Wholesale · Pricing
A custom packaging quote is a sum of six things. Once you know them, two suppliers' prices stop looking random — and you can see which line is worth changing.
Cost lines
Ask for them separately — a single total cannot be compared with anyone else's single total.
Grey board weight, art paper, kraft, corrugated flute and speciality stock are the largest single line. Moving from 1,200 g to 1,500 g grey board, or from a standard liner to a white top liner, changes the unit price before anything is printed.
Offset needs plates; digital does not. One or two Pantone colours cost less to set up than full CMYK process, and printing inside as well as outside roughly doubles the print line.
Foil stamping, embossing, spot UV, matt or gloss lamination and die-cut windows each add a pass through a separate machine, plus tooling where a die is needed. Two finishes cost more than twice one finish.
Cutting dies, foil blocks and print plates are one-off costs charged on the first order. They are reused on reorders at the same size, which is why the second run is cheaper per unit.
Hand assembly, insert fitting, ribbon pulls and individual poly bagging are labour lines. A rigid box is assembled by hand; a folding carton ships flat. That difference shows up in the unit price.
Cartons are bulky, so shipping is charged on volume rather than weight. Sea freight is cheapest per unit but slowest; air and express cost more. Duty and tax depend on the destination and the terms you choose.
Pricing
Discount-led sites are not lying — they are pricing differently. Four reasons we do not run that model.
A discount is measured against a reference price. Our quote is built from board, print and finishing for your spec, so there is nothing to mark up and mark down.
Tooling and setup are paid on the first run. A reorder at the same size starts from an existing setup, which is a real and repeatable saving rather than a campaign.
A quote is valid for the period stated on it. We do not raise it after you have planned around it, and we do not create urgency with a countdown.
A breakdown by line, three quantity breaks, and a cost-down review. Those are more useful than a percentage that was already in the price.
Tooling
It is a real offer, and it is worth understanding before you compare it with a quote that lists tooling.
Cutting dies and print plates cost money to make. A supplier that does not charge for them separately has either absorbed them into the unit price or is reusing an existing die.
Free tooling often means the box is cut from a house die. That is fine if a standard size fits your product, and a problem if it does not.
If tooling was baked into the first unit price, a reorder at the same quantity should cost less. Ask for the reorder price before you order.
We charge tooling separately and show it as its own line. On a reorder at the same size and design it is not charged again.
Cost
A packaging audit usually finds one or two of these. None of them require a worse-looking box.
If the product and transit allow it, a lighter board weight cuts the largest line in the quote. We test the fit before recommending it.
Oversized boxes pay for board, print area and freight volume. Trimming 10 mm off each dimension is often the cheapest saving available.
Foil, emboss and spot UV are separate passes. One finish used well usually reads better than three used everywhere.
Each ink adds make-ready. A two-colour design on coloured stock can replace a three-colour design on white.
Two items in the same board and colours can share a print sheet, so the setup is paid once.
Setup is fixed per run. A larger run spreads it further — but only order what you can sell through.
Comparing quotes
Buyer questions
What the quote includes, what it does not, and how to compare it.
Send your product size and quantity and we will answer with specifics.
Next in this guide
Price is half the question. The next guide covers freight, duty and the terms that change the total.
Get a quote
Send your spec — size, board, print and finish. We reply within 12 hours.
Inquiry
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