flood Posted April 5, 2012 Share Posted April 5, 2012 I've been on a huge kick of buying UK releases.. alot of the cool ska/punk/hip-hop/dub hybrid bands that are going on over there, as well as a bunch of Frank Turner stuff.... everything comes in a crappy cardstock mailer (thats usually taped to shit so you can't open it without a razor blade.. or in a padded mailer.. what the fuck guys.. shell out the extra 40 cents for a real mailer please? i'm paying like $20 for a LP, and then another $15-20 for postage.. can we stop the bullshit? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
One Hundred Fifty-Two Posted April 5, 2012 Share Posted April 5, 2012 why Edit: Mailers from the UK are always funky. Either they are designed so that they can't be flipped inside out and reused or they are super thin. If any UK people can give the names of US distros/labels doing this I'd like to know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
salaho Posted April 5, 2012 Share Posted April 5, 2012 I could use exactly the same quote over here in UK to many a US distro as well, these things work both ways, so don't tarnish us all with the same brush!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soundofsulfur Posted April 5, 2012 Share Posted April 5, 2012 I've got a few records from that region and the cardboard is always super thin on the mailers. I think it's just the standard they have there, their cardboard isn't as thick and durable as most I've seen in the US. Regardless of reason, it still sucks to pay out the butt for a record + shipping and for it to arrive in minimal packing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ticotico Posted April 5, 2012 Share Posted April 5, 2012 i got a record that was basically in a plastic bag from the uk. record was fine though. i was worried to even open it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benjo09 Posted April 5, 2012 Share Posted April 5, 2012 I can understand for international shipping but inside the UK I've never had a problem with the thin mailers as long as theres some card inserts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanRees Posted April 5, 2012 Share Posted April 5, 2012 One of the few things ive ordered from xtra mile was the frank turner/jon snodgrass buddies split and the seem was split to shit and came in a crappy mailer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peanutuk Posted April 5, 2012 Share Posted April 5, 2012 Come on guys its not just UK distros, I've had shitty mailers from UK, USA, Canada, Europe etc etc so its a global problem ..... I do agree with you on one thing....Xtra Mile are shit, not only do they send stuff out in shit mailers the guy doesn't respond to e-mails either, waste of space! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trifornais Posted April 6, 2012 Share Posted April 6, 2012 While I agree that most records arrive in shitty mailers I've had absolutely no damaged records from the UK whereas I've had PLENTY of over-protected records from the US with splits, bends, dings, tears etc etc. Just count yourself lucky that your postal services HAVE record mailers. Here in Australia you have to re-use or create your own. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanRees Posted April 6, 2012 Share Posted April 6, 2012 Come on guys its not just UK distros, I've had shitty mailers from UK, USA, Canada, Europe etc etc so its a global problem .....I do agree with you on one thing....Xtra Mile are shit, not only do they send stuff out in shit mailers the guy doesn't respond to e-mails either, waste of space! Ill disagree with the second part. They seemed very sorry and wanted to help, i just didnt wanna go through the hassle of getting a replacement jacket from them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moonbeams Posted April 6, 2012 Share Posted April 6, 2012 Each country has it's own mailers. UK mailers are as sturdy as the cardboard of a roll of toilet paper. Maybe their postal system is careful not to damage items. US mailers a thick, but tend to get serious dinks in international mail. Not well designed. German mailers are heavy-duty sturdy, but a pain to open. Japanese mailers are perfect and well designed so that corner damage is impossible: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capsized Posted April 6, 2012 Share Posted April 6, 2012 Received only a few times from the UK but really the majority was in a papermailer. Opposed to countless properly packaged orders from the US or Germany. What's especially wondering me is that the places that used the papermailer where online record stores or labels, not private sellers. You'd really expect better judgment from people who send records for a living. Since then I simply avoid ordering from the UK if possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimmyg Posted April 6, 2012 Share Posted April 6, 2012 As long as there's some cardboard inserts they always arrive tip top to me. Although I wouldn't really care if it had a corner ding, record still plays. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nothingnatural Posted April 7, 2012 Share Posted April 7, 2012 Each country has it's own mailers. UK mailers are as sturdy as the cardboard of a roll of toilet paper. Maybe their postal system is careful not to damage items.US mailers a thick, but tend to get serious dinks in international mail. Not well designed. German mailers are heavy-duty sturdy, but a pain to open. Japanese mailers are perfect and well designed so that corner damage is impossible: Hahaha, awesome. Everything made in Japan always seems to be 100% top notch. I would live in Japan if I could. I've ordered a ton of items from the UK over the years and every single record has arrived in one of those thin card stock envelopes. I once had a test pressing come in one with no added protection but it thankfully arrived with no damage. I just always ask the seller to add a piece of cardboard to each side and that works for me. A UK seller once told me that the standard mailers we use in the US aren't readily available out there and the it costs a ton to have a bunch shipped to the UK. Haha, I've had a fair amount of records shipped in a goddamn bubble mailer from US sellers so at least that hasn't happened with any of my UK purchases. