Packaging quotes are hard to compare because suppliers do not quote the same things. One price includes tooling, another does not. One is internal dimensions, another is external. The way through is a fixed list of questions that you ask every supplier identically, so the answers line up in a column.
Nine questions, asked of everyone
- What is included in this price? Specifically the die, the printing plates, design or dieline work, the proof, and shipping. Any of those charged separately changes the comparison.
- Are these dimensions internal or external? Get it in writing on the quote, not in an email.
- What is the minimum order, and does the minimum apply per size or per order? A brand with three box sizes needs to know this before it commits.
- Where is this manufactured, and what does that do to the lead time? Domestic and overseas production are different schedules, not just different prices.
- What does the quoted turnaround exclude? Proof approval time, artwork correction time and transit are commonly outside the production number.
- What board or stock is this, exactly? A grade, a caliper or a flute, not an adjective.
- What happens on a reorder? Is the die kept, are the plates kept, and does the second run price differ.
- Who owns the dieline file? If you leave, can you take the structural file with you.
- What is the process if the run is wrong? Ask before you need the answer.
Where the cost actually hides
Three places, in order of how often they bite. Tooling and plates charged as extras after the quote is accepted. Freight added at the end on a heavy, bulky product. And a lead time that looked short because it was measured from proof approval while the proof sat for a week waiting on your own sign off. None of these are dishonest on their own; they only hurt when you compared two quotes that treated them differently.
How we answer the same nine
| Question | Our answer |
|---|---|
| What is included | Die and plates, design support, US shipping and a digital proof before anything prints |
| Minimum order | 100 boxes |
| Price basis | From about $0.48 per unit at bulk volumes, confirmed on your written quote |
| Where it is made | Two plants: West Chicago in the US and Guangzhou in China |
| Turnaround | Three lanes: Rush (expedited production plus air freight), Standard (air), Cost saver (sea), from about 7 business days, plus 2 to 5 for delivery. Specialty imported items can run up to about 12 weeks |
| Rush cost | A premium of about 7 to 25%, depending on the job |
| Dimensions | Stated and confirmed as internal or external on the written quote |
Two things worth more than price
The first is whether the supplier asks you questions back. A quote returned without anyone asking what goes in the box, how it ships, or how it is stored is a quote for a box shape, not for your packaging. The second is whether they will tell you no. A supplier who agrees that a thin board will survive a heavy product is not doing you a favour.
Getting a comparable quote from us
Send the product dimensions or the finished internal size, the packed weight, how it ships and how it is stored, the quantity you want priced, and your deadline. We will come back with a board, a size stated as internal, a lane and a price. If you are still working out what to ask for structurally, how to size a single wall box and what a packaging proof is cover the two questions that come up most.
When you have the five lines, send them to /quote/. If we are not the right fit for the job, we would rather tell you early than quote it anyway.
