It seems like over the last year or so, Amazon has made the calculation that they can save 10 cents on not packing things properly, and only 0.1% of customers will be bothered enough to return the item*.
For many basic consumer goods, like a new spatula or something, it doesn’t matter. But when I’m spending $40, $60, $70 on a nice hobby RPG book or a board game, it sucks to have it arrive with all the corners smashed in.
So I finally ordered my most recent core rulebook from a random FLGS in another state. And… it arrived beautifully packed and without damage!
This may not be an earth-shattering revelation for many people; however, it sure felt good to me to take a small stand. :-D
Incidentally, I spent ~$7 more overall on the purchase. But for me it was totally worth it.
* made-up numbers; I don’t know the actual ones
Agreed - avoid Amazon if you can.