You've ordered something on Amazon. Something small, let's say a new pair of wireless earbuds. Fits easily in the palm of your hand, right? So why did the box Amazon shipped it to you in a box the size of a Smart Car?

Amazon has yet to really address publicly why sometimes tiny items come shipped in huge boxes. Although a lot of folks online have tried to reach out for an official response, they are usually just met with a response that talks about how they are looking to avoid waste and they appreciate the feedback. But, through a lot of Google-ing and searching Reddit, I think we have narrowed down the best answer available as to why the boxes are so huge: ERROR!

According to a Reddit user who sourced his information from a person who wrote software for Amazon, when you get a giant box for a small item, it’s usually because someone messed up when they measured the item. This means that a seller could have put an item is as measuring 3 feet long instead of actually being 3 inches long.

But since we don't have an official response from Amazon, I think it's important that we address the other conspiracy theories floating around:

  • There is a minimum size of box required to move around the warehouse on rollers. Items that are too small will fall down gaps / switches / junctions. (Credit: Quora)
  • There are only a few sizes of boxes held in the warehouse, your small box goes in the next largest size. (Credit: Quora)
  • Standard sized boxes are easier to stack and pack. Your smaller box would be a right pain to fit into a big pile; it is also not certain how strong your small box is when it comes to stacking big piles. (Credit: Quora)
  • Occasionally the package algorithm is just stupid. (Credit: Quora)

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