The right ecommerce packaging depends less on what you sell than on how many orders you send. A seller packing ten parcels at the kitchen table needs a different set-up from a warehouse sending a thousand a day, even if the products are similar. Pack Solution supplies businesses at every one of these stages, from a first box of mailing bags to pallets of boxes.
The three stages below are rough tiers rather than fixed rules, so use whichever is closest to your order numbers today and look one step ahead.
In This Guide
- Quick Picks: Packaging Every Online Business Uses
- How Packaging Needs Change as You Grow
- Packaging for Small Business: Around 10 Orders a Day
- Packaging for Small Businesses Growing to 100 Orders a Day
- Ecommerce Packaging Solutions at 1,000 Orders a Day
- Choosing Ecommerce Boxes and Mailers
- Buying Ecommerce Packaging Supplies
- Common Packaging Mistakes at Each Stage
- Ecommerce Packaging Checklist
- Matching Packaging to Your Order Numbers
- Frequently Asked Questions
Quick Picks: Packaging Every Online Business Uses
These three items appear at every stage. Only the quantities and the tools around them change.
Best for everyday parcels at any size of business
Single Wall Cardboard Boxes
Light corrugated boxes supplied flat, sold per box with a minimum of 5 per size and a lower price per box on bigger orders.
- Sizes from 5 x 5 x 5" to 24 x 18 x 18"
- 450 x 350 x 160mm Royal Mail Small Parcel max box
- Flat packed for easy storage
From £0.35 ex VAT (£0.42 inc VAT)
Choose sizeView product
Best for clothing and soft goods
Grey Mailing Bags
Opaque self-seal bags that keep parcels light and need no tape.
- 16 sizes from 4 x 6" to 34 x 42"
- Self-seal strip
- Water resistant outer
From £2.90 ex VAT (£3.48 inc VAT)
Choose sizeView product
Best for printing courier labels every day
Fanfold Thermal Labels 4 x 6"
A folded stack of 1000 direct thermal labels in the standard courier size, with no ink or ribbon to buy.
- 4 x 6" (101.6 x 152.4mm)
- 1000 labels per stack
- Perforated between labels
£12.00 ex VAT (£14.40 inc VAT)
Buy nowView product- Single Wall Cardboard Boxes include a 450 x 350 x 160mm Royal Mail Small Parcel max size.
- Grey Mailing Bags come in 16 sizes, from 4 x 6" to 34 x 42".
- Fanfold Thermal Labels come 1000 to a stack in the 4 x 6" courier size.
- Crash Lock Boxes form their own base, so only the top needs taping.
- Orders placed by 2pm Monday to Friday are dispatched the same working day.
How Packaging Needs Change as You Grow
As order numbers rise, the cost that matters shifts from the packaging itself to the time it takes to pack.
| Stage | Orders a day | Main packaging | Labels | Sealing | Void fill |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starting out | Around 10 | 2 to 3 box or mailing bag sizes | Printed on A4 or handwritten | Tape by hand | Bubble wrap or paper |
| Growing | Around 100 | 3 to 5 sizes bought in volume, crash lock boxes | 4 x 6" thermal labels | Tape gun | Bubble wrap, paper or pouches |
| Warehouse | Around 1,000 | Fixed sizes on a packing line, pallet deliveries | Thermal labels in fanfold stacks | Tape guns or bench dispensers at each station | Air cushions made on demand |
At ten orders a day, a few extra seconds per parcel do not matter much. At a thousand, five seconds saved on each parcel is well over an hour of packing time every day. That is why the larger the business, the more it spends on tools and the less it worries about the price of a single box.
Packaging for Small Business: Around 10 Orders a Day
At this stage, keep it simple: a few sizes, one roll of tape and one kind of protection.
Measure your best sellers and pick two or three sizes that fit them. Boxes for small business orders at this level are usually Single Wall Cardboard Boxes, which you can buy in fives. If you sell clothing or soft goods, Grey Mailing Bags are lighter than a box and seal without tape.
Packaging small business sellers often overbuy is the variety, not the quantity. A cupboard of twelve box sizes looks thorough but slows packing and ties up money. The packaging supplies starter checklist lists the basics, and specialist products are covered in our guides to jewellery packaging and candle packaging.
