Jenson USA Shipped Tubes Loose in a Plastic Shipping Bag
 

I order four Q-Tubes and two Gatorskins from Jenson USA. This time, instead of Q-Tubes, packed in individual boxes as shown on their website, I received Kendas that were loosely tied around the two tires. This was all placed in a plastic shipping bag that arrived with a cut in it. Where are my boxes?! Is this the new normal? :(

I don't think I've ever gotten tubes that were without a box. But, the boxes are one of the first things to get discarded. I prefer shrink-wrapped tubes (usually inside of boxes).

Some of the mailorder companies purchase products with bulk packaging, so I've gotten bulk packaged chains, for example.

Sounds like OEM tubes. Doesn't excuse poor packaging though.

For instance if I order GP4000s2 tires from Merlin, Wiggle, etc. for $35/tire, I expect them to not have retail packaging. Same goes with their OEM groupset components. You can usually tell based on the price if the item is OEM or retail packaging.

All my tubes have always come in boxes. Heck, until this order, all my tires have come in boxes, too, from every vendor. Can anyone on the forum confirm similar packing recently from Jenson (tires in plastic bags and/or tubes loosely packed without boxes)?

I've bought tubes, panasonic and maxxis, before that came in a bag and not a box. I prefer the box because I can just toss that in my bag and it takes up less space.

You can buy Q-tubes sold in boxes of 50 so so maybe Jensen ran out of the individual boxes of tubes and pulled two from a bulk box. 700 x 18-23mm 32mm PVbox/50 bulk tubes

I might have a few spare boxes I can send your way if you really need them.

I've ordered Vittoria Rubino Pro tires from Leftlane Sports and they came in a ziplock bag. I couldn't care less. The tires were fine.

I think there is the suggestion of a conspiracy here. That isn't required for bike parts to come in plastic bags with no original packaging. It is just the way the discounted parts system works.

Are you saying the tube in a box, takes up less space than a tightly rolled tube without a box?

I don't think that's correct.

Tubes should go in ziploc, tightly rolled and rubber banded. I sprinkle talcum powder in the ziploc prior to sealing.

You're upset because you wanted more trash? I'm confused.

Well first of all, the OP didn't get the tubes he ordered, so right off the bat that's a screw up. Also, if I was buying a bunch of tubes to stock up, I'd be pissed off too if they were just rubber banded and not in an individual box, especially if the product that's shown is in a box. I guess the simple answer is it should say if you will be getting something different than what is shown, or that if they will not come in retail packaging. Especially if you want to resell something at some point. You may want or need the packaging if you want to sell something as "new in box".

I use a wrap of electrical tape, not a rubber band, but otherwise I agree.

You want to resell tubes?

I've always received exactly what I've ordered from Jenson. I've ordered stuff without boxes before at a substantial discounts that come without factory packaging in bags but has always been in the item description before I purchase. Says something like item does not include packaging or has been taken off a new bike, something to that effect. If you received the wrong stuff, just call them up and I'm sure they'll straighten it out. They were probably just getting rid of some dated bulk tubes they had laying around?

The ones that come in bags aren't tightly rolled up, the ones that come in boxes are.

the ones that come in boxes aren't rolled tight enough for me, and still get re-rolled before going into my seat pack.

What tubes come in shrink wrapped packaging?

Mountain Equipment Co-op aka MEC sells tubes in shrink wrap. I no longer buy tubes there because the lasst time i did I bought 3 tubes and 2 were damaged. There's very little protection with the shrink wrap and the shrink wrap can be a bear to get off without damaging the tube.

Cheers

My Conti tubes come tightly wrapped, in a box. The tube fits nice and snug in the seat pouch that I use.

Man, I hope they didn't break bouncing around loose like that.

Oh, I like that; thanks...

Compounding the fact that the tubes were shipped loose, though shown in a box, and were the wrong brand, they also were shipped in a thin plastic pouch sized for the two tires. The tubes were just dangling around the tires. So here's this thin plastic pouch as the only defense between the tubes and UPS handling. That pouch arrived with a nice gash, too. So now I hope the tubes are still intact when I need them. If I inflate them now to check, they'll never fit in my bike bag later.

I mainly wondered if this was the new normal for Jenson, as all my prior tube orders came boxed as show.

I got two 'Q-tubes' from the shop today. That's what the box says, the tube itself says Kenda.