We make ecommerce packaging for subscription boxes, cosmetics and skincare, food and drink, jewellery, and general retailers moving part of their business online.
The exact packaging changes by product and brand. For the perfect fit and the perfect package.
What ecommerce packaging needs to do
Ecommerce packaging has to survive a courier network before anyone even sees it: sorting machines, delivery vans, a doorstep drop.
Protect your product
The unboxing experience only matters once the packaging survives that transit.
Corrugated cardboard at the right weight protects what’s inside, and printing on the outside carries your brand before the box is even opened.
A box built to the product’s exact size needs less void fill too. Packing each order by hand instead of through a fulfilment centre makes that saving add up fast.
Make an impression
Polythene mailing bags, paper mailing bags, and jiffy bags are the cheapest way to post something, bought in bulk rather than sized to the product.
They are easy to buy but don’t do much to protect your product. They also don’t protect the planet, and much of the waste ends up in landfill.
Using plastic packaging in the rise of eco-conscious customers can send off the wrong message to your target market.
Perfect for posting
It’s also important to consider the posting of your product.
Royal Mail’s letterbox rules push packaging toward large letter postal boxes and postal tubes, sized to a posting slot rather than the product.
Padded envelopes or book wraps do the job for small, flat items. But neither one does anything for how the brand looks on arrival.
Types of ecommerce packaging we make
Custom Pack Studio builds several types of custom ecommerce boxes, and a wider range of packaging products alongside them.
Which type fits your product depends on what you’re shipping and how many orders you’re packing each week.
Postal and mailer boxes, crash-lock boxes, gusseted boxes, and custom-printed tape each solve a different part of getting an order to a customer’s door.
Postal and mailer boxes
Postal and mailer boxes are the standard ecommerce format, built for a single item going through a courier network without extra protection. We size mailing boxes to your product with a snug fit, then print your branding directly onto the board.
A well-fitted mailer needs far less void fill than a stock box, since the product isn’t rattling around inside it.
We ship mailers across the UK with no minimum order, whatever the quantity.
Heavier or multi-item orders sometimes need more than a mailer can offer.
For those, our custom shipping boxes range covers the bulkier end: corrugated cardboard boxes built to your product, with the same no-minimum order policy.
Crash-lock boxes
Crash-lock bottom boxes, also called crash lock boxes, are quick and easy to assemble. They fold flat for storage and pop into shape in one movement.
Hand-packing stays quick without routing small runs through a fulfilment centre. The base locks itself shut, so most orders go out self-sealing and tape-free.
The auto-bottom base is glued at the factory, so there’s no assembly step beyond folding it into shape.
Skipping tape means one less packaging cost and one less thing to run out of during a busy week.
Crash-lock becomes the more cost-effective choice once you’re shipping the same product in volume, order after order. That cost-effectiveness compounds the higher your order numbers climb.
Gusseted boxes and board weight
Gusseted boxes expand at the sides to fit a range of product sizes in the same box. A catalogue spanning more than one item size benefits most from that flexibility.
Choosing the right board weight keeps shipping costs down too. A box matched to custom sizes and the right board weight doesn’t carry the courier fees of an oversized carton.
Sustainable ecommerce packaging, made in the UK
Custom Pack Studio’s ecommerce packaging is eco-friendly by design: fully recyclable, made from FSC and PEFC-certified board, and produced under an ISO 14001-aligned environmental system.
Those three factors back up a sustainable, quality packaging claim.
Every box, mailer, and roll of custom tape counts as eco-friendly ecommerce packaging, recyclable and biodegradable where the material allows it.
We’re also BRC Global Packaging (High Hygiene) certified, so subscription box and food and drink brands can order food-safe packaging from the same range.
None of these packaging materials travel far to reach you either.
Production runs from our factory in Irvine, Scotland, with delivery across the UK.
A UK ecommerce business isn’t importing its own packaging before it even reaches a customer. They are supporting a UK business with fast turnaround times and open communication.
No minimum order, packaging that grows with you
Custom Pack Studio doesn’t set a minimum order on any of it, from a five-box sample run to a five-thousand-box production run.
Pallet-sized minimum orders suit a supplier moving thousands of parcels a week. They don’t suit a business that isn’t there yet.
No minimum order matters most in the early stages of an ecommerce business, when you don’t yet know your real order volume. You don’t want to tie up cash in a warehouse full of boxes you might not need.
The same flexibility matters once you’re established and want to trial a new product line or a seasonal design, without committing to a year’s stock. You can also switch designs between orders without renegotiating a new minimum each time.
How it works with Custom Pack Studio
- Tell us what you’re shipping and roughly how many orders a month, and we’ll suggest the right box or mailer for it.
- Design online using our 3D tool, or book a design consultation if you’d rather talk it through with our team.
- We print and produce your order at our factory in Irvine, sized to whatever quantity you need and organise around your own production times.
- Your ecommerce packaging ships to you, ready to pack and post, with no minimum order tying you into more than you need.
Ecommerce packaging UK: your questions answered
What is ecommerce packaging?
Ecommerce packaging is any box, mailer, or wrap designed for an item that’s ordered online and shipped directly to a customer. It isn’t displayed on a shop shelf. Ecommerce packaging has to survive a courier network and still look right the moment it’s opened.
What types of ecommerce boxes are there?
The main e-commerce boxes are postal and mailer boxes for single items, crash-lock boxes for faster high-volume packing, and gusseted boxes for multiple product sizes. Which one suits you best depends on what you’re shipping. Heavier or multi-item orders sometimes need a full shipping box instead of a mailer.
How much does custom ecommerce packaging cost?
Cost depends on the box size, the board weight, and how many you order. We quote each job individually rather than publishing a flat price list. No minimum order means you can request a free quote for a single sample box or a full production run. Then you can compare the two before deciding.
Can ecommerce packaging be printed?
Yes. Every box, mailer, and item we produce can be printed with your logo and branding, inside or outside the box. Full-colour print runs across the whole panel, not just a logo in the corner.
Is Custom Pack Studio’s ecommerce packaging environmentally friendly?
Our ecommerce packaging is fully recyclable and made from FSC and PEFC board, produced under an ISO 14001-aligned environmental system. If sustainability matters to your customers, it’s worth stating those certifications on your own product pages too.
What do I need to factor in when choosing ecommerce postal packaging?
Product size and weight decide the box. Board weight decides how much protection you need in transit, and order volume decides whether crash-lock or a straightforward mailer makes more sense. Ordering a sample before you commit to a production run is the easiest way to check all three at once.
Do you offer design help for ecommerce packaging?
Yes. Design your own custom e-commerce packaging using our free online 3D tool and see the box design before anything goes to print. If you’d rather not start from a blank screen, our design consultation service pairs you with someone on our team. They’ll talk through sizing, board weight, and branding for your specific product.
Get your free quote with Custom Pack Studio today
Tell us what you’re shipping and we’ll recommend the right packaging for it: which format, what board weight, and roughly what it’ll cost. There’s no minimum order and no obligation to proceed, however many you need.
Call us on 01294 314 919 or email contact@custompackstudio.co.uk, or fill in our contact form and we’ll come back to you with a written quote. Not sure which format suits your product? Tell us what you’re packing and we’ll talk you through it.
Prefer to see it before you order? Request a sample and we’ll send the board, the print quality, and the finish, so you know exactly what you’re getting.
