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Posted in: Comics | Tagged: Diamond Penguin Random House, lunar
Lunar Distribution On Saying Goodbye To Bubble Wrap
Christine Merkler of Lunar Distribution talks about saying goodbye to the bubble wrap that separated them from Diamond Comic Distributors
Article Summary
- Lunar Distribution gained attention by using bubble wrap to protect comics, unlike Diamond's damaged shipments.
- Christine Merkler reveals this protective packaging was part of Lunar's original strategy from the very start.
- Lunar has now swapped bubble wrap for innovative corrugated cardboard, cutting packing time significantly.
- Bubble wrap still appears for certain products as Lunar aims to maintain superior comic shipping quality.
When Lunar Distribution was set up by DC Comics and DCBS to replace Diamond Comic Distributors, which distributed DC Comics, then Image, then most everyone else, Lunar made a big impact on comic book retailers by having what was seen as over-the-top packing materials, with all comics wrapped in bubble wrap, a big difference from the damage-prone Diamond Comics. Christine Merkler, co-owner of Lunar and DCBS, talking to David Harper of Sketchd on the Off Panel Podcast, revealed that it was the plan from the outset.
"So our whole shtick from the time we started Lunar was like everyone complains that they get their packages from Diamond damaged. And so that was the first thing that we wanted to fix as much as we could. Theirs always had two inner boxes, but they literally butted up to the big main box that they put it in. And so we were like, well, why don't we just leave a little room, have a box created that leaves that room, and put bubble around it so that they don't have to worry about the corners. I know it sounds simple, it sounds dumb, but there's a cost involved in that, right? And we said, okay, that's the way we're going to do it. And we have been doing it for the last 5 years that way. And it's been very good. There have been a few things where everyone's getting heavier packages now because we have more publishers. And we're seeing a little more where we're maxing out at that 55 to 60 pounds and freight is crazy. So we're trying to make everything standard."
"So we have an amazing box company we work with. They come to us constantly about packaging options and even using different forms of package material to keep our cost down, but make it as innovative as you can be with packaging. And so we just recently switched where we're taking bubbles away. We shortened the box end on the top, and then we have this accordion-type cardboard. It's corrugated and it just slides in. So it covers the corners, which is the most important part of it. And it added like six ounces to the weight, which is like negligible because our freight costs are so good. But it's also a very fast flip-and-put in the box. So, our packing time has been cut into by a quarter of the time. So those are the types of things you have to do on a regular basis to make sure you're doing the right thing, which is something that wasn't happening with Diamond."
Not that the bubble wrap has gone away entirely… after all, Lunar do a better job at packing the blind bags than Penguin Random House right now.
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