4 ms·

That's usually due to delivery/packing requirements, not a human unable to find the smallest possible box.

• mikeash 7y ago
  Can you elaborate? I routinely get smaller boxes, but I also routinely get boxes that are comically oversized and contain an item that would easily fit in one of the smaller sizes. What requirements are making that happen?
  • deleted 7y ago
    [deleted]
  • mdorazio 7y ago
    In a lot of cases it's optimization for a truck loadout. The loading setup is usually automated to maximize the number of packages in a truck while minimizing empty space, so you can easily end up needing a larger box to fit a specific gap in the truck. There are also some products that are marked as "fragile" and require a minimum amount of empty space in a box to prevent them from getting smashed. The exact definition of "fragile" and amount of space required is some kind of arcane black magic.
    • mikeash 7y ago
      These items aren’t fragile and usually come with totally inadequate padding, so that’s not it. The truck loadout thing seems likely though.