Some at FedEx (probably) stole my M2 MBA

[alee]

Received my M2 MBA (midnight/24GB/10 core/1TB) via FedEx from Apple. Box looked normal at first glance. Pulled the tab on the brown box and opened the two halves, no drama. Typical Apple unboxing... but...

Inside - just the MacBook Air box. No shrink wrap. Empty except for the paper insert.

It took a while to notice that the label had been poorly peeled off the back of the white MBA box. Outside the box, looked like another label was peeled off.

Considering the box was fully sealed with no signs of being opened previously, my only running theories - either the box was somehow steamed open (doesn't seem likely), or a new box was used and a new FedEx label printed. But it would have had to have been in FedEx's custody when it happened. Tracking went from China to Japan to Memphis, TN to Newark, NJ to New York, NY.

The good news: Apple is shipping me another one
The bad news: I will need to wait another 4 weeks (September). My day 1 order is now a effectly a new oorder placed on August 1.

Anyone else ever receive an empty box from Apple? This sucks. Was supposed to be a gift for someone. I had debated whether to let them open the brown box or gift wrap it. Glad I had opened it up ahead of time.

 

[Shirasaki]

If it is intended for a gift, I suggest you get it gift wrapped separately after checking its content. It’s generally a bad idea to buy expensive electronics online as gift to someone else without prior screening.

At least apple “eat the loss” for you this time, since that MacBook Air you ordered is not cheap.

 

[ZMacintosh]

these new boxes apple uses for MacBooks can be opened without using the pull tab so most likely that's how they opened it. and the new white product boxes don't use shrink wrap (plastic waste) instead also use their own pull tab generally with a green arrow or some sort of indicator, but you should still be able to the tell where it was opened. I'm assuming they removed the labels on both that contained the serial number but this is easily found in your order history.

sucks this happened, I know apple tries to conceal what the actual stuff is a bit but people catch on

 

[orionquest]

I doubt it was someone at FedEx, let's face it these are nice people and all who work there, but not the most sophisticated people. And honestly they could care less what they are shipping/handling as it's a grind.

Other theory possibly it was never put in the box in the first place?
Didn't it feel light when you got it?

 

[alee]

I doubt it was someone at FedEx, let's face it these are nice people and all who work there, but not the most sophisticated people. And honestly they could care less what they are shipping/handling as it's a grind.

Other theory possibly it was never put in the box in the first place?
Didn't it feel light when you got it?

There would pretty much be no other opportunity for anyone else to handle the box other than a FedEx employee. Looking at the tracking, it basically went from hub to hub to local office to truck. The longest it sat was at the FedEx hub in Newark, NJ (13 hrs). Once it got to the FedEx in New York, it took all of 19 min to get on the truck, and was delivered shortly after to me.

It was clearly stolen. There would be no need to peel off the labels containing the serial numbers from the white box (picture 2) if it just wasn't packed. Stealing it would be easy, but someone spent a bit of time with the box to scrape off labels. That takes a bit more effort.

 

[alee]

these new boxes apple uses for MacBooks can be opened without using the pull tab so most likely that's how they opened it.

Interesting. I've been staring at the box trying to see how they could have opened it. Can't see any easy way - there's 2 taped edges that look untampered, which looks like how the box would have been assembled.

 

[ucfgrad93]

Man, that stinks. Glad Apple is making it right for you, @alee.

 

[applesith]

these new boxes apple uses for MacBooks can be opened without using the pull tab so most likely that's how they opened it. and the new white product boxes don't use shrink wrap (plastic waste) instead also use their own pull tab generally with a green arrow or some sort of indicator, but you should still be able to the tell where it was opened. I'm assuming they removed the labels on both that contained the serial number but this is easily found in your order history.

sucks this happened, I know apple tries to conceal what the actual stuff is a bit but people catch on

This is not true for the M2 Air. Mine came with the shrink wrap.

