We are very sensitive to the fact that many of our customers are start-ups or are launching new sites and new products so cash flow may not be positive at this stage. We strive to make sure the customer is well...
I should probably thank USPS for the continued interest in e-commerce boxes that have a peel and seal adhesive strip and an easy open perforated tear strip, because they have been offering these to the public for years. After all, many of the people we...
The Start UP and New Entrepreneur's Guide to E-Commerce Packaging We work with a lot of start-up companies and new entrepreneurs who have never bought packaging before. We have spent hundreds of hours teaching people about everything packaging including subjects like triple white board, custom designed...
Right-size your e-commerce boxes for big savings There are many reasons to “right size” or minimize the size of your e-commerce boxes. For example, many of our customers utilize a fulfillment operation and it is no secret that they charge per pallet to store your products...
FAQs about flood coated and near full coverage flexographic printing for E-commerce and subscription boxes. One of the most popular and easiest ways to enhance your customers’ unboxing experience is by printing it with a lot of ink to add color and achieve that increasingly...
There are many ways we help our customers reduce cost on their subscription or direct to consumer (D2C) packaging. Sometimes it is on the cost of the box itself, but quite often a less noticeable change has a much bigger impact on the bottom line. For...
Sustainable E-commerce Packaging – The good, the bad and the ugly The good, the Bad and the Ugly is not only the title of one of my favorite old (1966) Clint Eastwood westerns, it is also a good way to describe the way I see...
Salazar Packaging in the News – E-commerce and Subscription Packaging One thing you can count on is that business is ever evolving and changing. That is especially true of relatively new businesses such as subscription boxes, as well as virtually every form of e-commerce packaging. We...
The Cost of Custom Printed, Branded D2C Packaging Most of the people who call or email us have one key question on their minds: how much is this going to cost? Since we have many different products and even more variables, we can’t refer to...
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We have spent a great deal of time suggesting the idea of “right sizing”, which is essentially only using as large of a shipping container as is truly needed for any product being shipped. Minimizing the size of a shipping box is green and economical because it also minimizes everything that goes along with it such as the necessary void fill and tape used to seal the box.
Disturbing Trend – Minimum Allowable Box Size
Two months ago we found out about a major electronics retailer who instituted an 8” cube minimum box size. Keep in mind that an 8” cube box is actually EIGHT times larger and eight times the waste compared to a 4” cube box. Then, just a week ago a large ladies accessory retailer notified their suppliers and vendors that they too had adopted a new “minimum allowable inbound shipping container.”
It appears this policy is designed to eliminate product loss because smaller boxes have a tendency of becoming lost or damaged in a high volume receiving environment at many large retail operations. This policy is not very positive in terms of packaging sustainability but perhaps it is necessary and important.
Greener Options
In the spirit of “you can’t fight city hall,” perhaps the best we can do is offer some suggestions to minimize the negative green aspects of this change, as well as minimizing the cost.