Custom packaging is a common approach used by private label businesses to differentiate products from competitors. It costs a little but can increase product value, potentially a price increase of 5% or more. Plus, appropriate inserts can offer better protection during shipping.
I will tell you how small businesses start ordering custom packaging from China. They had the same questions as you do now. I will also offer my advice, given that we have helped many business owners with their packaging needs over the past ten years. Here are the details:
- Where to customize packaging: China suppliers or US printing shops?
- What is the first step for custom packaging?
- What is the process of custom packaging from China?
- How much is custom packaging from China?
- What are challenges when sourcing suppliers for small-scale custom packaging?
- How can Jingsourcing help you get high-quality, affordable packaging from China?
Where to customize packaging: China suppliers or US printing shops?
When googling “custom packaging”, it’s easy to find a lot of USA printing shops. They usually have their own professional design teams, and provide finer packaging custom services.
Browsing these US printing shops is like visiting a gallery. You can easily see diverse packaging templates according to product categories like clothing, food, beauty products, etc., or packaging types, such as shipping boxes, mailer boxes, labels, etc. Some large-scale printing shops also support DIY packaging services, like using Canva. Additionally, their minimum order quantities are very flexible, with some allowing orders from just one item.
Click to enlarge
In contrast, Chinese suppliers do not display as many packaging styles, detailed info, custom options, or visual pictures. For example, on Alibaba, you will find that most suppliers simply say they provide color, size, box thickness, logo, and pattern printing services, without more detailed info or pictures. Some integrate Alibaba’s built-in online customization, allowing you to make simple customizations, like adding text or uploading your image. Click to enlarge pics below.
Usually, people with preferred styles and some basic packaging concepts will search for and compare Chinese suppliers on Alibaba and Google. If you are a beginner without any ideas about packaging, US printing shops are better choices to quickly understand packaging essentials and get inspiration.
What is the first step for custom packaging?
When customizing packaging, many people rush into design. The first step, however, is to know your basic needs:
Select the packaging type based on your product: regular packing boxes, bags, or premium gift boxes.
Choose the suitable packaging size according to your product shape, volume, and weight, just like tailoring clothes to fit perfectly.
Plan to spend how much on custom packaging. Your budget determines used materials: eco-friendly paper, metal, plastic, glass, etc.
Decide if extra functions like moisture-proofing, anti-oxidation, light protection, or shock resistance are needed to well protect your products during transportation and storage.
Think about what you want to print on the packaging, such as the logo, special patterns, texts, etc., and how you would like to print them.
With these basics in mind, you can begin with packaging appearance and structure designs. This way, you can better and more quickly design the desired packaging effects.
What is the process of custom packaging from China?
Whether you work with us or Alibaba suppliers, the custom packaging process is the same and straightforward. Let me walk you through the process with a recent example. The packaging includes a product outer box, insert, and an instruction manual, which is a common standard package.
Step 1: Select your custom packaging type, size, and materials.
The first step is to choose the packaging types you need, like mailer boxes, bubble mailers, or pouches. Feel free to send us pictures of your preferred packaging.
Provide us with your product dimensions so we can calculate the packaging size to ensure it fits your products perfectly.
Tell us what kind of packaging materials you want. If you’re not sure, we’ll recommend suitable materials based on your product, box style, and budget, and offer you some suitable examples.
Recently, we had a client who wanted to customize packaging for 500 wireless chargers but didn’t know which box style, material, or price to choose. He only told us his 3 types of preferred packaging. Then, we offered him 3 box options with different materials and prices, so he could easily select the most suitable one. We also included the prices for an instruction manual page and an EVA tray – a common insert material for electronic products.
Click to enlarge “packaging quotes”
Step 2: Start packaging design and confirm specifications.
After you choose the packaging type, size, and materials, the printing factory will send you a die-cut template. This is a common file used in the printing and packaging industry, typically in AI or PDF format, for designing the packaging layout and detailed specifications.
Regarding packaging design, Chinese suppliers will usually support you. If you find communication challenging or time-consuming, consider finding a local designer, like US printing shops, or part-time graphic designers on Upwork and Fiverr. You just need to send him the die-cut template along with your confirmed product sample and tell him your requirements.
If you have some design knowledge, it’s easy for you to add text, images, logos, and other elements for layout design yourself. And specify details like the cardboard thickness & box size.
If not, be sure to experience our custom packaging design service. Here’s a simple custom box design we created for a client’s laundry detergent sheets.
Click to enlarge “simple custom box design case”
Our main service is to help clients source and customize products. We also conveniently handle clients’ packaging needs at very competitive prices, based on our 10+ year partnership with local packaging and printing factories.
