There are a number of reasons why orders are split into multiple parcels:
Backorder – OfficeMax does everything it can to prevent items from going out of stock, but when this does happen, we ship the rest of your order and then the outstanding items are shipped later (as soon as they have been replenished). Please check your packing slip for more information about which items are on backorder.
Dangerous Goods – If your order contains flammable or toxic products such as cleaning chemicals or hand sanitiser, by law, these need to be separated from the rest of your order as we must comply with special packaging, documentation and transport requirements.
Shipped directly from Supplier – With our extensive range of workplace products, not all items can be stored in our Distribution Centres. Some products (especially large ones like furniture or fast-changing technology products) are shipped directly from our suppliers to you, arriving separately from the rest of your order.
North/South Island Distribution – On occasion, if the product you require is out of stock in your local Distribution Centre, it may be shipped from our alternative Distribution Centre.
Bulky products – Large or awkwardly shaped products are stored and packed in a separate part of our Distribution Centre. They are sometimes palletised, separated into smaller items which are picked into our usual cartons or courier bags.
Volumetric Information – Products that we sell are entered into our system with their volumetric measurements (length, height, depth). This informs our automated system to make up the correct number of boxes for your order. From time to time, product size information changes and may be incorrect (i.e. states the product is larger or smaller than it actually is). If this occurs, the system will likely split the order into two boxes. We fix this issue as soon as we become aware of it as part of our normal quality control process.
We know that receiving multiple parcels can be inconvenient and confusing. We include messaging on our website checkout page wherever possible (for example, to advise when an item is classified as a Dangerous Good or shipped directly from a supplier).