Comparing packaging suppliers fairly means forcing them to quote the same thing. Write one specification - internal dimensions, board or film grade, format, finish and quantity - issue it to everyone, and compare on delivered cost per order rather than price per unit. Quotes against different specifications cannot be compared at all, which is the usual reason a tender produces a confusing spread.
- Why most packaging comparisons are not comparisons
- Write the specification once, issue it to everyone
- Compare on delivered cost per order
- Ask for the same quantity breaks
- Test the things a price list cannot show
- A fair comparison sometimes ends with a cheaper specification
- The short version
- Frequently asked questions
Why most packaging comparisons are not comparisons
A buyer sends three suppliers a request for 'a 400 x 300 x 200 box, price per thousand' and receives three very different numbers. The natural conclusion is that one is expensive. The more likely explanation is that they have quoted three different boxes.
External or internal dimensions. Single wall or double. Which flute, which liner grades. Plain or printed. Delivered or ex-works. Each of those moves the price legitimately, and none of them was specified.
Write the specification once, issue it to everyone
The single most useful thing you can do is put the specification in writing before you approach the market. It does not need to be elaborate.
- Internal dimensions, stated as internal, with a tolerance.
- Board construction - wall, flute and liner - or film type and gauge.
- Format and closure: regular slotted, die-cut, crash-lock, book wrap, tray and lid.
- Print: plain, or colour count and coverage.
- Annual volume and the order quantity you want priced.
- Delivery point and whether the price should be delivered.
If you do not know what to put in those boxes, that is a specification exercise rather than a buying exercise - see packaging materials.
Compare on delivered cost per order
Unit price is one input. The comparison that decides the right supplier is what each option costs you per despatch once everything else is included.
| Line | Why it belongs in the comparison |
|---|---|
| Carton or mailer | The obvious one, and usually the smallest |
| Void fill per pack | A near-fit carton needs more of it on every order |
| Pack time | Fewer components and a fitted format pack faster |
| Carriage band | Dimensions decide which band the order falls into |
| Damage rate | Protection that does not fit converts to replacements |
| Storage | Bulky stock occupies space you are paying for |
| Reorder lead time | A production lead time is a risk; held stock is not |
The comparison line items that matter.
Most of those are knowable from your own data before any supplier is involved.
Ask for the same quantity breaks
Quantity is where quotes diverge hardest. One supplier prices your stated quantity, another prices their nearest run, and the two are not comparable.
Ask every supplier for the same two or three quantities and for where their own break points fall. That reveals the economic run for the specification, which is frequently larger than a business can store - and is exactly what packaging stockholding exists to solve.
Test the things a price list cannot show
- Ask for a sample against the specification. Put your real product in it.
- Ask what they would change. A supplier who proposes nothing has not engaged with the product.
- Ask about reorder mechanics. Is the stock already made? What is the call-off quantity? What is the reorder point?
- Ask who holds the tooling and what happens to it if you move.
- Ask for a reference use case similar to your product and journey.
A fair comparison sometimes ends with a cheaper specification
The useful outcome of a comparison is not always a new supplier. Frequently it is the discovery that the specification itself was wrong - over-specified board, a box ladder with duplicate rungs, or a protective material treating a movement problem as a cushioning one.
If that is the likely answer, run a packaging review before the tender rather than after it. Buying the wrong specification more cheaply is a smaller win than buying the right one.
The short version
- Write one specification and issue it to everyone.
- State internal dimensions, board construction, format, finish and quantity.
- Compare delivered cost per order, not price per unit.
- Ask every supplier for the same quantity breaks.
- Review your specification before the tender, not after it.
Frequently asked questions
How many suppliers should we approach?
Three is usually enough to see the spread. More than that adds administration without adding information, provided they are all quoting the same written specification.
Should we always pick the cheapest quote?
Only if it is genuinely the same specification delivered to the same place with the same reorder mechanics. Those three conditions are rarer than they sound.
What if suppliers propose different formats?
That is useful rather than annoying - but price them separately on delivered cost per order so you are comparing outcomes rather than boxes.
How do we handle printed packaging in a comparison?
Ask for setup to be stated separately from unit cost, and for the run over which it is spread. See custom printed packaging.
Can WSUK quote against a specification we already have?
Yes. Send it over and we will quote it as written - and tell you if we think the specification itself is costing you money. See packaging supplies.