Good to know: Free Royal Mail Tracked 48 delivery applies to every order with no minimum, so a small first order of packaging does not carry a delivery charge.
Packaging for Small Businesses Growing to 100 Orders a Day
Around 100 orders a day, time becomes the main cost, so the first spend should go on tools that speed up packing.
A tape gun is the least expensive time saver. Pistol Grip Tape Gun Dispensers apply and cut tape in one movement, and the models take 50mm or 75mm small business packaging tape. Our tape gun guide compares the four models.
Best for sealing boxes with one hand
Pistol Grip Tape Gun Dispensers
Applies and cuts packing tape in one movement, so seams are faster and neater.
- Four models for 50mm or 75mm tape
- Built-in cutting blade
- Heavy duty Pacplus and Big Tape options
From £5.00 ex VAT (£6.00 inc VAT)
Choose sizeView productLabels are next. Printing courier labels on a direct thermal printer removes handwriting and the cost of ink. Fanfold Thermal Labels 4 x 6" come in stacks of 1000, so the printer needs reloading far less often.
Then boxes. Crash Lock Boxes form their base as you open them, which removes one taping step from every order. Ecommerce mailing boxes like these suit products of similar size that go out in large numbers.
Best for faster packing as orders grow
Crash Lock Boxes
The base locks as you open the box, so only the top needs closing.
- CL-A (100 x 100 x 70mm) to CL-K (426 x 300 x 300mm)
- No tape on the base
- Sold per box, minimum 5
From £0.59 ex VAT (£0.71 inc VAT)
Choose sizeView productThis is also the point to buy in volume. The wholesale packaging supplies guide explains how volume pricing works and how to set reorder points.
Ecommerce Packaging Solutions at 1,000 Orders a Day
At warehouse scale, the packing line and void fill decide how fast orders leave the building.
Each packing station needs the same layout: boxes and bags within reach, a tape gun or bench dispenser, a label printer and void fill. Standard ecommerce packaging boxes in a fixed set of sizes let staff choose the right box without thinking, and pallet deliveries keep the line supplied. Pallet orders of 100 or more boxes placed before 1pm can get next-day pallet delivery to the UK mainland.
Void fill is where warehouses gain most. Ready-made void fill takes a lot of room. An Air Cushion Machine, Automatic Inflator turns flat film into air pillows or air cushion wrap at the bench, so a roll of film replaces many bags of loose fill. It works with air pillow film for gaps and air cushion film for wrapping.
Best for void fill on demand at high volume
Air Cushion Machine, Automatic Inflator
Inflates air pillow and air cushion film as you pack, so film rolls replace bulky ready-made void fill.
- Works with air pillow and air cushion film
- Makes only as much as each order needs
- Sold per machine
£300.00 ex VAT (£360.00 inc VAT)
Buy nowView productLabels at this volume come from printers at each station, fed by fanfold stacks rather than rolls, so a reload happens once a shift rather than several times an hour. Boxes arrive by pallet and are stored flat near the line, with the most used sizes closest to the benches.
Staff training matters as much as equipment. A one-page packing guide at each station, showing which box or bag suits each product, keeps packing consistent when new staff join during peak season.
The warehouse equipment range has the dispensers and machines that sit around each station.
Choosing Ecommerce Boxes and Mailers
At every stage, the box or bag should fit the product closely with room for a little protection.
Oversized packaging costs more in board or film, needs more void fill and can push a parcel into a higher postage band. Measure the product with its wrapping, then allow 10 to 20mm on each side in a box. Mailing bags need to be slightly wider than the folded item and long enough to seal without stretching.
Mailers for small business orders are usually the fastest option for anything soft, because there is nothing to assemble. Boxes suit anything rigid, fragile or heavy. Most online stores end up with both: a few mailing bag sizes and a few box sizes. Online store packaging that customers notice usually comes down to a neat fit and a clean seal rather than extra layers.
Buying Ecommerce Packaging Supplies
Buy your core sizes in volume and keep specialist items to small quantities.
