Ordering carseats online

evanzmom11

I'm looking to get a new convertible carseat for DS and found one I really liked. I tried it out at BBB but their prices are really high. I found the same carseat on Amazon for $60 less but I'm a little worried about them shipping it. Amazon has an awesome return/exchange policy so I'm not worried about that. I'm worried that the box will get thrown around or something but won't have noticeable damage. I've actually never bought a carseat either. We got a hand me down from my SIL for both the infant seat and convertible, so do the carseats come in like bubble wrap or something to keep them protected inside the box? any advice is appreciated TIA

MainelyFoolish

Car seats don't have bubble wrap around them inside the box. They aren't made out of porcelain! If you're in a moderate or severe accident, yes, they need to be replaced, but the normal shipping process isn't going to destroy a carseat. Even a minor fender-bender accident doesn't destroy a car seat.

Also, any carseat that you buy in a store is still going to have been loaded onto a truck, shipped to a distribution center, loaded onto another truck, shipped to the store, and placed on the shelf. It's not much different from Amazon sending the seat to you via UPS.

evanzmom11

Thanks for replying. I kind of felt like it was a dumb question but after researching carseats and people saying stuff like even once you check your carseat on a plane it could be considered not safe so that made me wonder about the shipping process.

Rosebud2587

evanzmom11:

Thanks for replying. I kind of felt like it was a dumb question but after researching carseats and people saying stuff like even once you check your carseat on a plane it could be considered not safe so that made me wonder about the shipping process.

The cardboard helps absorb the turbulence. It's perfectly safe to have a car seat shipped to you. You could also check a car seat on a plane if it was in it's original packaging. 

AKB090609

We got our car seat from amazon, but FYI BBB will price match amazon if you take them a screen shot.

mm&mm

I've ordered a Britax and Evenflo from Amazon and both arrived in excellent condition- fast, too. They were packaged in styrafoam in the box so there was not much movement allowed inside the box. Go for it!

SuperCuteBenz

You will be fine. Amazon has great customer service. If the box arrives damaged, they will send you a replacement. I have order a lot of seats online, and I have yet to have an issue with a box being damaged.

Katie829

MainelyFoolish:

Car seats don't have bubble wrap around them inside the box. They aren't made out of porcelain! If you're in a moderate or severe accident, yes, they need to be replaced, but the normal shipping process isn't going to destroy a carseat. Even a minor fender-bender accident doesn't destroy a car seat.

Also, any carseat that you buy in a store is still going to have been loaded onto a truck, shipped to a distribution center, loaded onto another truck, shipped to the store, and placed on the shelf. It's not much different from Amazon sending the seat to you via UPS.

You need to read the car seat manual. Most car seats state in the manual that even a fender bender you need to replace because of possible damage to the car seat. 

To the OP, I bought both my infant and convertible car seat off of amazon. They ship in cardboard which is meant to absorb the friction. 

ellewoodsSC

Often with the 20% of coupons (BBB, Bed, Bath and Beyond and major competitors like BRU are all accepted), the BBB prices tend to be fairly close to Amazon, especially if Amazon charges sales tax like it does in my state. BBB also has an excellent return policy.  You can also see the manufacture date right there so that you can pick out the "freshest" seat with the greatest potential longevity.

But to alleviate your concerns about shipment damage, the seats are well packed and usually have some styrofoam to keep them from shifting in the box.  We got ours from Amazon.com.

hmp1

I figure the seats are shipped from the warehouse to the store or the warehouse to my house. Either way, it gets shipped.

I found the best deal for our seats at Albeebaby.com. Great service too. 

GirlWithTheMostCake

I'm 100% against ordering car seats on Amazon. Their return policy leaves them wide open for accepting returns on seats that were in minor fender benders and then you purchasing a seat and unknown to you, getting on that has been in an accident. It happens all the time. I would only purchase from a store that guarantees they do not accept returns on opened car seats. Most boutiques in my area state that. Plus I'm fairly certain they all price match.