CDs and cardboard sleeves/storage

Recently I purchased the Prince Sign o the Times super deluxe reissue.  My shipment was delayed for a few days, and while I was waiting for it to arrive I was reading about other purchaser's horror stories regarding the state that their copy arrived in.  For some, it was that the glue holding together the layers of pages where the CDs are stored had failed and that discs were sliding out of their respective slots.  For a few, it was that there were missing discs (in one instance, all 9 discs were missing!).  For many though, it seemed, it was that the CDs themselves arrived scratched and scuffed, sometimes due to the aforementioned slot failure, but most times not, and people posting on these sites blamed the process by which the CDs were put into the slots upon packaging (whether that be by human hands or some mechanical process), and the fact that the discs are stored in cardboard, and had to be slid in and out (reasoning that repeatedly doing so will further damage the discs).

When I opened my copy, I recorded doing so taking a series of photographs, just in case I had a reason to request a refund or replacement.  Upon opening the book to the place at the back where the discs were stored, I noticed that CD #2 had slid to the right (toward the centre of the book), and was not seated correctly in its slot.  (Note: since removing it and placing it back, the disc has remained correctly in place).

Fearing the worst, I gently pulled the CD out and examined the playing surface.  It was unmarked.  I proceeded to check the other 7 CDs and the DVD; all were pristine.

Many posts online not only complain about the way in which the Prince discs are stored, and the material they are stored in, but that any storage constructed of cardboard is the reason their CDs either arrive scratched and scuffed, or that repeatedly removing them (to play them) and then putting them back is what causes this damage over time.

In another recent post, I talked about CD rot, and I am in the process of working my way through my CD collection to check the condition of all of my CDs for said rot.  Admittedly, I have not completed the process of checking (as I am tempted to play certain CDs, either because I have found signs of rot, or just because I hadn't heard that particular CD for some time).  As I am performing this process, I am paying particular attention to the surface of any CDs I have that are stored in anything constructed of cardboard, and I have a variety of cardboard CD storage.

So far, I have yet to find even one CD disc stored in cardboard that is not in pristine condition, either by the manufacturing/packing process, the shipment of said goods, or by my removal and return of the CDs into their housing.  I have, however, found some CDs in jewel cases that have somehow sustained slight damage (some of these would have been during shipment, if the CD itself comes loose and slides around within the case).  In fact, the only time I damaged a disc myself, was when trying to remove it from the circular support that the centre circle was lodged on in a box set (an OMD deluxe edition, if you are interested).  And the only damage I have yet to discover regarding cardboard storage is the cardboard itself being damaged; the particular album affected is the 7 Worlds Collide: The Sun Came Out 2-disc set (the follow-up to the original 7 Worlds Collide album) by a variety of artists and organised by Neil Finn, purchased from the Friends of the Enz fan club in 2009.  As you can see in the following photo, it is as if a hungry mouse has nibbled the top edge of the case, although in hindsight, this may have been caused by friction when I had boxed up my Canadian collection for shipping back to New Zealand from Canada in 2015.

Water damage, friction or a mouse?  You decide.

All of this checking of discs leads me to speculate that other people complaining about said damage to their discs due to cardboard containers might live on a beach, where the salt and sand immediately get into every crevice, causing friction against such fragile surfaces.  FYI, that last statement was typed with tongue placed firmly in cheek, as I live within 500 metres of the ocean and have (mostly) uninterrupted views of it from my house (only somewhat blocked by some trees), and the salt air and sand the ground on my property is comprised of has had no affect on my collection.

Perhaps some people are extremely clumsy, or have non-functioning fingers, or have super-powered vision that can detect flaws the average human eye cannot.  Whatever is the reason, I do not know where the complaints come from as, in my experience, cardboard storage is no worse than any other.

6th October update.

Regarding the cardboard containers themselves, today I came across wear on two more.  The first is the musical version of Jim Steinman's Bat Out of Hell, with some wear on the bottom.

The second is on the bottom of the box of Simon and Garfunkel's box set.

I believe both of these look like water damage, but am not 100% certain.