- List the box and bag sizes you used last month and how many of each.
- Set a reorder point at about two weeks of use for each core size.
- Buy core sizes in larger quantities for a lower price per pack.
- Buy tools such as tape guns once, and replace blades or parts as needed.
- Review your sizes every few months as your product range changes.
When you compare small business packaging supplies UK suppliers offer, look at dispatch times, delivery charges and the total packaging cost per order. A supplier that holds stock and dispatches the same day keeps your own stock levels lower. The cardboard boxes and mailing bags collections cover the core items at every stage.
Common Packaging Mistakes at Each Stage
Each stage has its own typical mistake, and most of them cost time or postage rather than packaging.
Starting Out
The usual mistake is buying too many sizes. A seller orders one of everything to be safe, then finds most boxes never get used. Start with the fewest packaging boxes for small business orders that fit your products, and add a size only when an order genuinely does not fit.
The second is oversized boxes. A box with lots of spare room needs more void fill and can push a light parcel into a higher postage band. Measure first, then buy.
Growing
Growing businesses often keep packing by hand for too long. Tearing tape, handwriting labels and folding boxes from scratch all feel quick on one order, but they add up across a hundred. A tape gun and thermal labels usually pay for themselves within weeks.
Running out of stock is the other risk at this stage. Orders rise faster than reorders, and a missing box size stops every order that needs it. Set reorder points and check them weekly during busy periods.
Warehouse
At scale, inconsistent packing stations cause the most delays. If each station has a different layout or different sizes, staff slow down and mistakes rise. Standardise the layout, the box sizes and the void fill across every station so anyone can pack anywhere.
Ecommerce Packaging Checklist
- Pick two or three box sizes and one or two mailing bag sizes.
- Keep one kind of void fill on hand.
- Move to thermal labels when handwriting slows you down.
- Buy a tape gun before you reach 50 orders a day.
- Consider crash lock boxes for similar products in large numbers.
- Plan a packing station layout before you hire help.
- Look at an air cushion machine once void fill takes up real space.
- Set reorder points for every core size.
Matching Packaging to Your Order Numbers
Buy for the stage you are at, with one eye on the next. At ten orders a day, a few sizes and a roll of tape are enough; at a hundred, tools pay for themselves in time; at a thousand, the packing line and void fill decide your speed. Whatever your stage, standard ecommerce packaging supplies from stock let you change sizes as your range grows.
Frequently Asked Questions
What ecommerce packaging does a new online shop need first?
Start with two or three box sizes or mailing bag sizes that fit your products, a roll of packing tape, one kind of void fill such as bubble wrap, and a way to print labels. Single Wall Cardboard Boxes and Grey Mailing Bags cover most first orders.
When should a small business buy a thermal label printer?
Once handwriting or printing A4 labels starts to slow you down, often somewhere between 10 and 30 orders a day. A 4 x 6 inch direct thermal label is the usual courier size. Fanfold Thermal Labels come in stacks of 1000, so you reload far less often than with small rolls.
Are crash lock boxes worth it for ecommerce boxes?
They are worth it when you pack many similar-sized orders, because the base forms itself and only the top needs tape. Crash Lock Boxes run from CL-A at 100 x 100 x 70mm to CL-K at 426 x 300 x 300mm, sold per box with a minimum of 5.
Do I need an air cushion machine for packaging for small business orders?
Usually not at first. Bubble wrap or paper does the job for a few orders a day. An air cushion machine makes sense at higher volumes, because the film rolls take far less space than bags of ready-made void fill and you inflate only what each order needs.
Where can I buy small business packaging supplies UK wide?
Pack Solution supplies boxes, mailing bags, envelopes, tape, labels, void fill and packing equipment from its Manchester warehouse. Orders placed by 2pm Monday to Friday are dispatched the same working day, and Royal Mail Tracked 48 delivery is free with no minimum.
How do I keep ecommerce packaging costs down as I grow?
Standardise on a few sizes, buy those in larger quantities for a better price per pack, and fit boxes closely to products so you use less void fill and stay in lower postage bands. Compare the total packaging cost per order rather than the price of one pack.
