I too have noticed and been affected by Amazon's shoddy packaging as of recent months. My dvd/cd items for the most part have been okay, but it's mostly been my book orders that have taken the brunt of the damage. It usually occurs when they don't shrink wrap the items... thrown into a box loosely with a few air bags laying around just there for the ride. Most of the damage is in the form of dented hardcover corners, ripped coverjackets, bent/ripped softcover pages, etc. Sometimes I also find the shipping box has a single piece of tape barely making contact with the cardboard not keeping it tightly closed.

At first I put up with the slightly dented/creased books, but after the 3rd one I always make sure to do a return with their prepaid shipping label. So far all the reshipments have been pristine... shrink wrapped and much better protected than the original order. I've been debating whether to stop ordering from them... but with their cheap prices, free shipping (and as long as the reships are in great shape), for now I'm willing to put up with the extra 1-2 weeks waiting for the new item. Also, their telephone customer service has treated me well, I've gotten no hassels from them.

I haven't received damaged items yet, but it certainly seems like they are taking longer and longer to actually ship. I rarely get a shipping notice within a week of placing an order anymore. It used to be faster.