Dumbest thing I've seen this week. I'm not exaggerating, this is astoundingly worthless in the real world. First of all packing material in a box (like peanuts) are there to keep the contents from shifting but also to provide a buffer for the inevitable drop or two (or six) that will occur between point A and point B. So what exactly are you saving by not using it?

Also, UPS/FedEx/USPS like to use square edged boxes because not only is it easier to make stacks but 24 square edged packages take up less space than 24 irregular shaped packages of the same equivalent size, therefore costing them (and you) less money to ship stuff. Can you imagine what a pain in the ass it would be to stack a truck with some crazy ass shaped packages? It'd be like trying to play jenga with broccoli.

Cool idea but I can see this being a nightmare for the USPS regarding the packaging labels.

agreed, jess13. and love "trying to play jenga with broccoli."

I could definitely make use of this. I ship ceramic work and frequently have to pack with boxes inside of boxes, so the ability to make a box to perfectly fit any item would make my life easier. A better fitting box would hep to ensure nothing broke, and would cut down on the size of the larger box the pieces were put into for shipping.

agreed with above.. those type of boxes would need special handling no matter where you ship them..

they are not going to be able to fit in the regular format(think stacking), and so would be jostled around a lot.. and they wouldnt have protection for breakables.. plus the address, postage, etc could be on any shape.. and complete new machines for sorting would be needed..

while creatively it might be cool.. realistically its stupid

Totally agree JESS13. And I for one hope you aren't conducting my annual review this year. It would be fun to read but cut deep for sure :)

Hmmm, that box is shaped like a giant penis

I, for one, have no interest in wrapping irregular shaped objects, but in creating custom sized boxes. I ship objects of varying sizes, and to be able to create exactly what I need would save me from having to find or keep lots of different boxes on hand.

Huh?

Might as well just wrap the thing in a few layers of newspaper instead. Cheaper, more environmentally friendly, and about as effective.

This might work for some one off applications like WHITEFOREST's ceramics, but it would never work in a factory where thousands of units must be packed, stored and shipped. In those facilities the packing material shoots out of machinery at frightening speed... I just dont see this material bending and wrapping as quickly as existing systems. And then it still has to go into another box... inner packs, outer packs, pallets... do they teach that stuff at packaging design schools these days?

I have an Etsy store and ship quite a bit. I'm on the "this is ridiculous" bandwagon. FedEx/UPS will charge you (and in turn the customer) a heck of a lot more for a box that doesn't fit the square/rectangle shape since it doesn't fit well into their shipment stacks. It's just not economical.

Second off, the breakibility factor. I ship lots of fragile items. Bubble wrapping, even if I put 6 layers, and then placing in this type of casing almost guarantees that the item will still get broken. You need to wrap well, then place in a square/rectangle box with lots of padding, that way whatever sits on top and on the side won't squish and break fragile items.

This is the most impractical idea ever.

I think many commenters don't realize that these cardboard sheets are mostly meant to be used as right-angled packaging. The totally wacky package in the pictures is probably only meant to illustrate just how customizable the product is. I don't think it is realistic to think that this would be marketed to factories to wrap thousands of products day in day out: everybody knows it is cheaper and much more efficient for large volume applications to use boxes custom-made for the product.

I think this was designed for people who ship various articles quite often but not in high volumes, like Etsy and eBay sellers. For example, someone who sells vintage clocks on eBay might find this really useful as clocks come in different sizes and shapes. They would still make right-angled boxes, but of various sizes and shapes. eBay sellers know how problematic it can be to find boxes of the right size or to wrap items in boxes that are not quite the right size or shape. This could solve many problems for a good number of them.

Dumb.

That's the blob shape a square package arrives in when delivered by Canada Post!

I own a gift store and can think of dozens of ways I could use this product. Naturally it isn't a solution for all shipping problems...but it wasn't meant to be. Those of use who need to quickly package small variably shaped items on a regular basis would find the product much more effective than keeping a variety of boxes in the back room that may or may not be needed sometime in the distant future and at present are just taking up shelf space.

Isn't this what those cardboard wall pockets (primarily decorative) are made from? Now we can DIY them:)

Viktoria hit the nail. I would definitely buy a few sheets of this to keep on hand so I can make square boxes just the right size when I need them, rather than keep a random assortment of boxes on hand that always seem to be just a little too big or too small.

I don't think is really practical for shipping purchases, but it's still a cool innovation.
These would be kind of fun if they were painted of printed on the outside for holiday wrapping... it'd be a cute way to package irregular items (I've never been a fan of bags and tissue paper) or it could be folded into a different shape as a "decoy" for kids who like to shake presents.

I'm thinking I wouldn't want to encourage the delivery person to chuck the package over a fence by making it the shape of a football...

I can appreciate that it strikes so many as odd and impractical, but I see this as a very good bit of engineering design. The way it can be utilized even in such an odd shape as the one pictured is demonstrative of the many possible ways it could be shaped for any number of items. I, for one, say bravo! You never know what you may need to wrap, carefully, and this material is recyclable as opposed to many unlabeled plastics!

It would be terrible for square boxes too, because the perforations would make it squish easily, so it wouldn't protect the contents.

Jess13--Jenga with broccoli! Love it!

@Viktoria
You seem like such a practical and observant person. What are you doing on this site?

(It's not like they don't have a bunch of box-shaped examples along with the dong-shaped one--oh wait, they do!)

Doesn't matter what size/shape it is because UPS/FEDEX/USPS are still going to throw it over your fence. ;o)

Maybe not practical for a lot of things, but I LOVE the engineering and I want a stack to play with!