Many people rely on safe shopping online to buy all sorts of gifts ahead of Christmas, often with the intention of keeping their purchases a secret from friends and family to ensure that they are a surprise when the big day arrives.

However, e-commerce giant, Amazon, has come under fire on social media after a number of customers reported that their gifts were being delivered entirely without exterior packaging. This not only exposes them to damage during transport, but also means that there is little chance of hiding the contents from other members of the household, according to the Independent.

This outcry goes against the usual criticisms levelled against Amazon for using too much packaging and protective material when shipping smaller items purchased via safe shopping online.

With delivery tags stuck directly onto the cardboard boxes containing the products themselves, Amazon is likely to be able to save on packaging costs. But upset customers are another side effect of this decision and it may well be something that the retailer reverses as a policy, if complaints gather momentum.

A representative of Amazon said that there were, indeed, attempts being made to minimise the amount of packaging that is used. They also said that customers have a couple of options available if they want to keep their delivered products a secret.

At checkout it is either necessary to request that the item ordered via safe shopping online is gift wrapped, or that it is shipped in a branded cardboard box, as used to be the case.

Customers essentially need to be a bit more vigilant when it comes to placing orders with Amazon and ensure that they know exactly how a product will look when it arrives, rather than assuming that a secret present will turn up in a box without checking for certain.