Min. 100 units · 3–5 days
Mailer Boxes
Custom Mailers
Specify thisCustom Mailers
E Commerce Boxes
Bespoke e Commerce Boxes manufactured to order, with material and finish chosen around how the product ships.
- Minimum order
- 100 units
- Production
- 3–5 business days
- Construction
- folding carton
- Delivery
- US, UK, Canada, Australia
No obligation
Price this against your route
Name, email, phone and what you are packing and how it ships. Attach artwork if you have it. We reply with a specification and a written price, usually within one business day.
What e commerce boxes have to cope with
E Commerce Boxes hold mixed-SKU orders where one box size has to serve a whole product range. That is the starting point for the specification, because fewer sizes chosen well beats more sizes chosen reactively, because every extra size adds pick time and storage as well as purchasing.
In service they are used for fulfilment operations picking mixed orders where the packer chooses a size in seconds.
Where e commerce boxes are actually used
E Commerce Boxes are specified for fulfilment operations picking mixed orders where the packer chooses a size in seconds. Fewer sizes chosen well beats more sizes chosen reactively, because every extra size adds pick time and storage as well as purchasing.
- Fulfilment operations picking mixed orders where the packer chooses a size in seconds
- Shelf display in specialty retail
- Subscription and gift sets
- E-commerce inner packaging
The substrate for e commerce boxes
E-flute across the set, stepping to B-flute only on the largest size where the span and the load both increase.
The options we would consider for this format are below; fewer sizes chosen well beats more sizes chosen reactively, because every extra size adds pick time and storage as well as purchasing.
- 12pt SBS paperboard
- 14pt SBS paperboard
- 16pt SBS paperboard
- 18pt kraft board
- recycled CCNB board
How e commerce boxes fail, and what prevents it
The middle size does most of the work and is slightly wrong for everything, so damage and dimensional weight are both higher than they need to be.
Fewer sizes chosen well beats more sizes chosen reactively, because every extra size adds pick time and storage as well as purchasing.
Printing e commerce boxes
Print one design across all sizes rather than per size — the setup is per artwork, so a shared design keeps the whole set economical.
Offset lithography, Digital press, Flexography are all available for this format. Run length usually decides which is cheapest: digital removes the plate cost on short quantities, offset and flexo overtake it at volume.
Finishing e commerce boxes
Print one design across all sizes rather than per size — the setup is per artwork, so a shared design keeps the whole set economical.
Finishes are costed one at a time because each is a separate operation — that way you can see which one is carrying the price.
- Gloss lamination
- Matte lamination
- Soft-touch lamination
- Spot UV
- Foil stamping
- Embossing
- Debossing
- Aqueous coating
Sizing e commerce boxes
Usually specified as a set of three or four sizes covering the range rather than as a single box.
Send the contents rather than a box size. Operations add a box size whenever a product does not fit, and end up running six when three chosen properly would cover the same range.
What moves the price
Four things drive a quote more than anything else: the quantity, the print route, the board grade and the number of finishing passes. Dimensions matter too, but usually through how efficiently the shape nests on the press sheet.
Prices start from $0.30 per piece for large-volume orders. If a cheaper route exists we say so at quoting rather than after the invoice.
Getting them to you, and onward
Cartons ship flat in bulk cases, which keeps freight cost low even on large runs.
Delivery windows are confirmed in writing when your order moves into production, and we flag any risk to the date before you approve rather than after.
Preparing artwork
Supply artwork on the dieline we send you, with 3 mm bleed past every trim edge and all text held 4 mm inside the fold lines.
Supply a print-ready PDF or vector file with fonts outlined and images at 300 dpi. Our prepress team checks every file before a proof is issued. The check that catches most files is type sitting too close to a crease, which is easier to move at layout than at proof.
From enquiry to delivery
Tell us what goes inside, how many you need and when. Those three answers are enough for us to specify and price the job properly.
We send a dieline sized to your product, check your artwork and issue a proof. For shipping formats we will also flag it if the pack looks a size larger than it needs to be.
Proving it before the run
We can produce a plain unprinted sample so you can check the fit and structure of e commerce boxes before committing.
Sample costs are normally credited against the production order.
