Unboxing for small webshops: which box, filling, and seal do you choose?
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by Verpakkingdeals.nl
5 min reading time
How your package looks the moment the customer opens it largely determines the impression you leave behind. This article reviews the choices: box size, void fill, tape, and security seals, with real prices from our product range.
A customer orders an earring for €15 and receives a box three times too large, filled with crumpled paper and sealed with four layers of brown tape. The product arrived intact — technically, nothing went wrong. Yet, this is the moment when someone decides whether your store looks professional or not. Below is a sober walkthrough of the choices you make between "product on the table" and "package at the door."
Function first, then aesthetics
A beautiful box that tears open during transit is an expensive mistake. So, always start by asking if the packaging can withstand transport: does the product fit snugly, can it not shift, and can the box handle a fifteen-kilo stack on top? Only when that's true should you look at color, window, and finish. In practice, the latter part often costs only a few tens of euros per hundred packages, while it's the first thing the customer notices.
A second functional question: does the package fit through the letterbox? A letterbox-friendly box saves the customer a day of waiting at home. Our Recycled Mailbox Box 180 x 115 x 28 mm (A6) in a bundle of 100 pieces costs €17.95, which is about 18 cents per box. For flat products, this is almost always the cheapest route.
Box size: choose small, choose snug
The most common mistake in small webshops is buying one box size and stuffing everything into it. You then pay for air — in filling material, in volume, and sometimes in shipping costs. Two or three sizes cover 80% of orders for most stores. A brief comparison from our assortment:
For the higher segment — subscription boxes, gift sets, anything where the packaging is kept — a magnetic closure is worth considering. The White Packaging Box with Magnetic Closure 9.5 x 9 x 10 cm costs €5.00. That's a significant difference from €1.99, so calculate if your margin can support it.
Filling does two things at once
Filling material mainly prevents the product from shifting. A product that is secure almost never breaks. Bubble wrap remains the standard for this: a Bubble Wrap Roll of 500 mm x 500 m costs €12.95 and lasts for months for most small stores. If you need less, Bubble Wrap 50 x 500 cm for €5.00 is sufficient.
Additionally, you can use filling as a presentation. Pink Foam Hearts (±77 pieces) cost €4.99 and fill the space in a gift box without looking like mere stuffing. Note: foam filling holds a light product in place, but does not replace bubble wrap for something fragile.
If you're taping more than a handful of packages a day, a dispenser quickly pays for itself in time and straight tape edges. The Kinzo Tape Dispenser with 2 rolls costs €9.95.
Security seals: when to use them
A VOID seal leaves a visible trace as soon as someone removes it. This is useful for high-value packages, shipments where you frequently have discussions about missing contents, and products where the customer wants to be sure the packaging was unopened. A set of VOID Security Seal Stickers (60 pieces) costs €9.95, about 17 cents per package. For an €8 order, that's excessive; above €50, it's cheap insurance against hassle afterwards.
Do the math
A concrete example for a jewelry webshop: window box €1.99 + some foam filling (roughly €0.15 per package from a €4.99 bag) + tape (a few cents) + VOID seal €0.17. You're then looking at around €2.35 for packaging per package, excluding shipping costs. With an average order value of €30, that's about 8%. With an order value of €12, that's too much — then you choose the €0.18 mailbox box and put the difference into a handwritten card.
Four mistakes you can easily avoid
Too large a box. More filling needed, more volume, and the product still shifts.
Tape over the window. Sounds logical, looks sloppy. Tape the closure on the side.
Only buying one size. Two or three sizes cover almost everything and ultimately save money.
Forgetting what it looks like when opened. Once a month, unbox your own order as if you were the customer.
Get started
First, determine your two or three standard sizes, then choose the finish. All boxes, envelopes, and seals from this article can be found in Packaging & Shipping, tape and dispensers in Tape, filling material in Protection & Filling Material and loose boxes in Boxes. Do you doubt which size suits your product or want to know the cost for a larger purchase? Email your product dimensions to info@verpakkingdeals.nl and we'll help you think it through.
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