A word on Newegg's Hard Drive Packaging:

[CurseTheSky]

Good.

No, seriously. I can't speak for all of their practices, and I've received some very inadequately packed hard drives in the past, but my past few HDD orders from them have come excellently packaged.

The most recent one, a 320 GB Western Digital laptop drive, came in a small Newegg box stuffed to the brim with packing peanuts. Around the hard drive itself was a double-layered sheet of bubble wrap, which was then stuffed tightly into thick a foldable cardboard sleeve (open on each end).

Overall, this was the best hard drive packaging I've seen from any company yet. Here's to hoping Newegg has taken their customers' complaints seriously and turned their HDD packaging around as a whole.

 

[tcsenter]

This is actually consistent with the way of packaging that most people are complaining about. The drive can "settle" to the bottom through the peanuts, where presumably, someone could sharply whack the box with a hammer right where the drive has settled and cause it to be damaged.

 

[corkyg]

The best HDD packing I have seen is Zip Zoom Fly (ZZF.) The drive, in a static proof bag is safely nestled in a foam carrier. This in turn is bubble wrapped to be tight in the shipping box. No peanuts - they suck!

 

[beat mania]

Newegg shipped the OEM Hitachi drive I bought 3 weeks ago in a WD box with those plastic end caps that suspends the drive in the middle, all of this in a box of peanuts.

The one before that ... it was a ball of bubblewrap rolling in a sea of peanuts.

They just need to fire the packing guy that doesn't give a damn ...

 

[jjmIII]

Newegg is hit-or-miss. Some arrive well packed, and some just sitting on the botton of the box with no packing.

A simple company meeting for the wharehouse employees, and company hdd packing guidelines, would put an end to this.

 

[Elixer]

Newegg is hit-or-miss. Some arrive well packed, and some just sitting on the botton of the box with no packing.

A simple company meeting for the wharehouse employees, and company hdd packing guidelines, would put an end to this.

You can say that again., it also depends on the warehouse it is coming from.

I had a few HDs it just bubblewrap, no other padding, a few others with bubblewrap and brown paper (only on 1 side), a few in a white box and paper wadding on 1 side, and the score is, 4 DOAs--and 1 back to back DOA, 7 "OK".

ZZF has that nice foam package, but I guess ZZF is pretty much dead now.
Dell was a box within a box with some foam around it.
Amazon--What the heck, NO padding at all, a HD in a box, and shipped. I returned it without even testing it. I could hear it rattle.
Cheifvalue == newegg.

 

[corkyg]

ZZF has that nice foam package, but I guess ZZF is pretty much dead now.

Why do you say that? I shop them more than the Egg these days.

 

[Elixer]

Why do you say that? I shop them more than the Egg these days.

I thought this was known ?

http://www.bbb.org/greater-san-fran...s-and-parts/zipzoomflycom-in-newark-ca-26523#
Their BBB Accreditation was revoked on 01/05/2011
Other names they use:
Xtraplus Corporation
Artec-Ultima Interations
Google Gear Corporation
Wrapables.com

I wouldn't do any business with these guys anymore, just not worth the risk until they either get bought out by someone else, or new management.
They are very close to going belly up.

 

[Minerva]

Newegg's HDD packaging is for the dogs. Put it this way if I returned a disk to the manufacturer for replacement (RMA) and packed it the way Newegg does it would get returned, warranty voided!

So it should come as no surprise when high numbers of these drives fail or have high numbers of reallocated sectors in SMART, etc.

I agree ZZF packs them well. The best was computergiants but they went belly up.

If you buy a lot of drives often they will just leave them in the boxes with the pink static resist foam around them in either static bags or clamshells. Newegg has sent me drives that way when I ordered several dozen at once back in the day.

 

[VirtualLarry]

ZZF has that nice foam package, but I guess ZZF is pretty much dead now.
Dell was a box within a box with some foam around it.
Amazon--What the heck, NO padding at all, a HD in a box, and shipped. I returned it without even testing it. I could hear it rattle.
Cheifvalue == newegg.

You forgot Frys.com. Shipped four WD green 1TB drives, in a single padded bubble mailer. Two drives stacked on top of each other, two wide. Like 1/8" bubbles, that were mostly popped by the time the drives arrived in my hand.

Amazingly, only one was outright DOA. I attribute that to the fact that these are ramp-load drives, and can withstand greater non-operating shock than older drives. The drive casings got scratches in them too.

PS. Why do you say ZZF is dead?

