Lingerie packaging has one complication that most soft goods do not: a single box usually has to serve a whole size run, and the difference between the smallest and largest size in that run is real. The box that presents a sample size beautifully will be a fight to close two sizes up.
Fold the top of the range first
Take the largest size you sell, in the fullest style you sell, and have someone fold it the way your packing team folds it on a busy day. Then build the presentation around it: tissue, the belly band, the card, whatever the customer opens. Measure the finished bundle, pressed lightly flat, and use that as your internal dimension. Working from the largest size costs you a slightly roomier box on small sizes, which tissue solves, and it removes the packing problem entirely.
What the presentation adds
- Tissue wrap: very little on a single sheet, noticeable when a set is individually wrapped.
- Belly band or ribbon: adds to height wherever it crosses the bundle.
- Insert card or thank you note: thin, but it has to lie flat without bending.
- Poly or garment bag: adds a little on every axis and changes how the bundle slides into a tight box.
Rigid box or printed mailer
| Rigid box | Printed mailer | |
|---|---|---|
| Feel | Gift and boutique, holds shape | Modern ecommerce, lighter |
| Ships alone | Usually needs an outer shipper | Yes, designed for the parcel network |
| Board | Chipboard base with a printed wrap | E flute corrugated, about 1/16 inch caliper |
| Freight | Heavier and bulkier unless collapsible | Ships flat, lower cube |
| Lead time | Longer, especially with specialty wraps | Shorter |
Two details that get missed
First, depth tolerance. Soft goods settle, so a box that is very slightly deep looks under filled on opening. Tissue and a card fix that at almost no cost, and they are cheaper than resizing after launch. Second, opening experience. If the box is meant to be kept, the lid needs to lift cleanly without the customer having to pull the garment out first, which is a function of internal depth and how tightly the bundle sits.
Minimum, price and lead time
The minimum is 100 boxes. Pricing starts from about $0.48 per unit at bulk volumes, confirmed on your written quote. Three turnaround lanes are quoted per product: rush, which is expedited production plus air freight and runs roughly 7 to 25 percent above standard depending on the job, standard on air, and cost saver on sea. The floor is about 7 business days in production plus 2 to 5 days for delivery, and specialty rigid constructions can run up to about 12 weeks. The cutting die, the printing plates, design support, US shipping and a digital proof are included, so an internal size built around your largest folded size costs no more to tool than a generic one.
To order, see custom lingerie boxes. If the pack ships direct to customers rather than to a shop, the thickness logic in how to size a flat mailer is worth reading first. Send your folded bundle measurement with a quote request.
