Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Strange batch of pencils... I apologize as I know I am about to ramble a bit, but I'm going to be honest and specific. (Sorry for any spelling errors...autoINcorrect...you know how that goes.) As a homeschooling family with four children, we've purchased many many many Dixon Ticonderoga pencils over the years. Before having children of my own, they had already become my favorites. They've always been the best of affordable options, in my opinion. Sharpen well, don't break as easily as most, erase well, and last. We have purchased from local retailers in the past. Wanting to buy more at once in bulk before we start our next school year in a few weeks, I looked here. I found and placed an order for the pack of 96 pencils consisting of 8×12count boxes. Seemed like a good deal... I was happy. I have NEVER received these pencils for free or at a discount and felt that this was a good buy for our money. My order arrived very quickly and I was excited to open it (yes, I still get excited about new pencils). HOWEVER: •Every single pencil in every single box was covered in, what I assume was, sawdust. Not just a little haze here and there...quite a lot as there were so many pencils. It got all over the table, my hands, and my clothes as I took then out of the boxes and sharpened them all. Odd...but they Are wooden pencils...no big deal really. Moved on. •3 pencils are missing completely, each from a different box. Well, that is irritating. •Multiple pencils are quite bowed, at least 8 that I counted once I started paying attention as I sharpened them all. Annoying to sharpen And to use, especially for my elementary aged children whom are still refining their pencil grip and handwriting form. Sheesh. •2 pencils are cracked lengthwise. The cracks worsen with sharpening. Lead breaks easily. Pencils will split with use rather quickly. Great. Another thing = useless pencils. Oi. I feel a bit gypped. We live on, a very tight, one income. I am very frugal & make do when we need to make do. This possibly makes me a little more sensitive to problems like this than some, but I don't think anyone would be happy with this. I hate to complain...ever. To have to leave a negative review for a typically good product leaves a knot in my stomach. What is going in here? If my batch was this bad, I can't be the only one...surely. Are these are factory rejects?? I realize that I purchased a larger number of pencils, but I just don't feel that these kind of issues should ever happen...much less this many in a single purchase. Very strange... Just be aware. I'm sorry for the negativity, but I don't think I would purchase from this seller again. UPDATE: I am now regretting this purchase even more so. Upon further inspection, I've noticed just how terrible the quality and manufacturing of this batch of pencils is. In addition to the issues I mentioned previously, I am now finding that multiple of these pencils have a deep uneven/ripple that runs down the entire length of the pencil. I assume that these will crack with use as well. I cannot find a stamped manufacturing number on most of them. The ones that do have this are very faint and look strange. There is bubbling in the paint on most of the pencils and flaking paint around where the metal eraser mount meets the pencil. Absolutely ridiculous that there are So many problems to stumble across when you're not really looking for them! I so wish I had not sharpened all of these before inspecting them carefully. I'd have sent these back in a heartbeat. I have Never seen such terrible and questionable manufacturing from Dixon Ticonderoga pencils prior to ordering from here. I'm starting to wonder if these are even legitimate at this point. They are certainly factory rejects regardless. Don't buy these pencils from here....