself due to the types of lots I purchase. 

The packages shown here were not packed well, but the books were not damaged, at least not as far as I could tell.  In each case, my thought was, "These books deserved better."

The photos depict what I saw as soon as I opened each package.  The only packing material contained in any of the packages is what can be seen in the photos, except for possibly a packing slip or piece of paper placed on the top of the books.

 

The above package is strange, because the seller is a professional who has complained on the eBay message boards about other sellers' slipshod packaging.  The package was only half full of packing peanuts.  While some of the peanuts could possibly have escaped the package since the flaps were not taped down all the way across, I am of the opinion that the package was not filled adequately with peanuts.

This next package contained many early and first picture cover printings of Nancy Drew books.

The above package contained very nice condition Trixie Belden softcover books.  When I picked up the unopened package, I felt the books sliding from one end of the package to the other.  Whenever I receive packages that have books sliding around, I am compelled to turn the package over several times to feel the books shifting around, even though I know damage could occur.  I can't help myself.

These next two packages made me cringe.

 

 

It's a bit surprising that the books in the next package were stacked neatly, considering the lack of packaging materials.

This next photo shows nice early Nancy Drew picture covers crammed in tight, but the photo does not show the entire story.

Check out the following photo of the same package.

The Mystery of the 99 Steps and The Ghost of Blackwood Hall did not technically fit in the package, but the seller placed them on top anyway and then placed the lid on top of the box. 

These stories all ended well, but they could have easily ended up resulting in damaged books.  Here are links to two past posts featuring a couple of epic damaged packages.

A Box of Hardy Boys Books

More Package Troubles