Abstract:
This year’s Double Eleven, the first reaction of many people when opening packages was not surprise, but frowns. Some consumers reported that the cartons they received were soft as if they had been stepped on, and the sealing tapes were all messy, and some had big holes in them, involving paper towels, sanitary napkins, skin care products and other products. However, these items that are most important to cleanliness and hygiene appeared at the door as "battle damage".
On social platforms, complaints are coming one after another. Many people have discovered that the packaging of brands they have been repurchasing in previous years has significantly deteriorated this year. In the past, beautiful gift boxes could be taken home for storage, but now when I open the box, there are only bare products inside, not even a decent box.
Buying a big brand without the feeling of a big brand, this gap is more hurtful than the higher price. Packaging is never just a protective layer, it is the "last step" of brand attitude. When the carton is broken, the goodwill is often broken as well.
Some consumers told Xinshi Research Institute that they had contacted the merchant and compensated them 2 or 3 yuan. Some consumers said that they did not go to the merchant because the items were not broken. Some consumers even questioned the quality of brand packaging.
This year’s Double 11, many brand packaging boxes have become “bad”
During Double Eleven, a netizen posted a question: Does anyone think that the express boxes of most brands this year are terrible?
(Source: Screenshot of social platform)
The netizen said that he had received 30 to 40 packages and felt that many of the cartons were soft and floppy. Among them, he mentioned brands such as Xu Cuihua, Victoria's Secret, Bloom, and Kérastase. She said that because they were all brands she had bought in previous years, the difference in comparison was too obvious. In the past, there were beautiful boxes that could be reused, but now when I open them at the express delivery station, I can see that there are only products inside, and the packaging is similar to that of street stalls.
As soon as the post came out, many netizens resonated in the comment area. Some netizens said that not only was the express box rotten, but the contents inside felt like they were dug out of the soil. Another netizen said that especially for tissues, the Vinda carton was directly split into several pieces of tape attached by the express delivery, the Xinxiangyin box had two big holes, the Kotex box had cracks on the side, etc.
(Source: Screenshot of social platform)
Of course, some netizens believe that this year’s big-brand beauty boxes are better than last year, as they are all made by SF Express. Another netizen said that there is nothing bad. Anyway, the packaging of big-name brands is okay. Estee Lauder and Lancôme all use gift boxes.
According to the observation of the New Knowledge Research Institute, many netizens have posted complaints on social media about the damaged express boxes they received during Double Eleven.
(Source: Screenshot of social platform)
A netizen from IP Hebei posted that he bought the Qingfeng Black Gold rolling paper at Li Jiaqi's live broadcast room. He was very disappointed after receiving it. The carton was not sealed tightly, the box was damaged in many places, and the plastic wrap of several rolls of paper inside had been opened. Toilet paper is a personal product, so transporting it this way makes people worry about hygiene.
After the netizen contacted customer service, the other party first asked for verification, but later only offered compensation of 2 yuan or 3 yuan. Netizens asked about the health risks, but the customer service replied that "the damage to the carton does not affect the use" and also said that the openings in the plastic film are factory ventilation holes. But some in the same box have holes and some don't, so it's hard to make a valid explanation.
Netizens involved said that it is not necessary to pay a large amount of compensation, but the basic seal guarantee is the bottom line, and the attitude of avoiding hygiene issues throughout the after-sales process is unacceptable.
As to whether the merchant has the latest solution,
the netizen told Xinshi Research Institute that after his post was seen by more people, the merchant also saw it and contacted me again. I proposed to compensate for the price difference of the damaged 9 packs of paper towels, and the other party agreed and compensated.
Why are damaged items like paper towels so irritating to people? Because they come into direct contact with the body, consumers’ bottom line for “cleanness” is much higher than for ordinary products. Customers' response with "no impact on use" is tantamount to directly denying this reasonable hygiene anxiety.
Small compensation seems to solve the problem, but in fact it simplifies consumers' concerns into "money matters." The real harm is not to the few packages of paper, but to the brand that regards basic protection as a negotiable option.
Another netizen with IP Jiangsu posted that it was the first time I bought a nature hall and received such a broken express box. It was also the first time I received such a broken express box. It really ruined my favorability. It was so broken that I could just pick it up without needing a knife to remove the tape. As expected, the box inside was also damaged in the war. Fortunately, there were no missing items.
However, the netizen later also told us that she did not go to the merchant just because the things inside were not broken.
Another netizen at the bottom of the comment area also encountered the same experience as the netizen who posted it. The express box of the Chando skin care products he bought was seriously damaged and he has already applied for an exchange.
The first purchase experience often determines whether the person will become a repeat customer. The case of Nature Hall shows that damaged packaging is more harmful to newcomers. Old customers may tolerate it out of habit, but newcomers will directly equate "broken cartons" with "unreliable brands".
The integrity of the product cannot completely offset the loss of first impression. It would be a huge loss for a brand to spend a lot of money to attract new products, only to persuade people to leave at the carton step in the end.
