Why are mainboard boxes already opened?

[John Doe]

Considering the fact a mainboard is a very complex part of a
computer that you would want to know is factory fresh, how come
mainboard boxes are not factory sealed?

If that's because configuring has to be done after the factory, how
come the company that configures the thing does not seal the box?

Thank you.

 

[Venom]

Considering the fact a mainboard is a very complex part of a
computer that you would want to know is factory fresh, how come
mainboard boxes are not factory sealed?

If that's because configuring has to be done after the factory, how
come the company that configures the thing does not seal the box?

Thank you.

Mobo boxes are factory sealed. It is Customs who open them to take a quick
peek inside the box.

 

[old man]

Strange, all my mobo boxes have been supplied sealed.
You dont really think Customs are going to open every box in a container do
you?
(unless you're in France, which youre not)

 

[Venom]

Depending on the stores, some have the gear to reseal the boxes so you think
you are getting brand new stock. Some don't bother because you get your
warranty anyhow. Then we have the stores that have a couple of techs out the
back and when you take a suspect CPU in for warranty they will take the
matching board out of a new box for testing purposes and when finished they
will pop it back in the box and put it back on the shelf to be sold. It also
depends what country you are in as to if you have a thorough Customs service
or not.
Bottom line is who gives a rats arse if the box is open or not? Being sealed
proves nothing simply because you have no idea just who sealed it.

 

[Clint]

Some companies may make sure the BIOS is flashed to the latest version,
which is a good thing.

Personally, I think that unless the company has a good reason why your
product isn't sealed, it would be unacceptable to purchase new equipment
that's not. Otherwise you could be getting someone else's RMA'd product.
They should have their own test boards for service work, and they shouldn't
be selling equipment that's been out a customer's sites already.
Considering many companies charge a restocking fee anyway, you should be
getting a price discount for taking someone else's reject.

Clint

 

[Angry American]

I purchase ASUS products from tier one providers. And I can say without
exception that all ASUS items come with no seals on the boxes. No shrink
wrap either. These are retail packages, not OEM. I would venture to guess
that if you do get ASUS product with a seal, it's either put on by the
warehouse or by the shop you purchased it from.



Dan

 

[Venom]

"Clint" said

Some companies may make sure the BIOS is flashed to the latest version,
which is a good thing.

Personally, I think that unless the company has a good reason why your
product isn't sealed, it would be unacceptable to purchase new equipment
that's not. Otherwise you could be getting someone else's RMA'd product.
They should have their own test boards for service work, and they shouldn't
be selling equipment that's been out a customer's sites already.
Considering many companies charge a restocking fee anyway, you should be
getting a price discount for taking someone else's reject.

Clint

I don't know how long your stock is on the shelf for so the factory bios
gets to be out of date. Maybe it is because we are so close to Asia but ASUS
boards bought here come with the latest bios. As an aside I reckon if your
store has to go to the trouble of flashing a bios before selling you a
motherboard you can bet your nuts you are paying for it somehow.
I like your quaint theory on returned products though. They are just
repacked and sent out again after passing a quick boot up test. The other
thing about dealers opening the boxes to put their warranty stickers on them
is a bit of a crock too. My favourite computer spare parts shop records the
boards serial number on your reciept as that is the only true way you can
keep track of a board. I don't know about other brands of boards as I only
use ASUS but all ASUS boards and their boxes come with easily readable
serial numbers. I have watched returned new sticks of ram exchanged because
the buyer reckond it wouldn't work in his board. This ram is tested and if
ok goes back into the shelf ram boxes. I think you blokes really need to
hang around your favourite computer store a bit more to see what really goes
on there with computer parts.
As I said previously, a sealed box proves nothing.

 

[Nigel Brooks]

Depending on the stores, some have the gear to reseal the boxes so you
think
you are getting brand new stock. Some don't bother because you get your
warranty anyhow. Then we have the stores that have a couple of techs out
the
back and when you take a suspect CPU in for warranty they will take the
matching board out of a new box for testing purposes and when finished
they
will pop it back in the box and put it back on the shelf to be sold. It
also
depends what country you are in as to if you have a thorough Customs
service
or not.
Bottom line is who gives a rats arse if the box is open or not? Being
sealed
proves nothing simply because you have no idea just who sealed it.

Thoroughness has absolutely nothing to do with whether or not a Customs
Service decides to inspect an individual box.

