[pyoung]

Ha, yeah that is weird. Random thought: Maybe to help prevent package theft? It usually takes about a month for shipping, so I imagine a lot of people forget about their order. By sending the throw away package first, the recipient is 'primed' and is more likely to be on the lookout for the real thing, as opposed to letting it sit on their doorstep for a day or two where it can be stolen.

[arglebarnacle]

Seems like it's having the opposite effect though--the throwaway is causing people to think they've been scammed and makes them no longer on the lookout for the real package.

[daveFNbuck]

This only works if the first package isn't stolen.