Step 3: Make and confirm packaging samples, then start production.
After finalizing your packaging design and specifications, send us the profile. We find printing factories to make packaging samples, just like customizing products. Under normal circumstances, sample-making takes 3-5 days.
Once the factory finishes the packaging samples, we carefully inspect the appearance such as the printed texts and patterns. We also place the product inside the sample box to test and ensure it fits perfectly in both structure and size. We will take photos/videos for your review.
Once you approve the packaging sample, the printing factory will begin mass production. The lead time is usually 7-15 days, depending on materials, printing methods, box type, etc. Additionally, it is also convenient to send 500-1000 boxes by express, around 10 days to your door (US/EU).
How much is custom packaging from China?
Finding Chinese suppliers to customize packaging can be at least 60-70% cheaper compared to suppliers in the US and Europe. There are many Chinese suppliers in the packaging industry, offering a vast range of solutions for product packaging.
No matter whether your order is big or small, you have to pay a fixed fee which includes a print plate charge, die cut charge, and operating charge. Totally, it is around $150. The more you buy, the cheaper the price will be.
For example, we help clients find factories to customize 195*137*150mm corrugated mailer boxes. The unit price is $0.6 for 500 pieces, $0.4 for 1000 pieces, $0.35 for 2000 pieces, and $0.3 for 5000 pieces. And our clients usually customize more than 1,000 packaging boxes.
If you only want to put your logo on the basic box and don’t need to print the designed patterns, there is a cheaper way. You can buy in-stock boxes directly, print the logo on the sticker, and then paste it on the boxes.
There are many types of custom packaging, and many factors can affect the price, such as box type, material, size, printing method, quantity, etc. The specific price needs to be determined according to your custom requirements.
What are challenges when sourcing suppliers for small-scale custom packaging?
When sourcing products and custom small-scale packaging from China, such as 500 pieces, you’ll find most product factories unwilling to cooperate.
This is an objective issue. Because factories naturally focus on producing and selling the products. Custom packaging is an additional service, and they need to coordinate with printing factories. For your small quantities, most factories are unwilling to spend time negotiating and meeting your custom packaging requirements. Some might agree to custom packaging, but their prices can be high.
You can find printing factories on Alibaba if you have the time and energy. Although Alibaba’s MOQ is high, with patience, you can find those willing to accept small orders. I suggest choosing the printing factory near your product supplier to reduce transportation costs. Then, make comparisons just like you find product suppliers. The price you end up with might not be the most favorable but acceptable. After all, negotiating discounts for small orders is challenging.
How can Jingsourcing help you get high-quality, affordable packaging from China?
We are a local Chinese sourcing company, based in Yiwu, known as the “world’s small commodity market” and the “Chinese product packaging and printing industry base.” Also, we are very close to the famous “Chinese Printing City,” Wenzhou. We have a wealth of reliable Chinese printing factory resources at our disposal.
No matter if you need hundreds of thousands or just a few hundred units, we can quickly find printing factories to customize your packaging. Because we have developed long-term, good relationships with extensive printing factories.
Not only is our MOQ friendly to small businesses, but our prices are also the most competitive. With years of experience customizing various packaging for 4000+ clients, we are quite familiar with the costs of packaging materials and production. Definitely, we can negotiate a favorable price for you.
More importantly, we will guide you through the entire custom packaging process. In particular, startups may not have packaging design files. We’ll provide packaging examples based on your product, box type, size, and budget, smoothing your road to find the preferred style. Additionally, we help you select cost-effective materials and printing methods, and follow up on sample and bulk production.
Once the packaging is ready, let the printing factory send custom packaging to our warehouse for product packing. In this process, we will inspect both products and packaging to ensure quality meets your standards. Our role is to help you find high-quality, affordable packaging in China, making the process easy.
Further Asked Question
What types of packaging can JingSourcing customize?
We have helped many clients customize various types of packaging, such as:
Simple and high-end product packing boxes, such as tuck-top boxes, lock-bottom boxes, lid and base boxes, gift boxes, etc.
Varied-style product pouches and bags, etc.
Custom mailer boxes, bubble mailers, e-commerce shipping boxes, etc.
Packaging inserts and accessories, such as labels, stickers, packing taps, thank-you cards, product manuals, etc., to improve your customer’s unboxing experience.
Here are some examples of our custom packaging types. Click to enlarge.
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Thanks for sharing this informative article.
Nice post.
excellent post, very clear and easy to read. Thanks for all the hard work. Will be contacting your shortly for agent work.
