No Cutting Corners on this Packaging
In some markets, the new edition of Terraforming Mars was shipped with plastic corner protectors. While this isn’t unheard of, it’s also not the norm.
Let’s talk about it.
Photo Credit Joel Marrinan
The cheapest way to put on corner protectors would be at the manufacturer. For a 2,500 unit run it would run about $0.02 per game (thank you GameLand for the awesome customer service and quick quote).
However, you’d run into a few issues, first you would probably need the protectors inside the shrink wrap (if you handled unit packaging at the manufacturer you are wasting a lot of freight space). Putting the protectors inside the shrink wrap does a couple of things:
It abuts them directly against the box - potentially causing damage and;
You would need a separate retail print run without the protectors, and handle the print runs as separate products, GTIN codes, etc. In short, a headache.
What Fryx Games did, and which seems more logistically feasible, is to have the corner protectors added by their fulfilment provider. I haven’t queried fulfilment companies on the cost, but it would mostly be in labor (I would wild guesstimate $0.08-$0.20 a game) (update: fulfillment companies often charge $0.25-$0.50 per pick-n-pack item, so rates may be higher than my initial guesstimate).
I think it is an easy trap to fall into to think that more is better on packaging, game components, etc. While a couple of nickels a game isn’t substantial on its own, costs do add up, plastic waste accumulates, kilograms shipped tips higher. We should only consider a solution if there is an actual problem to solve.
“Keeper of the Forbidden Wilds” from Spirit Island here to remind us to be conscious of our environmental impact
The first potential benefit is to reduce transit damage. I have heard reported damage rates ranging from 1 in 400 units up to 1 in 250 units. If we assume a replacement cost to the publisher of ~$25 ($10 landed + $15 shipping and handling), then you are looking at about $0.06-$0.10 per game. So, from a purely economic perspective, even if the corner protectors prevent 100% of shipping damage, they are still a money losing proposition.
Of course, some (maybe a lot) of minor damage goes unreported to the publisher. Even if economically corner protectors don’t make sense, giving our customers a great experience with pristine boxes might be worth it.
That said, it is unclear whether corner protectors are effective, or are more effective than just using an appropriate amount of bubble wrap. I could see scenarios where the corner protectors divot boxes, and there is plenty of damage not on box corners.
Actual shipping damage on my Arkham Horror: The Card Game box (it barely escaped an eldritch god on its way here)
There is of course one other big intangible. The premium feel of good packaging, and attention to detail.
It is hard to quantify this feeling, but I could definitely see this being a draw for big box, premium component games. That said, this premium feeling only holds if this type of packaging is unusual and actually feels premium.
Instead of plastic corner protectors, cardboard caps may be a more environmentally friendly alternative (and cheaper). These lose the intangible benefit of a premium feel, but could have some benefit to protect box corners (again, I am not sure how large a benefit).
While there is some food for thought here my gut is that plastic corner protectors are not worth it unless you are really going for a premium feel with a big-box-special product. I doubt that they make sense in materially reducing rates of damage, and the drawbacks of potentially actually damaging boxes (with divots) and my personal default to being conscious of our environmental and waste impact.
If minor corner damage and wear is a real problem despite using reliable fulfilment partners, then cardboard corner protectors might make sense – not to add a premium feel, but just so that there are fewer nicked corners going out the door.
Is corner damage (in shipping) a problem that you have experienced? What solutions have you seen work?
