I think it really depends, I use amazon prime as my primary shopping method, without it I would definitely need a vehicle.

> Experts say that e-commerce could actually, if optimized, be beneficial for the environment. Getting into your personal vehicle and going to the store isn’t very efficient, but consolidating multiple shoppers’ deliveries into one vehicle can be. Anne Goodchild, director of the University of Washington’s Supply Chain Transportation and Logistics Center, told BuzzFeed News, “Broadly speaking, delivery services have the potential to dramatically reduce miles traveled.”

Definitely a valid point. Though as a customer I will say that they've made improvements recently. It's not perfect, but its getting better. I often get small products in envelopes now that don't use and plastic padding but instead use a paper-filled wall. There's also an option to have your items shipped all together at a later date if you're not in a rush and want to reduce the number of trips/amount of packaging.

But I have honestly not dug further. I imagine one of the greatest costs is the amount of fuel burned for those 1/2 day deliveries.

I think my all-time record was receiving a tiny metal pencil sharpener all by itself in a box large enough to fit a computer monitor.