Thanks, Scott. I’ll make more practical guides to help you guys in future.
Thank you for the good writeup. It in truth was once a enjoyment account it. Glance advanced to far brought agreeable from you.
Very good blog. Thanks for sharing such an informational idea. Altogether, packaging’s role in protecting its content has never been as important. It is also answering consumers’ new preferred formats when purchasing online, keep it up.
Thanks for your comment, we will write more excellent posts.
I think each that each firm or we can also say that each nation has their own and individual approach for product packaging. For China, I can say that they are packaging are belonging to top class and generally efficient in attracting new customers.
Thanks. If you need to customize packaging, welcome to find us.
Hi. you have posted great article, it really helpful to us.. I will refer this page to my friends;
Thanks for your comment and sharing!
Great Post. The packaging is one of the most important parts in the success of any company.
Nice article. Packaging is a big thing when sourcing products on China.
Packaging increases the life of any product. It also affects yours on sales. And thanks for writing the article on packaging.I think this is a standout significant the most information for me. Also, I’m happy perusing your article. A dedication of thankfulness is all around to publish it.
Thank you for your comment, James.
Customized Packaging helps a lot in branding and marketing of your business and I’m also agreed on the other points that you mentioned in the article. Keep up the good work.
Many thanks for your encouragement, we will keep going!
Great Article I have read your Full Article and it is very interesting
Thank you for your attention and praise. We will push more high-quality articles, you can share us with your friends.
Great post! Well, customize packaging is an excellent way to make your brand famous among various brands although the design needs to be creative for packaging beside that you can apply your design which looks elegant to see and the customer can buy your product because of you customize packaging.
Thanks for liking our posts, we will create more useful content for you.
Thanks for sharing this marvellous post. it is a very informative blog I really appreciate for this great information. And thank you for sharing…
Glad you like the post. We will create more useful content for you, you can subscribe to our newsletter to follow our updates.
Hi Jing, I am looking for someone who can make customised pouch package. We are a pet food manufacturing company based in Botswana, Africa
Hi， thanks for trusting us, we are the most popular sourcing agent in China, we will help with your pouch package customizing. Our support will contact you getting you a sourcing agent. Please check your inbox. Or you can submit your request on this page https://jingsourcing.com/pricing/
Very nice post, Thanks for sharing and keep up the amazing work.
I need customized packaging for my Hair line both paper and acrylic. Can a representative please contact me so I can send across my logo and discuss price.
Sure Shiela, our support will contact you and offer you what you need.
Your article point no 3 is really very informative and great.Its help me to customize packaging boxes.
Your giude lines is very helpful for me.However i like your custom packaging service.
Thanks for your comment. Wish you success in your business.
Very informative and useful post.Thanks for posting.
Very helpful and informative 3 points for us to understand the customized product packaging. Keep it up
Hello blogger thanks for sharing this blog its really help full to every one who needs this type of blog.
I need customized packaging for my eyelashes;both paper and acrylic. Can a representative please contact me so I can send across my logo and also ask for the price.
Ok, Adefolawe, our sourcing agent is waiting for helping you!
This blog is amazing to keep sharing.
Thanks for sharing this nice informative article.
Hello, I was wondering about where and how to have my product packaged after it was made and stumbled upon this article. So I do have a package design and it sounds like I just send that along with my product design and it’s all done in the same facility, correct?If that’s the case it would be great. Question is , I want the design to interact with the product to show its use.How do I go about that without physically showing them and particular placement in the design card?
Regards
Hi, Todd. Thanks for the comment. But sorry that I don’t understand your question well, and I sent you an email this moment. You can describe the question better by replying the email, and I can try to help you figure out some good solutions based on my experience.
Regards,
Zhu Jing
Hello, and thank you for this great article.
I need a custumized packages (paper & acrylic)
What is the process for it?
Regards
Hi Aziz, please send the detailed information of this package with picture, design, size and quantity to [email protected], our colleague will soon reply you.
Some brilliant advice there Isabelle. Differentiating packaging for different markets is an important part of moving into new territories and getting it right is imperative.
Thank you Kev, yes, I couldn’t agree more.
For high-value products, I may consider to do my own package, but for low-value products, the cost is too high if do own package
Hi Srini, if you just incur a little extra cost in packaging the products again, it will make the product look more attractive, and you can increase the price of newly packaged product by 5-10% or even more, just like what we mentioned in this article, also suitable for low-value products.
I’m doing small business of scarves, and I just buy 500 pieces each time, can I also use my own package?
Thanks for writing helpful blog