Test a new packaging supplier before ordering 500 boxes
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by Verpakkingdeals.nl
6 min reading time
Switching to another supplier rarely goes wrong on price, but it often does on dimensions, adhesion, and delivery time. This is how you can test that for a few tens of euros before making a large purchase.
You order five hundred boxes from a new supplier because they are eight cents cheaper per piece. When the pallet arrives, you find that the internal dimensions are three millimeters narrower than you're used to, meaning your standard product just barely doesn't fit without forcing it. Now you have five hundred boxes and a problem.
Switching to another supplier is almost never wrong on price. Issues arise with dimensions, tape not adhering to different cardboard, a bundle not being correct, or a delivery time only deviating when you really need it. You can test all of this for a few tens of euros. Here's how.
First, order the smallest available packaging
The first order from a new supplier is not a purchase, it's a trial. So find the smallest unit of each item you are considering and order one of each.
The point is not to use up those hundred boxes. The point is to actually use ten of them, with your own products, at your own packing station, and to notice what is different.
Measure yourself and record what you measure
A product page lists dimensions. What you need to determine yourself is whether those are internal or external dimensions, and whether your product fits with padding.
Place a ruler inside the assembled box and measure the interior length, width, and height. Then measure a box you already use and compare the numbers. For letterbox boxes, pay specific attention to the height, as that's where the limit for fitting through the letterbox lies. The exact maximum height varies per carrier and can change; for this, check the customer service page on dimensions of the carrier you use, for example PostNL on letterbox packages, and measure your assembled box against that.
Then weigh one empty box on a kitchen scale. Cardboard that is a few grams lighter is usually also thinner. You won't notice this with one package, but you will with the number of damaged shipments after a month. If you compare the Cardboard Shipping Box 15x15x15 cm - White for € 1.99 with a heavier variant, you'll immediately see that difference on the scale.
Test the tape on the box you actually use
Tape and cardboard are a combination, not two separate products. Tape that adheres perfectly to smooth white cardboard may come loose on recycled brown cardboard with a rough surface, and vice versa.
Therefore, do this test. Seal three boxes with the new tape according to your normal method. Place one in a cold room overnight, for example, a garage or shed. Let the second one sit for twenty-four hours with the weight you normally ship inside. For the third one, peel off the tape after an hour and see if any cardboard fiber comes off with it. If fiber comes off, it adheres well. If the tape comes off cleanly, the shipment will open en route.
Similarly, test your void fill. A Bubble Wrap Roll 500 mm x 500 m Transparent for € 12.95 varies by supplier in film thickness and bubble size. Wrap one of your most fragile products in it and drop the package from table height onto the floor. This isn't a scientific test, but it tells you enough.
Calculate the price per piece, including everything
Never compare bundle prices without dividing. One hundred letterbox boxes for € 17.95 is eighteen cents per box; the larger Recycled Letterbox Box 255 x 160 x 28 mm (A5+) Bundle 100 pieces for € 24.00 comes out to twenty-four cents. Six rolls of tape for € 21.00 is € 3.50 per roll, compared to € 3.00 for a single KINZO Packaging Tape. Such a thirty-second calculation prevents a "value pack" from being more expensive than individual items.
Then add two things that are often forgotten. First, the shipping costs of the supplier itself: these can completely negate a price advantage of five cents per box for small orders. Second, your own consumption. If you have to apply two layers of cheaper tape instead of one, that tape is not cheaper.
Finally, calculate what you spend per package on box, tape, void fill, and seal combined. That single number is what you compare suppliers on, not the individual item prices.
Check if they can still deliver in three months
A supplier who has one bundle in stock today is not a supplier you build your entire autumn season on. Therefore, for the items you plan to purchase regularly, check the stock level on the product page, and preferably order the trial shipment during a quiet period so you get an accurate delivery time measurement.
Also pay attention to batch differences. If you order the same box twice with a few weeks in between, place the items side by side. A difference in color or thickness is not a problem for a shipping box, but it is if your customers see the packaging and you want to maintain brand consistency. For items like Bubble Envelopes Metallic 22x17 cm - 3 colors from € 0.90, such a difference is immediately noticeable.
What you establish before ordering in bulk
Create one sheet with five lines: the measured internal dimensions, the weight per box, the result of the tape test, the price per piece including shipping costs, and the delivery time you actually measured. Keep a sample of the box with the date written on it.
If everything checks out, you can confidently order a larger quantity next time. If something deviates, you'll know exactly what and can articulate it instead of just saying "those boxes weren't good." And if you do switch, you can evaluate the next supplier against the exact same five points.
Do you want to conduct such a trial yourself? Individual rolls and small bundles can be found under Tape and Letterbox Packaging, the full range is available under Packaging & Shipping, and larger quantities under Value Packs for Webshops. If you want to know if a certain size fits your product before ordering, email your product's dimensions to info@verpakkingdeals.nl — and we'll help you find out.
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