Customs examinations are mostly based on intelligence. A container of
motherboards or other merchandise from an established vendor is not going to
be inspected. A sample might be taken from the container to determine
whether or not the sample is as described for duty purposes. But it is
certainly not the case that Customs opens every single item that enters a
Customs territory.

More likely, a box is unsealed because it was a return

 

[Mark A]

Considering the fact a mainboard is a very complex part of a
computer that you would want to know is factory fresh, how come
mainboard boxes are not factory sealed?

If that's because configuring has to be done after the factory, how
come the company that configures the thing does not seal the box?

Thank you.

They are not "opened". They were never shrink wrapped to begin with.

Wal-Mart has started a new program to get suppliers to reduce the amount of
packaging for products they sell. They have estimated that it will save them
tens of Billions of dollars per year, a significant portion of which will be
reduction in energy usage for shipping and the energy needed to make the
packaging. Maybe you didn't know it, but plastic (including shrink-wrap)
comes from oil.

In many European countries, when you buy a loaf of bread, it comes with no
packaging at all. Your phobia about packaging is just a cultural bias. If
you deal with a reputable manufacturer and a reputable retailer, you have
nothing to worry about.

 

[Mark A]

More likely, a box is unsealed because it was a return

No. Asus does not shrink-wrap or otherwise seal their MB boxes.

Most likely the MBs get shipped from China (yes I know Asus is headquartered
in Taiwan) in bulk, and they put in boxes once the get to the USA. This
saves on shipping costs.

 

[Rod Speed]

No. Asus does not shrink-wrap or otherwise seal their MB boxes.

Most likely the MBs get shipped from China (yes I know Asus is
headquartered in Taiwan) in bulk, and they put in boxes once the get
to the USA. This saves on shipping costs.

Very unlikely indeed.

 

[John Doe]

They are not "opened". They were never shrink wrapped to begin
with.

There's only so much meaning you can put into a subject line. Maybe
you can be my subject line writer.

Wal-Mart has started a new program to get suppliers to reduce the
amount of packaging for products they sell. They have estimated
that it will save them tens of Billions of dollars per year, a
significant portion of which will be reduction in energy usage for
shipping and the energy needed to make the packaging. Maybe you
didn't know it, but plastic (including shrink-wrap) comes from
oil.

But in fact, more and more things from Wal-Mart and all other stores
are coming in bubble packaging which is plastic.

In many European countries, when you buy a loaf of bread, it comes
with no packaging at all.

So you just catch the loaf with your filthy hands? How about all of
the other people that have fingered your bread, no telling where
their fingers were before then.

Your phobia about packaging is just a cultural bias.

Reasonable care has something to do with knowing about disease.

If you deal with a reputable manufacturer and a reputable
retailer, you have nothing to worry about.

In my big city, we have very large stores that sell things you've
probably never even dreamed of. It's a trade-off I can live with.
Besides, I'm not talking about most things. Most things, electronics
and tools for example, are coming in bubble packaging (which happens
to be plastic BTW). I have noticed the local Wal-Mart does have some
cheap tools on the bottom shelf without packaging, but that's the
really cheap stuff. Maybe you are more comfortable with really cheap
stuff.

By the way, why are you trying to turn this into a fight? If you
don't like folks from the United States, turn on headers and avoid
reading them.

 

[Angry Dove]

Depending on the stores, some have the gear to reseal the boxes so you think
you are getting brand new stock. Some don't bother because you get your
warranty anyhow. Then we have the stores that have a couple of techs out the
back and when you take a suspect CPU in for warranty they will take the
matching board out of a new box for testing purposes and when finished they
will pop it back in the box and put it back on the shelf to be sold. It also
depends what country you are in as to if you have a thorough Customs service
or not.
Bottom line is who gives a rats arse if the box is open or not? Being sealed
proves nothing simply because you have no idea just who sealed it.

Some computer stores open the packages and put their own sticker on them
for warranty purposes.

 

[Mark A]

There's only so much meaning you can put into a subject line. Maybe
you can be my subject line writer.

How much does it pay? But you could have posted:
"Why are mainboard boxes not shrink-wrapped?"

But in fact, more and more things from Wal-Mart and all other stores
are coming in bubble packaging which is plastic.

Check this out:
http://money.cnn.com/services/tickerheadlines/prn/200609221350PR_NEWS_USPR_____DAF017.htm

Reasonable care has something to do with knowing about disease.

Do you think you will catch a disease from a MB box that is not
shrink-wrapped?