 

[Quiksilver]

I thought this was known ?

http://www.bbb.org/greater-san-fran...s-and-parts/zipzoomflycom-in-newark-ca-26523#
Their BBB Accreditation was revoked on 01/05/2011
Other names they use:
Xtraplus Corporation
Artec-Ultima Interations
Google Gear Corporation
Wrapables.com

I wouldn't do any business with these guys anymore, just not worth the risk until they either get bought out by someone else, or new management.
They are very close to going belly up.

revoked != expired.

 

[tcsenter]

SuperBiiz (eWiz) always packs things up really well, too. Every time I order from them, they always use specially designed holders or boxes for the OEM/bulk parts. e.g. plastic module cases for memory modules, clam shells for hard drives or processors. etc.

They will often split an order into two or more boxes that are either packed inside the other or strapped together using heavy duty plastic straps, rather than try to cram everything into the same box.

 

[Elixer]

revoked != expired.

Ok, but they are still on the verge of going belly up it seems.

http://www.resellerratings.com/store/ZipZoomFly
http://www.fatwallet.com/forums/deal-discussion/1062123/

 

[mnemonic]

Packaging has always been fine on the drives I've bought from them.

 

[Cstefan]

I got a pair of 2 tb drives today and they were extremely well packed, bubble wrap, small boxes, nested in a lot of packing paper.

 

[bradley]

Ok, but they are still on the verge of going belly up it seems.

http://www.resellerratings.com/store/ZipZoomFly
http://www.fatwallet.com/forums/deal-discussion/1062123/

Really sad. Thanks, I really appreciate the information.

 

[Ken90630]

Strange reading that stuff about ZZF. I haven't had a reason to deal with them in the last year or so, but I used to and never had a problem. All of the complaints on those sites linked above seem to be about not-honored rebates and non-existent customer service, neither of which would be acceptable. I wonder if they're going the way of Monarch Computer Systems a few years ago. You guys remember those crooks? Cheated me out of about $300 until my credit card company put the hammer down on them.

 

[aceO07]

I got 2 drives from NewEgg last week. It was packaged pretty well. Drive was cased on plastic clam shell, then bubble wrapped and stuffed inside it's own cardboard box. Both were in a packing box with paper as a packing material.

 

[SparkyJJO]

I've never had an issue with Newegg drive packing. Always had the drive well protected in layers of bubble wrap and never had one damaged.

 

[taltamir]

"Inconsistent" is a better one word description of their packaging. Sometimes its really good, sometimes really bad.

 

[repoman0]

Strange reading that stuff about ZZF. I haven't had a reason to deal with them in the last year or so, but I used to and never had a problem. All of the complaints on those sites linked above seem to be about not-honored rebates and non-existent customer service, neither of which would be acceptable. I wonder if they're going the way of Monarch Computer Systems a few years ago. You guys remember those crooks? Cheated me out of about $300 until my credit card company put the hammer down on them.

Strange reading that about Monarch too. I used to buy their $270 Opteron 165s (which were typically a bit above $300 at the time I believe), test them for OC, and start ebay auctions at $.01 - almost every time, if the OC test was good, people would bid it up to ~$330.

 

[corkyg]

That is sad about ZZF. I had 4 orders in 2008, 3 in 2009, 2 in 2010, and never had a problem with any of them. Appreciate the warning - will change vendors. The Egg is OK, but they don't always have what I want.

 

[Gheris]

That is sad about ZZF. I had 4 orders in 2008, 3 in 2009, 2 in 2010, and never had a problem with any of them. Appreciate the warning - will change vendors. The Egg is OK, but they don't always have what I want.

I was an avid user of ZZF in the past. However I stayed away once I realized most things were not in stock. How can you be an e-tailer and have so many items out of stock? Left it pretty their. In the past they were great to me, no taxes on purchased goods(NJ) and free shipping. Now they are a shadow of their former selves.

On another note I just ordered an HD from Newegg the other day for a friend. I will comment on the packaging once I recieve it.

 

[pugh]

Strange reading that about Monarch too. I used to buy their $270 Opteron 165s (which were typically a bit above $300 at the time I believe), test them for OC, and start ebay auctions at $.01 - almost every time, if the OC test was good, people would bid it up to ~$330.

I remember Monarch. Man that was a mess at the end for people and them. While I did buy several drives between 07-09 from the egg, I more apprehensive after reading the posts at [H]ard.

I since just buy drives from MC which is 18 mins away. I bought a drive last year from tem and it showed bad signs from the jump after testing it. Took it right back and exchanged it no questions asked. I liked not having to ship it back too.

I will still buy a lot of my items from the Egg, but you can't beat having MC so close with great prices.

 

[jjmIII]

but you can't beat having MC so close with great prices.

No need to rub it in...