Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

I'd like to gather some opinions on packaging from both Gamers and Retailers. When dealing with buying and/or stocking miniatures, which packing annoys you the least? Please comment with your preferences, and why.

Really, I've only bought from GW, and I do enjoy their packaging.

Packaging is always going to be a difficult one for miniature companies to get right. You need the balance between making sure the contents stays safe and in a saleable condition without destroying the environment and you profit margins (packaging is normaly the biggest expense for most retailers)

For me GW aren't too bad, they use up all the space possible on their sprues, plastic packaging (box insterts) are kept as thin as possible with out loosing rigidity, the boxes themselves are recyclable being cardboard, and the shrink wrap to keep the boxes undamaged is as thin as you would want to go. The same can be said for their blisters. GW also offer ways of using up excess packaging for making terrain. Clipping down sprues for rubble and using bliter fronts and box inserts for windows or other building features.

I still think more could be done though. Whilst it may not look very nice I would rather the box inserts were made from recycled card board, a bit like the packaging you get in mobile phone boxes.

My pet hate with packaging is vac formed plastic, the sort of stuff GW use for their tools, I am sure there are alternatives. I find this stuff difficult to open and impossible to recycle (with ease). I would rather they put their tools in card boxes or blisters.

I would prefer the one with the least amount of plastic and wasted space.

The GW packaging is generally fine. The biggest improvement I could think off would be removing the parts from the sprue before packaging.

It's not the models that take up all the packaging, it's the fact that they're attached to a rather larger plastic sprue...

I never really liked GW's old "Small boxes" with the styrofoam insert. They seemed to have a lot of bent metals in them.

Do they even sell anything in these anymore?