 

[Love-hate 🍏 relationship]

may the person who stole you rot in hell

 

[Dr_Charles_Forbin]

There would pretty much be no other opportunity for anyone else to handle the box other than a FedEx employee. Looking at the tracking, it basically went from hub to hub to local office to truck. The longest it sat was at the FedEx hub in Newark, NJ (13 hrs). Once it got to the FedEx in New York, it took all of 19 min to get on the truck, and was delivered shortly after to me.

It was clearly stolen. There would be no need to peel off the labels containing the serial numbers from the white box (picture 2) if it just wasn't packed. Stealing it would be easy, but someone spent a bit of time with the box to scrape off labels. That takes a bit more effort.

Newark? Hell yeah.. it’s gone.

 

[Toratek]

Apple can track that machine the moment it goes online. They have all the serial numbers, despite the fact that it was removed from your box, because the moment it ships, the specific SN is tied to your account. So, sooner or later the culprit will be found, even if Apple never lets you know who it is. (My first iPhone 13 pro was similarly stolen, though the box never showed up- but I guarantee you Apple bricked the thing.)

 

[Stevenyo]

This crap is so frustrating. Especially since it's hard to figure out how thieves even get any use or resale value off stolen goods with known serial numbers. Do they get stripped for parts? Used for linux only? if so, seems like a relatively small payday for all the trouble. Or are they stolen one off by idiots who don't realize they can't use the device?

 

[alee]

This crap is so frustrating. Especially since it's hard to figure out how thieves even get any use or resale value off stolen goods with known serial numbers. Do they get stripped for parts? Used for linux only? if so, seems like a relatively small payday for all the trouble. Or are they stolen one off by idiots who don't realize they can't use the device?

They don't care about that - they're more than likely in it for the quick flip.

Sell the laptop for a discount, collect the cash and disappear. The buyer is the one that gets screwed when the device is bricked.

 

[EastHillWill]

I'm sorry, that stinks.

This is not true for the M2 Air. Mine came with the shrink wrap.

Yep, only certain products no longer have the shrink wrap, most notably the iPhones 13. Seems like the new MBAs still do, at least for now.

 

[jkochar]

Received my M2 MBA (midnight/24GB/10 core/1TB) via FedEx from Apple. Box looked normal at first glance. Pulled the tab on the brown box and opened the two halves, no drama. Typical Apple unboxing... but...

Inside - just the MacBook Air box. No shrink wrap. Empty except for the paper insert.

It took a while to notice that the label had been poorly peeled off the back of the white MBA box. Outside the box, looked like another label was peeled off.

Considering the box was fully sealed with no signs of being opened previously, my only running theories - either the box was somehow steamed open (doesn't seem likely), or a new box was used and a new FedEx label printed. But it would have had to have been in FedEx's custody when it happened. Tracking went from China to Japan to Memphis, TN to Newark, NJ to New York, NY.

The good news: Apple is shipping me another one
The bad news: I will need to wait another 4 weeks (September). My day 1 order is now a effectly a new oorder placed on August 1.

Anyone else ever receive an empty box from Apple? This sucks. Was supposed to be a gift for someone. I had debated whether to let them open the brown box or gift wrap it. Glad I had opened it up ahead of time.

I have had the worst experience with Fedex compared to UPS. I don't know why Apple continues to use Fedex.

 

[Dr_Charles_Forbin]

Honestly, I pick up in person.. typically in a state with no sales tax if I can.

 

[JPack]

I doubt it was someone at FedEx, let's face it these are nice people and all who work there, but not the most sophisticated people. And honestly they could care less what they are shipping/handling as it's a grind.

Other theory possibly it was never put in the box in the first place?
Didn't it feel light when you got it?

Most FedEx workers are just blue collar people. Check the news and you’ll find lots of incidents where police have arrested FedEx drivers for trading packages for money and drugs. The FBI have arrested FedEx warehouse workers who redirected high value packages by printing new labels. If anything, it’s almost 100% someone at FedEx.

 

[BellSystem]

Probably happend in China and now the laptop is on a gray market site.

 

[alee]

Probably happend in China and now the laptop is on a gray market site.

That'd be the least likely scenario. These are not shipped individually as they come out of the factory for someone to steal - stuff leaving the factory are bundled into large pallets to be loaded on planes as a bundle. These get broken down for distribution when the pallet clears customs in a US hub.

