I would opt for like 3 older lenovo mini pcs or something for home labbing. Guess it depends on what you want to do. I like making Promox clusters.

Honestly, i don’t think it’s really an issue. I’ve also had stuff shipped like that. Not just network devices, but servers, ssds, hdds, memory, etc. Never had anything doa with that kind of packing. I did get 5 hdds once in antistatic bags with no other packaging in the box. 2 doa, 2 more died eventually.