We proudly offer what everyone else on earth has done for years!

[Adragontattoo]

http://promotions.newegg.com/HDD/14...promotions.newegg.com/HDD/14-0788/160x360.jpg

With the new shock-resistant packaging, the hard drive is placed in an engineered inflatable packaging. The unique design of the inflatable packaging keeps a series of adjoining tubes securely inflated to cushion and protect products during shipment. The air tubes are connected via a series of patented one-way valves—if one air chamber is punctured, the others remain inflated. The hard drives are then placed in a hard drive-sized customized shipping box for shipping. This shipping method protects the hard drive from any possible damage during the shipping process.

AKA
Since we finally have noticed a revenue falloff due to lost business to other retailers based on our complete lack of proper packaging and refusal to address it. We have been forced decided to introduce a revolutionary new idea, we will now PROPERLY package bare/OEM drives for shipping!
[SIZE=-2]
*this will require us to again raise our shipping rates another 20%. What? An extra 20% for shipping is PERFECTLY reasonable*[/SIZE]

 

[EarthDog]

I never had a problem with a HDD from there... they have the clamshell thing on the ends...

But hey... cool that they are doing it anyway!

 

[Automata]

This is exactly why I order from Amazon and will continue to do so. A few years back, I received 6 drives in an incredibly tiny box. The padding was the outer drives and at least arrived 2 dead.

I'm also fairly sure that drive manufacturers had a hand in this. I know for a fact that Western Digital was asking where you bought the drive and how it arrived (with pictures), which singled out Newegg.

 

[Adragontattoo]

This is exactly why I order from Amazon and will continue to do so. A few years back, I received 6 drives in an incredibly tiny box. The padding was the outer drives and at least arrived 2 dead.

I'm also fairly sure that drive manufacturers had a hand in this. I know for a fact that Western Digital was asking where you bought the drive and how it arrived (with pictures), which singled out Newegg.

I have no doubt that the manufacturers started playing hardball with Newegg. The majority of folks wont blame the retailer because their new Ultimate-utilinas-100000pb drive died a week later, they will blame the manufacturer. The manufacturer doesnt want bad press especially when it isn't their "faulty equipment" causing it. When you have a large percentage of drives coming back from a single vendor with obvious failures from improper packaging/shipping, it isnt hard to prove who is at fault.

I only bought in bare/OEM drives in bulk from Newegg because I would get the foam drive caddy shrouding the drives instead of some old newsprint and a deflated balloon.

 

[Automata]

I only bought in bare/OEM drives in bulk from Newegg because I would get the foam drive caddy shrouding the drives instead of some old newsprint and a deflated balloon.

Same, but they didn't do that until somewhat recently (2009/2010 ish). Even then, it still had questionable packaging.

 

[freakdiablo]

Well that's a change. I still don't forgive them for the way they shipped my NAS drives. 5 drives in nothing but basic clamshells, tossed in the same box as most of the other components, which included the UPS. No real padding, there was maybe one small piece of paper balled up at the bottom. The UPS was obviously slamming around like a wrecking ball, since several boxes were dented, with nothing on the outer box that indicated a large hit from the outside.

 

[Automata]

Well that's a change. I still don't forgive them for the way they shipped my NAS drives. 5 drives in nothing but basic clamshells, tossed in the same box as most of the other components, which included the UPS. No real padding, there was maybe one small piece of paper balled up at the bottom. The UPS was obviously slamming around like a wrecking ball, since several boxes were dented, with nothing on the outer box that indicated a large hit from the outside.

That is amazing.

 

[freakdiablo]

That is amazing.

Yeah, I think I even have a thread around here about it somewhere. Luckily Newegg owned up to the mistake and agreed to take the drives back (having pics always helps ). The WD drive I got for Christmas did have the bubble wrap life jacket, however. I'll still place drives in a separate order from everything else though (and even then, only if they're the cheapest by far)...