I don't really think it's the fault of the site. Some sellers are clearly better packers than others. I haven't packed a vintage machine but when I ship other stuff I'm know to recycle as much packing stuff as I can manage.
I'm baffled by towels. Seems like that would add an excessive amount of weight onto the shipment. I can understand their use in between the two boxes as a buffer but to do more than a single towel around the machine to prevent scratches. Ahhhh, lost.