Ten signals that packaging has stopped being decided and started being inherited: too many box sizes, void fill chosen at the bench, nobody can state the damage rate, unexamined carrier surcharges, packaging occupying sellable racking, short print runs, a changed despatch profile, one protection standard across a mixed range, no written pack spec, and complaints about packaging from customers.
- 1. You hold more box sizes than anyone can justify
- 2. The packer decides how much protection to use
- 3. Nobody can tell you the damage rate
- 4. There are surcharge lines on the carrier invoice nobody has interrogated
- 5. Packaging is occupying space that should hold product
- 6. You order short print runs because there is nowhere to put a full one
- 7. Your despatch profile changed and your packaging did not
- 8. One protection standard covers a mixed range
- 9. There is no written pack specification
- 10. Customers mention your packaging - and not kindly
- The short version
- Frequently asked questions
1. You hold more box sizes than anyone can justify
Count them. If several nearly duplicate each other, each is costing stock, bench space and a decision on every order. A ladder that grew is different from one that was designed.
2. The packer decides how much protection to use
If the amount of fill is a judgement call rather than a specification, your damage rate varies by shift and cannot be improved systematically. A written standard per SKU group is what makes damage predictable - see protective packaging.
3. Nobody can tell you the damage rate
Not the complaints, not the credits - the rate, by format, and what the failure mode is. If the answer is 'we get a few', the information needed to fix it does not exist yet, and collecting it is free.
4. There are surcharge lines on the carrier invoice nobody has interrogated
Volumetric, oversize and handling surcharges are packaging decisions wearing a carriage costume. If they appear every month and nobody has traced them back to a pack format, there is money there. See postal and parcel packaging.
5. Packaging is occupying space that should hold product
Board is bulky and low in value per cubic metre - the worst possible thing to store in space you pay for. If a corner of the unit is given over to it, that is a cost nobody has attributed to packaging. packaging stockholding is the usual answer.
6. You order short print runs because there is nowhere to put a full one
Print and die-cut carry a setup spread across the run. Ordering a quarter of the run does not cut the price by a quarter. Paying the short-run premium indefinitely because of a storage constraint is a solvable problem, not a fact of life.
7. Your despatch profile changed and your packaging did not
Businesses that have grown from pallets into parcels, or added a marketplace channel, frequently still hold packaging specified for the old shape of the traffic. A parcel network handles goods far more roughly and far less predictably than a pallet journey - the same product genuinely needs a different pack. See ecommerce packaging.
8. One protection standard covers a mixed range
A single standard across robust and fragile lines is simultaneously over-specified for one and inadequate for the other. That is the most expensive configuration available: you pay for protection you do not need and still take the damage.
9. There is no written pack specification
If a new starter could not pack an order correctly from a document, the standard lives in somebody's head. That is a training cost, a consistency problem and a risk when that person is on holiday. packaging for fulfilment covers what a written standard contains.
10. Customers mention your packaging - and not kindly
Excessive packaging, a rattling box, something that needed a knife to open, or a return that could not be re-sealed. Customers rarely comment on packaging that works, so comments are a signal worth taking seriously.
| Signal | Likely root cause | Where to look |
|---|---|---|
| Too many sizes | Ladder grew rather than designed | Box ladder review |
| Fill chosen at the bench | No written standard | Protection spec per SKU group |
| Unknown damage rate | No cause data | Keep damaged returns for a fortnight |
| Surcharges | Packs over a band threshold | Measure against carrier bands |
| Packaging in racking | Run quantities stored in-house | Stockholding and call-off |
| Short print runs | Storage constraint | Stockholding and call-off |
What each signal usually points at.
If three or more of these sound familiar, the issue is not any single line item - it is that packaging has stopped being managed. A review is how it gets back under control.
The short version
- Too many box sizes, several of which nearly duplicate each other.
- Protection decided by the packer rather than by specification.
- Nobody can state the damage rate by format or by cause.
- Carrier surcharge lines nobody has traced back to a pack.
- Three or more of the ten signs means packaging has stopped being managed.
Frequently asked questions
How many of these signs justify a review?
Three or more generally means there is enough to find. One, if it is the damage one, is usually worth acting on by itself.
We only despatch a few hundred orders a month. Is a review worth it?
Possibly not as a formal exercise, but the measurement steps are worth doing yourself - box sizes against product dimensions, and packs against carrier bands. Those two checks take an afternoon.
Which sign is the most expensive to ignore?
Usually the carrier surcharges, because they recur on every order and nothing visibly goes wrong. Damage is a close second because it costs several times the item value.
Can we do this ourselves?
The measurement, yes. The part people find hard is deciding what to change without moving cost from one area into another - see packaging review and cost reduction.
What if the review finds nothing?
Then you know, in writing, that your packaging is sound - which is worth something. We would rather report that than invent an opportunity.