5 Key Components of Custom Packaging Price Quotes

Packaging is an integral part of retail businesses. It plays roles in innumerable aspects of your business, from product marketing, branding, and product recognition by the customers to protection, preservation, and carriage. While choosing packaging suppliers, businesses mostly compare the price per unit or quantity, however, when it comes to custom packaging suppliers, things change. In the custom packaging sector, it is unwise to select a supplier solely on their price estimation. Since you get to customize your packaging design, material, and printing method, the pricing scheme for custom packaging differs from others.

Our advice to businesses looking for packaging services is to go through these 5 important steps to finalize their supplier:

Price per Unit/Quantity:

Knowing the price over different quantities is important; because some packaging suppliers have a diminutive difference in price between packaging quantities. You might as well find out that ordering a few extra hundreds or thousands of packaging units, the final price per unit ends up very low. The very basic observation while comparing different suppliers is to make sure the quantity they are offering is the same too.

Packaging Material:

The packaging price estimation must always list the type of material used for packaging. The same goes for the strength, coloring, and coatings of the packaging material. When comparing the price quotes from different suppliers, it is important to also compare the materials since cheaper prices could also mean materials of lower quality. For instance, if you get a price listing from 3 different packaging suppliers and two have prices not so different yet the third has a significantly lower price, you need to check for the packaging material. It could be possible that the supplier uses a cheaper material or one that is normally used by their company.

Tooling Cost:

If you are expecting to reorder from a supplier and not planning on changing anything about your packaging i.e. packaging dimensions and emboss or deboss elements, then tooling costs will be a one-time payment. However, if anything changes in your order, let’s say the artwork or packaging shape, then new tools will be charged for.

Tools are different in the process of packaging. They can be cutting dies, foil dies, embossing or debossing dies, etc.

Date of Validity for Pricing:

Prices of raw materials used to make packaging for your businesses, often keep changing since the market is dynamic. From the time you receive a pricing list to the time of your order placement, there can be changes in material price at any point. These updated prices are not normally applied to your business unless the supplier reaches a price limit that is out of their affordability range.

Since price quotes are only valid for 30 days, placing orders with different prices should not come as a surprise since the costs can change during the gap. However, this does not necessarily mean that the prices could only go up, sometimes they can cost lesser too.

Printing Methods:

Different printing methods have different costs. If you choose custom printing for your packaging, you need to know what printing method the supplier intends to use. Although printing types can change the range of your cost dramatically, they also have their strengths and weaknesses.

A pricing list can be difficult to comprehend and make a choice over, however, we hope this list of components has been a guide to you. Bear in mind that the reputation of a packaging supplier also matters. Companies with good services always tend to have a good reputation.