01
Is tooling included or absorbed?
Ask whether a die is charged separately and who keeps it between orders. A quote with no tooling line has the cost inside the unit price.
Wholesale · Comparison
How to compare packaging quotes
Two quotes that look the same per box can land very differently. Six checks, three quantity breaks and four numbers turn a price into a comparison.
Six checks
Six questions for any quote.
None of these mean a quote is wrong. They are the questions that turn a number into a comparison.
02
Which freight term?
Ex-works, FOB, DDP and DDU land at very different totals. Compare quotes on the same term, or convert them first.
03
Is the board weight the same?
A 100 g difference in board is invisible in a photo and visible in the price. Ask for the weight in writing.
04
How many print colours?
One, two or full process changes both setup and unit price. Also ask whether the inside is printed.
05
What quantity is the price for?
Compare at the same quantity. A price at 1,000 pcs cannot be set against one at 200.
06
What is the tolerance?
Over- and under-runs are normal in print and hand assembly. The accepted range should be written on the quote.
Quantity
Ask for three quantity breaks.
One number cannot tell you whether a price is good. Three can.
1
Why three
A single price hides whether the setup is heavy or the material is expensive. Three points show the shape of the curve.
Method
2
What must stay the same
Only the quantity should change between tiers. If the specification moves, the comparison is no longer valid.
Fair test
3
Where the curve flattens
Below a certain quantity, setup dominates. Above it, material and print dominate. The flattening point is where scaling stops paying.
Reading it
4
When not to scale
Stock ties up cash and shelf space. Ordering the tier above what you can sell through is a false saving.
Discipline
Landed cost
The four numbers you actually pay.
A unit price is the first of four. Comparing quotes on one number is how budgets go wrong.
- Unit price
- Goods
- Board, print, finishing and packing, per box.
- Freight
- Movement
- Charged on volume for packaging, not just weight.
- Duty & tax
- Entry
- Depends on destination and the terms you buy on.
- Rework
- Risk
- What a misprint or a bad fit costs to fix — often the largest of the four.
Spec sheet
Four groups every quote should list.
If one of these groups is missing from a quote, that is the line that will be argued about later.
- Material
- What it is made of
- Board type, weight or gsm, and the paper wrapped over it.
- How it is printed
- Method, number of colours, Pantone references, inside and outside.
- Finishing
- What is added
- Foil, emboss, spot UV, lamination, die-cut windows, inserts.
- Commercial
- The terms
- Quantity, tolerance, tooling, packing, price validity and payment split.
Design
Where free design stops.
Most suppliers include some design help. The useful question is which part is included.
01
Included: file preparation
Placing your artwork on a dieline, checking bleed, resolution, colour mode and fonts. This is technical work and we do it at no charge.
02
Included: dieline supply
A cutting template in your size, with folds, glue flaps and safe area marked.
03
Not included: brand design
Creating a logo, choosing a typeface or designing a label system is a different profession. We can advise; we do not replace a designer.
04
Not included: illustration
Custom patterns, characters and photography are sourced by you. We print what you approve.
Next in this guide
Where a quote comes from. The pricing guide breaks it into six cost lines and six places cost can come out.
Get a quote
Send us the quote you are comparing
Send the other quote and your specification. We will tell you which lines match, which do not, and where the difference sits.
Email
sales@boxeschina.com
Phone
+86 132 1510 9191
Factory
Weiyuan Road, Humen Town
Dongguan, Guangdong, China 523900
Hours
Mon-Fri, 9:00-18:00 (Beijing time)
Inquiry
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