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trifornais Posted April 7, 2012 Share Posted April 7, 2012 A UK seller once told me that the standard mailers we use in the US aren't readily available out there and the it costs a ton to have a bunch shipped to the UK. This is the case in Australia too. Costs $50 (postage alone) to get 25 12" mailers shipped here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timpopkid Posted April 7, 2012 Share Posted April 7, 2012 It's not England exclusively, it's all of Europe. I'm not saying I never get crummy mailers from America and I'm not saying I never get good mailers from Europe, but I absolutely agree that the vast majority of the records I buy from Europe are shipped out in the flimsy mailers that Flood is talking about. Step up Europe! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hipsterasfolk Posted April 7, 2012 Share Posted April 7, 2012 Maybe the Brits enjoy their sleeves being as jacked as their teeth? Just a thought Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moonbeams Posted April 7, 2012 Share Posted April 7, 2012 Each country has it's own mailers. UK mailers are as sturdy as the cardboard of a roll of toilet paper. Maybe their postal system is careful not to damage items.US mailers a thick, but tend to get serious dinks in international mail. Not well designed. German mailers are heavy-duty sturdy, but a pain to open. Japanese mailers are perfect and well designed so that corner damage is impossible: Hahaha, awesome. Everything made in Japan always seems to be 100% top notch. I would live in Japan if I could. I've ordered a ton of items from the UK over the years and every single record has arrived in one of those thin card stock envelopes. I once had a test pressing come in one with no added protection but it thankfully arrived with no damage. I just always ask the seller to add a piece of cardboard to each side and that works for me. A UK seller once told me that the standard mailers we use in the US aren't readily available out there and the it costs a ton to have a bunch shipped to the UK. Haha, I've had a fair amount of records shipped in a goddamn bubble mailer from US sellers so at least that hasn't happened with any of my UK purchases. To be fair, not all Japanese mailers are like this. The ones I use are designed to protect from corner damage. There are flaps that would absorb shock if the package is tossed, thrown or dropped. However, they are custom made by the dealer. I do wonder why other manufacturers do not copy the design. Most of my US orders arrive with crumpled corners due to poor design. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robotnetwork Posted April 7, 2012 Share Posted April 7, 2012 I believe they have a size/weight pricing system similar to Canada Post: A record + 1 cardboard piece + packaging box = 480 grams approx = $18 air to Europe A record + 2 cardboard pieces + packaging box = 530 grams approx = $36 air to Europe Anything over 500 grams DOUBLES the shipping price. Same thing for the USA, instead it jumps from about $10 air to $15.50 air. You can see how a lighter/cheaper box would help to save on shipping. Depending on the exact weight of the record & sleeve, it may be just under by a few grams or just over by a few grams... essentially the weight of a coin. It sucks to have such a jump in shipping prices for such a minimal weight difference. I have been tempted to use these cheap/thin mailers to help save on shipping and encourage sales, but I feel that is too much like rolling the dice and hoping for the best when it could have been packaged properly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
celebdeath Posted April 8, 2012 Share Posted April 8, 2012 i lived in the UK for a decade or so and the only way i could get good mailers was to recycle the ones i received from the States. and i'm not sure why people are saying German mailers are good either - every single record i've bought from Germany (inc France, Italy and Spain for that matter) has come in those flimsy as fuck fold over mailers. fair enough, they're not as bad as the UK envelopes, but aren't much chop in themselves. the cardboard is certainly never very sturdy. the stiffener thing helps protect the record but once you add that to the weight of the paper thin mailers, the packaging ends up being very similar weight to the US mailers. so the weight vs cost argument really only works when those paper thin fuckers do NOT have a stiffener inside...and yr record arrives knackered. robotnetwork is correct with the pricing for situation for Australia too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stickler Posted April 8, 2012 Share Posted April 8, 2012 Maybe the Brits enjoy their sleeves being as jacked as their teeth?Just a thought Maybe they are thicker/larger in the US to match the waist line over there? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
somewhereintime Posted April 8, 2012 Share Posted April 8, 2012 As long as the record/sleeve arrive in good condition it surely don't make any difference? You can get thicker mailers here, but then the price of the post will go up to cover the expense of better packing, also the extra weight and then even moreso at the end of april when postage actually goes up. That bitch who fucked up Canada Post is now in charge of the Royal Mail here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hipsterasfolk Posted April 8, 2012 Share Posted April 8, 2012 Maybe the Brits enjoy their sleeves being as jacked as their teeth?Just a thought Maybe they are thicker/larger in the US to match the waist line over there? Probably, Americans do love that there McDonalds! ALE SVERIGE!!!! Du kuksugare!! :-* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
astonbosstuneage Posted April 17, 2012 Share Posted April 17, 2012 Saying that everyone in the UK/Europe doesn't know how to pack a record for posting is like saying that all americans are protectionist hillbillies with an IQ of a McHappy Meal !! :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hobbledehoy Posted April 17, 2012 Share Posted April 17, 2012 While I agree that most records arrive in shitty mailers I've had absolutely no damaged records from the UK whereas I've had PLENTY of over-protected records from the US with splits, bends, dings, tears etc etc.Just count yourself lucky that your postal services HAVE record mailers. Here in Australia you have to re-use or create your own. There's supposedly only one manufacturer in Australia for the LP mailers, everyone else imports them. Even the manufacturer is freakin expensive. Costs about $1.60 each and that's ordering 300x of them. If I get 500x at a time I can get them for about $1.10 after shipping. BOOOOO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.