You'd be hard pressed to steal stuff out of the factory anyway - when stuff gets stolen out of factories for leaks, they're often hidden in body cavities and such. Nobody's walking out of an Apple factory with a laptop stuffed under their t-shirt.

 

[alee]

Honestly, I pick up in person.. typically in a state with no sales tax if I can.

I usually like to pick-up in store, but figured this time around I'd ship to home given shipping times were all over the place. Last time I'll make that mistake.

 

[BellSystem]

That'd be the least likely scenario. These are not shipped individually as they come out of the factory for someone to steal - those are bundled into large pallets that then get broken down for distribution when the pallet clears customs in a US hub.

You'd be hard pressed to steal stuff out of the factory anyway - when stuff gets stolen out of factories for leaks, they're often hidden in body cavities and such. Nobody's walking out of an Apple factory with a laptop stuffed under their t-shirt.

There are warehouses in between the factory and the airports. They don't go from factory to plane. I have a buddy that owns a logistics operation over there and he sees stuff like this all the time. It's easier than you think. If things are going missing its most likely from there. When I worked for Apple it wasn't uncommon for service parts to go missing before they got to the plane.

 

[alee]

There are warehouses in between the factory and the airports. They don't go from factory to plane. I have a buddy that owns a logistics operation over there and he sees stuff like this all the time. It's easier than you think. If things are going missing its most likely from there. When I worked for Apple it wasn't uncommon for service parts to go missing before they got to the plane.

The big players are not staging like this.

Apple has a lot of control on their supply chain, including dedicated trucks and space on cargo planes. For the iPhone, it literally goes from factory to pallet to a few hundred yards to a customs facility. From there, it goes on a plane as a bundle not too far away.

This is an older article, but this is how greased it was in 2016. They've had a lot more time to optimize this.

An iPhone’s Journey, From the Factory Floor to the Retail Store (Published 2016)

About half of all iPhones are made in a facility in China that can churn out 500,000 devices a day with the help of over 300,000 employees. Here's how a phone made there can end up in your hands.

www.nytimes.com

 

[BellSystem]

The big players are not staging like this.

Apple has a lot of control on their supply chain, including dedicated trucks and space on cargo planes. For the iPhone, it literally goes from factory to pallet to a few hundred yards to a customs facility. From there, it goes on a plane as a bundle not too far away.

This is an older article, but this is how greased it was in 2016. They've had a lot more time to optimize this.

An iPhone’s Journey, From the Factory Floor to the Retail Store (Published 2016)

About half of all iPhones are made in a facility in China that can churn out 500,000 devices a day with the help of over 300,000 employees. Here's how a phone made there can end up in your hands.

www.nytimes.com

You are making the assumption phones and laptops are treated the same. The laptops are much lower volume than phones. Also....nice paywall.

 

[planteater]

Most FedEx workers are just blue collar people. Check the news and you’ll find lots of incidents where police have arrested FedEx drivers for trading packages for money and drugs. The FBI have arrested FedEx warehouse workers who redirected high value packages by printing new labels. If anything, it’s almost 100% someone at FedEx.

“Just” blue collar workers built pretty much everything you own, and every bit of infrastructure you use. I’m not certain why you must point a finger at a class of people.

 

[JPack]

There are warehouses in between the factory and the airports. They don't go from factory to plane. I have a buddy that owns a logistics operation over there and he sees stuff like this all the time. It's easier than you think. If things are going missing its most likely from there. When I worked for Apple it wasn't uncommon for service parts to go missing before they got to the plane.

There really isn’t. Assembled products literally do go from factory to plane in trucks. It’s far harder than you think. Not only that, the workers live in dorms in closed loops. That means very little contact with outside world. That’s why the bonus Foxconn pays out to workers is so high.

If it were as easy as you say, photos of the chassis and full working M2 MacBook Airs would be leaked on the Internet weeks before product launch. There’s a reason why we never see that.

Service parts don’t go from factory to plane. They go to Apple distribution centers stateside first.