Wings Over America Deluxe - Premium Aviation Collectible Model Plane for Enthusiasts | Perfect for Home Display, Office Decor, and Gift Giving

I have to say that I am amazed at the attention to detail that went into the Deluxe Edition. All the books, photos, and reproduction items are a true treasure and so I rate the set with five stars for the massive amount of effort that must have gone into its production. Well done indeed!Now on to Amazon's packing practices: I have to admit that at least 50% of the books and other items such as these very heavy box sets that I order from Amazon arrive damaged due to improper packing. I know some people don't care if a book is dinged, but I do and everyone should! This set was no exception with a badly dented slipcase and several damaged books inside it. It's such a shame that so many items are damaged for no good reason by certain lazy warehouse personnel and I think Amazon should hold these employees accountable for their laziness and deduct damaged items from their pay! I have spent countless hours on the phone with Amazon exchanging items and complaining about improperly packed books. Sometimes books are simply thrown in a box with no protection at all--free to move around, other times a few air cushions are added though the items are still loose to be banged around during shipping. The only method that really works is when they plastic shrink wrap items to a corrugated cardboard substrate the same size as the bottom of the box. I don't understand why this is not standard practice in their warehouses. I am told not all warehouses have this equipment. Why not Amazon? Is Bezos aware of this I wonder?My Wings Over America (Deluxe Edition) arrived packed in a thin layer of bubble wrap (not enough to protect such a heavy item) and with another item in the box--both items were free to move around in the box and the beautiful Deluxe Edition was needlessly destroyed in transit. Packing peanuts added to the box would probably have saved the item from destruction and the plastic shrink wrapping of the bubble wrapped item to a cardboard substrate would certainly have worked. I refuse to even repack these items and bring them to the post office--I just put them in a box and have Amazon issue a call tag to pick them up at my house.So what is the solution? You can't request that an item be packed a certain way when you order it. Amazon must be losing millions upon millions of dollars a year due to some of their lazy warehouse employees that just don't seem to care about the condition of the items we order. If Amazon holds these employees more accountable for the damages with the risk of losing their jobs, you'll see how fast they care about how items are packed.I would love to solicit some comments from others on all of this!UPDATE: Yesterday I received my replacement Wings Over America Deluxe Edition box set and thankfully it was packed correctly--shipped by itself in a shallow box a bit taller than the width of the slipcase of the box set and a bit larger than the footprint of the set lying face-down. The set was shrink wrapped to a piece of corrugated cardboard which was approximately the same footprint of the box preventing any movement during shipping. Although the thin shrinkwrap on the box set itself had broken a bit along the book spine facing edge, the set arrived in seemingly fine condition. It would have been better if the set had been first wrapped in thin bubble wrap (like the original damaged set) and THEN shrink wrapped to the cardboard substrate--environmentally friendly packing peanuts added to the box would essentially ensure an undamaged product. Anyway, simple solution to a simple problem--take heed Amazon in order to save many millions of dollars a year!So after hours on the phone with an Amazon rep who was very helpful I explained all of the issues I am having with damaged books, CD, and music box sets (my RAM Deluxe Edition was also damaged in transit by improper packing), I am having Amazon issue a call tag for two expensive McCartney deluxe edition box sets, a remastered version of George Harrison's All Things Must Pass, and about five or six hardcover books this time around--all needlessly damaged by improper packing by warehouse personnel. Hopefully the replacements items will arrive in perfect condition, but I wouldn't bet on it.It would be nice if someone senior at Amazon were to respond to this review.