I ordered a beanie as a Christmas gift for a friend. (Hopefully he’s not a reader yet – surprise!) 

It was priced well, was easy to find on the website, and arrived very promptly.

But why did it ship in this enormous box? There’s nothing fragile. (It’s a beanie). It’s awfully tiny. (Again– beanie). Yet it sits I’m the bottom of 480 cubic inches of shipping capacity.

Maybe it’s not a big deal- the box doesn’t weigh much so it couldn’t have added much fuel consumption to the trip. But wouldn’t a padded envelope consume a smaller percentage of a tree?