Headset packaging (lack of) should I be miffed?

It wouldn’t bother me, unless it was Chris king or similar. So in my eyes, yes.

Wouldn't bother me either. No different to a lot of nicer ones I've bought in the past.

Depends how much of a % of rrp you paid for it.

Pretty standard imo, lots of companies are trying to reduce packaging and I don't think I've ever received instructions with a headset.

wouldn't bother me at all.  Less packaging to throw away.  Less packaging is good

Wouldn't bother me unless it was an expensive one, Cheap one I wouldn't care. That said, I've had brand X headsets that cost a fiver before, and they came in a box!!

You are pissed you didn't get the bit you rip up and shove in the bin?

(fwiw I don't think I ever received a headset with instructions)

the less packaging the better

How much of an instruction sheet are you needing for a headset?

And what were you going to do with the box after you took the headset out of it?

Not totally clear cut for me. Definitely less packaging is better if it's going straight in the bin but sometimes the contents do need protecting. A headset should be ok but sticking it in an envelope with a sharp steel star nut could cause issues. I recently bought a seatpost shim. Very thin cylinder of aluminium, and it was sent in a jiffy bag, no other packaging. It arrived very squashed and mangled.

Don't care about paper instructions. They can be downloaded if needed.

Think my chris king headsets only came in a bag with a piece of card. The cane creek ones came in a flimsy box that went straight in the bin. Not much comes with instructions nowadays as it's all online. Any specific reason you wanted the box?

It wouldn’t bother me if all is well with the product.  I just throw packaging in the recycling anyway.  If the price is below rrp then it is to be expected. I bought a GX rear mech at quite a good price and it came in a plain brown cardboard box without the b screw tool.  Pay full price and you get the fancy shiny SRAM box with the tool… and you then wonder what to do with such a lovely box that you don’t actually need.

Am I being unreasonable, after all a small cardboard box and instruction sheet probably doesn’t count for much

What do you expect the box to do, and do you really need instructions for a headset?

I'm struggling here. Are you looking for something to be annoyed about?

I mean, lifes too short for crap you could otherwise let go isn't it?

Maybe a lifetime of holding onto stuff like this is whats caused your problems?

Jesus Christ......if I don't hear back I'll leave a trust pilot review..what a bundle of joy you must be

The box is going to help the resale value right?

It wouldn’t bother me, unless it was Chris king or similar.

Chis King have done away with boxes and any other additional packaging. One piece of cardboard that the various parts of the headset are attached to/through using themselves as the fixture. As minimal as possible.

It wouldn’t bother me, unless it was Chris king or similar.

Chis King have done away with boxes and any other additional packaging. One piece of cardboard that the various parts of the headset are attached to/through using themselves as the fixture. As minimal as possible.

@PJay, what brand is the headset? They’ll be plenty of people on this forum that’ll know what the standard shop/aftermarket packaging is for that particular headset. Some can be just top/bottom parts with no packaging at all… so the shop can pick the right top/bottom combo for your bike and fit it for you… or pop in a Jiffy bag for a distance customer.

Minute violins at the ready in tune to cry me a river.

i wouldn’t worry too much. the only way to guarantee retail packaging is to buy from an “off line” retailer. 

as for instructions, the internet will help you out. fitting a headset, and removing an old one, needs a few specific tools. workarounds exist if you don’t have the correct tools. again, the internet will help. 

if you aren’t happy with your purchase you can always return it for a refund. 

Having read this second after the BBC article on the shootings in Belgium and rocket attacks in Gaza I'd suggest maybe getting a grip

I guess if it’s rattling around the parts could easily scratch each other. If they are fine then I wouldn’t complain, the shop is probably doing it’s best keeping people in jobs etc. don’t leave a bad review.

Amazed nobody's checked that they included the crown race

I guess you shouldn't be miffed then, OP?

Oh well, that's me told then 😀 clearly I'm overreacting.

It's an FSA Orbit ITA (upper & lower cups sold together), so no, not a Chris King, but still a £50 order. Previous FSAs I've bought have all been boxed.

To be honest, the lack of packaging per se isn't the problem, it's more the lack of protection. There are a lot of metal parts jangling together in a plastic bag and I'd have thought that the scope for scratching/chipping was significant once said flimsy package was delivered into the delicate hands of the Royal Mail (the lower cup is external and black and I wouldn't have wanted it scratched).

It doesn't strike me as unreasonably to think that if you're going to post a headset this way, you might just tape the upper and lower cup assemblies in a bit of bubble wrap for protection; likewise the expander plug before you chuck it in with the rest.

Sure, instructions aren't essential, but again, I'm used to getting them. I find it quite handy to have them to hand just to double check everything's gone together in the right order/orientation.

Anyway, it seems to have survived so I'll leave it at that.

Hard items like this I couldn't care less. But I buy clock parts on ebay which have thin metal hands and they get sent from China in nothing but a grey post bag, no protection whatsoever, not even a bit of card. Loads arrive bent. Tossers.

(the lower cup is external and black and I wouldn’t have wanted it scratched)

It's an MTB mate.... it's going to get scratched, today, next week, whenever... you have to just accept it 🙂

Anyway, it seems to have survived so I’ll leave it at that.

I would send it back. Tell them that it's not damaged, but it might have been. Make sure you package it carefully so they learn a lesson and hopefully no-one else will have to go through this sort of traumatic experience 🙂

Notice that the OP has concluded this thread but I just thought I would add my two penn'orth. This last couple of weeks I have ordered some very expensive replacement straps for wrist watches from a prestigious company's London branch. Couriered for next day signed delivery. The first two arrived via UPS in a Jiffy bag , upon opening there were two branded boxes each in it's own branded cardboard sleeve, the boxes each contained one strap in it's own plastic sleeve encased in a foam shaper each with it's own card showing a Q code to access fitting instructions. Very posh. I extracted the straps , fitted them and promptly threw all the smart packaging into the recycling. From the same company next to arrive via DHL in a Jiffy bag two very expensive straps pushed in to a plastic bag , I felt a little deflated , took a deep breath and carried on. Can't understand it , why not put them all in one package and use one courier, delivery and packing was 'free' so who knows ?

I will not be sending a strongly worded email .

Did you get it for a good price?  You said £50 but how much cheaper was than compared to the RRP? If it was about the same then I’d expect a box, if it was a significant discount the they saved money here.

even if they DID include the instructions, they would say "Use a proper headset tool", not "smack it with a bit of 2 x 4", so they would be double pointless.

In the OP's defence, I ordered a new Stem from Orbea and it came in a plastic bag with the bolts loose and the body had been scratched by the bolts on arrival. Only slightly, so I still used it, but I was a bit annoyed at the crap packaging...

Amazed nobody’s checked that they included the crown race

I was going to, but thought it was probably a stupid question.

It was discounted to £39 from RRP.

Had a nice email back advising that it came in a bag as it was OEM and apologising for lack of instructions along with the offer of a call with one of their mechanics if I ran into problems.

I still think it could/should have been better packaged but as I said, it seems unscathed 👍

Well I understood your point and didn't feel the need to have a pop, slightly amused people focused on the instructions bit, typical stwf, surely a plain brown recycled box is the best option, reduced printer ink and no placky coating, it can also be reused, it keeps the headset together so nowt gets scratched and removes all plastic, that's how responsible brands are doing it, it's OEM so they've just popped it in a bag, not ideal but if unscathed I wouldn't complain.

The box is going to help the resale value right?

The only use for a re-usable box is selling your old version of the same thing second hand. Or possibly sending it off to be serviced in the case of suspension.

I'm guessing neither of which apply to a £39 headset.