In my big city, we have very large stores that sell things you've
probably never even dreamed of. It's a trade-off I can live with.
Besides, I'm not talking about most things. Most things, electronics
and tools for example, are coming in bubble packaging (which happens
to be plastic BTW). I have noticed the local Wal-Mart does have some
cheap tools on the bottom shelf without packaging, but that's the
really cheap stuff. Maybe you are more comfortable with really cheap
stuff.

By the way, why are you trying to turn this into a fight? If you
don't like folks from the United States, turn on headers and avoid
reading them.

Very big city? I live in very big US city also, but newegg.com has just
about everything I need, and the Asus MB that I got from them was not
shrink-wrapped and it worked perfectly.

I am from the US and I like my posts (and most others from the US) quite
well.

 

[John Doe]

How much does it pay?

You don't qualify.

But you could have posted:
"Why are mainboard boxes not shrink-wrapped?"

But that's not what I meant.

Check this out:
http://money.cnn.com/services/tickerheadlines/prn/200609221350PR_NE
WS_USPR_____DAF017.htm

I guess Wal-Mart means everything to you.

Do you think you will catch a disease from a MB box that is not
shrink-wrapped?

You were off on a tangent talking about unwrapped bread. I tend to
follow the subject. Maybe I'm too easy.

Very big city? I live in very big US city also,

So you are just a troll.

but newegg.com has just
about everything I need, and the Asus MB that I got from them was
not shrink-wrapped and it worked perfectly.

That's hardly science.

I'm just guessing, but do you quote only one level in your replies?

 

[Garrot]

Thoroughness has absolutely nothing to do with whether or not a Customs
Service decides to inspect an individual box.

Customs examinations are mostly based on intelligence. A container of
motherboards or other merchandise from an established vendor is not going to
be inspected. A sample might be taken from the container to determine
whether or not the sample is as described for duty purposes. But it is
certainly not the case that Customs opens every single item that enters a
Customs territory.

More likely, a box is unsealed because it was a return

 

[Garrot]

In many European countries, when you buy a loaf of bread, it comes with no
packaging at all. Your phobia about packaging is just a cultural bias.

Who wants to buy a loaf of bread that has been exposed to air born germs?
Small bakeries here don't wrap the bread either but they should, IMO.

 

[Mark A]

Who wants to buy a loaf of bread that has been exposed to air born germs?
Small bakeries here don't wrap the bread either but they should, IMO.

Actually, a lot of grocery stores with in-house bakeries sell bread that is
not in sealed packages. Sometimes it is behind a glass case, but it is not
in a "sealed" package. Neither are most of the fruits and vegetables.

As we found out recently, organic spinach that is packaged in sealed plastic
can be deadly.

 

[John Doe]

Who wants to buy a loaf of bread that has been exposed to air born
germs? Small bakeries here don't wrap the bread either but they
should, IMO.

And bread tends to get stale quickly when exposed.

I've read two or three different comments on the Internet recently
about keeping plastic items (one was about grass trimmer line) in a
container with a small amount of water to keep it pliable. It's an
interesting concept to me, the idea of keeping plastic items humid
to help keep them from degrading.

No, that doesn't have anything to do with the subject either. I
think someone opened the box and swapped the part.

 

[Rod Speed]

They basically dont bother on the whole.

There's only so much meaning you can put into a subject line.

The subject line aint the problem.

Maybe you can be my subject line writer.

Or maybe not.

But in fact, more and more things from Wal-Mart and all
other stores are coming in bubble packaging which is plastic.

So you just catch the loaf with your filthy hands?
Yep.

How about all of the other people that have fingered your
bread, no telling where their fingers were before then.

The frogs have never been that mindlessly anal.

Reasonable care has something to do with knowing about disease.

We have an immune system for a reason, stupid.

Dont bother visiting china, they use human shit as fertilizer with food crops.

In my big city, we have very large stores that sell
things you've probably never even dreamed of.
Unlikely.

It's a trade-off I can live with. Besides, I'm not talking about most
things. Most things, electronics and tools for example, are coming
in bubble packaging (which happens to be plastic BTW). I have
noticed the local Wal-Mart does have some cheap tools on the
bottom shelf without packaging, but that's the really cheap stuff.

Wrong again with the bigger tools like hammers etc.

Maybe you are more comfortable with really cheap stuff.

Or maybe you couldnt bullshit your way out of a wet paper bag.

By the way, why are you trying to turn this into a fight?

Just another of your pathetic little drug crazed paranoid fantasys/projections.

If you don't like folks from the United States,

He never said he didnt.

turn on headers and avoid reading them.

Or tell you to go shove your head up a dead bear's arse.