Reference
E Commerce Boxes at a specification level
| Product | E Commerce Boxes |
|---|---|
| Category | Custom Mailers |
| Construction | Die-cut, creased and seam-glued |
| Board thickness | 12pt – 18pt depending on product weight |
| Ships as | Flat-packed, glued one seam |
| Materials | 12pt SBS paperboard, 14pt SBS paperboard, 16pt SBS paperboard, 18pt kraft board |
| Printing | Offset lithography, Digital press, Flexography |
| Finishes | Gloss lamination, Matte lamination, Soft-touch lamination, Spot UV, Foil stamping |
| Minimum order | Minimum order is 100 units on any format, and unit cost falls sharply as the quantity rises. |
| Lead time | 3 to 5 business days after artwork approval |
| Shipping | Across the US, UK, Canada and Australia |
Specification builder
Specify E Commerce Boxes in under a minute
Set what you know, leave the rest. Everything here travels with your request, so nothing gets retyped.
- 100-unit minimum
- 3–5 day production
- Free dieline
- No obligation
E Commerce
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What you get
What you get with this format
Cut to the load
Usually specified as a set of three or four sizes covering the range rather than as a single box.
The damage this prevents
The middle size does most of the work and is slightly wrong for everything, so damage and dimensional weight are both higher than they need to be.
Where it is used
Specified for fulfilment operations picking mixed orders where the packer chooses a size in seconds.
The detail that decides it
Fewer sizes chosen well beats more sizes chosen reactively, because every extra size adds pick time and storage as well as purchasing.
This format sits in our custom mailers range, alongside 31 other made-to-order formats.
Answers
E Commerce Boxes in transit: what buyers ask
Specification, minimums and lead times for e commerce boxes.
How many box sizes should we run?
Usually three or four chosen against your actual SKU dimensions, not six added reactively. Send the range and we will propose a set — each extra size costs pick time and storage as well as purchasing.
How do I reduce dimensional weight?
Measure the product rather than the box currently in use. Most operations we quote are running at least one size too large with void fill compensating, and dropping a band saves on every parcel e commerce boxes carry.
Should the outside be printed?
That is a brand decision, not a cost or protection one. For direct-to-consumer parcels where the customer opens it, print can be worth it. For business deliveries it usually is not.
Do e commerce boxes arrive flat or assembled?
Flat and glued along one seam, so they pop open on your packing line. That keeps freight cost down considerably compared with a pre-assembled structure.
Where do you deliver?
All 50 US states, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, on the same timeline everywhere: 3 to 5 business days of production after artwork approval, then 5 to 7 business days in transit. Every run is made to order and shipped directly to your address rather than pulled from stock, so you receive current production rather than whatever has been sitting in a warehouse. Freight is costed separately by weight, volume and destination. If you are shipping to a fulfilment centre rather than your own address, send their receiving requirements with the order — pallet height and labelling rules are usually fixed and refusals are expensive.
Can I order e commerce boxes in a custom size?
Every run is cut to your dimensions — there are no stock sizes here. Send the product measurements rather than a box size and we will build the folding carton around them, then send a dieline template you can design onto.
What happens after I approve the quote?
We issue a dieline template sized to your product, prepress checks your artwork against it, and a proof comes back for sign-off. Nothing runs until you approve that proof, and folding cartons then take 3 to 5 business days.
Can you hold the specification for repeat orders?
Yes. Once a first run is approved we hold the board, structure, dimensions, print method and finishes against your account, so a reorder references the same specification exactly rather than being re-derived. It also means a reorder can be priced against a larger quantity without re-opening the specification.
Do you offer recycled or recyclable options?
Recycled grades are available across most of the substrates we run for folding cartons. Recycled content, kerbside recyclability and certified compostability are three different claims though, so tell us which one you intend to print.
What file format should I send artwork in?
A print-ready PDF or a vector file, with fonts outlined and any raster images at 300 dpi at final size. We supply the dieline to design onto, and prepress checks bleed, safe area and crease clearance before issuing a proof. The dieline we supply carries the crease positions, so keeping type clear of a crease is easier to solve at layout than at proof.
What is the minimum order for e commerce boxes?
A flat 100 units on any format. Most folding cartons in this range are quoted from 100 units upward because unit cost falls sharply above that, but the minimum exists so you can validate a structure first.
How long do e commerce boxes take to produce?
3 to 5 business days after artwork approval, plus freight. Folding carton runs with applied finishes can take longer because each finish is a separate pass, and we confirm a firm date in writing with the quote.
Next step
Quote E Commerce Boxes
Send the dimensions, the quantity and how it ships. We reply with a full specification and a written price, usually within one business day.