Consumers finally managed to buy the products they were looking forward to during Double Eleven. However, the express packaging of the products they received was in tatters, and some of the products inside were even damaged to a certain extent. This affected consumers’ shopping experience to a certain extent, and also gave consumers a poor impression of the brand.
Double 11 packaging becomes rotten. Is it due to brand cost reduction or rough logistics operation?
Why do many consumers feel that the packaging of goods purchased during Double 11 this year has become rotten?
Many people directly pointed the finger at the brand. Cost pressure is too great, and packaging has begun to reduce costs. The cartons have become soft, the gift boxes have been cancelled, and the seals have been randomly glued. It feels like the quality is obviously not as good as in previous years. Especially for categories with low unit price and high sales volume, such as paper towels and sanitary napkins, the less investment in packaging, the more profits can be squeezed out.
There are a lot of doubts. Many people think that the brand has made the word "province" visible to consumers.
Regarding the claims that the express boxes are damaged and the packaging quality has deteriorated, Qingfeng official flagship store responded that it has long-term experience in paper product transportation. The warehouse carefully inspects the products before packaging them. Only when the packaging is intact will it be shipped out. Express transportation is guaranteed. The official customer service of Nature Hall stated that the package may be damaged due to bumps during transportation. Contact the purchasing merchant and send a picture of the damage, and the merchant will handle it.
Brands did not directly respond to the question of "has the packaging deteriorated?", but focused on the integrity of the outbound and transportation links.
However, objectively speaking, brand merchants are not all at fault. Double Eleven business volume has surged, and there is indeed objective pressure in express transportation and sorting.
Data from the State Post Bureau show that in the first three quarters of 2026, the national express delivery business volume has completed a total of 151.3 billion pieces, a year-on-year increase of 4.3%, and the express delivery business revenue has totaled 1.16344 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 7.2%.
The revenue growth rate has been continuously higher than the unit volume growth rate, and the industry as a whole has entered the stage of "volume stabilization and price increase". However, even if the total growth rate slows down, the periodic pressure during the Double Eleven period is still obvious.
Different from the past outbreaks that concentrated around November 11, now promotions are constantly being advanced, the shopping cycle is lengthening, and packages are arriving in batches. According to Chao News, some couriers usually deliver 400 to 500 items a day, but this year's Double Eleven peak was around 700 items. However, e-commerce activities are carried out in stages, and express items arrive in waves, with multiple rounds of small peaks appearing throughout the cycle.
According to The Paper,
A courier admitted that most of the damage was caused during loading and unloading, and improper operation in long-distance extrusion and sorting processes was the main source. The express delivery trucks are fully loaded, the storage space is tight, and a large number of packages are crowded together. It is almost inevitable that the outer packaging will wear out.
Glass bottles of skin care products and soft outer packaging of sanitary napkins are particularly fragile in this high-intensity circulation.
In actual operations, when consumers encounter a damaged box, they often struggle with who to contact first.
In response, the official customer service of YTO Express responded that the express company can handle it here, or you can contact the merchant.
As to whether the damage is caused by the merchant's packaging quality or the transportation and sorting process, YTO customer service said that it generally depends on the specific situation. If there is damage to the goods, a video must be taken as soon as possible to retain evidence, and the company will handle it.
In response to the violent sorting situation of express delivery circulated on the Internet, YTO responded that there is no such situation here.
Actually,
the damage problem really reflects the "misalignment" of the interests of the three parties. Brands have to face sales sprint and cost control at the same time during Double Eleven. Packaging materials and protective strength become spaces that can be adjusted. The logistics end has to complete sorting, loading, trunk transportation and terminal delivery under continuous high-volume operation. The outer packaging wears out during repeated extrusion and collision, which is almost an inevitable result of high-intensity circulation.
After the two are superimposed, personal products such as paper towels and sanitary napkins, as well as products such as skin care products that are afraid of falling and being crushed, become the categories most likely to expose problems.
Damage itself is becoming a "default loss". When the overall volume of the industry remains at a high level and the profit margin of a single ticket is limited, the cost of completely avoiding damage to the outer packaging may be higher than the cost of accepting a certain proportion of damage and then processing it. For brands and logistics, this is a rational business choice, but for consumers, it is a passive acceptance of experience.
Double Eleven just shows this default loss in a concentrated way. The real question is not who pays for a particular breakage, but whether the industry is ready to reprice for "higher uptime."
On Double Eleven, it is only at the stage of receiving goods that we can truly test whether e-commerce platforms, brands and logistics take the consumer experience seriously. In the e-commerce link, all the previous live broadcast skills, discounts, and traffic delivery will finally fall into the moment when consumers open the cartons.
The carton is in good condition, and the previous efforts have been successful. If the carton is broken, the previous efforts will be compromised.
The industry has used data to prove that it can withstand high volume and can also grow revenue faster than volume. However, what consumers perceive is never the industry report, but the box in their hands. When products that are most in need of cleanness and integrity repeatedly appear in a damaged state, it means that the balance between efficiency and experience has not yet been found.
Double Eleven can continue to be cheap, or it can continue to lengthen the cycle, but what is delivered to your hands should at least be complete.
An unbroken cardboard box is sometimes more convincing than extra gifts.
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