It’s totally fair to want a rough idea of pricing before diving deep into a project. In fact, one of the most common questions we hear at Ecopackables is:
“Can I just get ballpark pricing for XYZ?”
And we get it—shopping around is smart. But in the world of custom packaging, “ballpark” numbers often do more harm than good.
Custom packaging isn’t as simple as slapping a price tag on a product. Every small decision—from structure to materials to design—has the potential to dramatically affect cost. And while instant quote calculators may seem convenient, they tend to either oversimplify options or overprice them to cover unknowns. Sometimes what we may consider a small change can have a drastic impact on pricing, and what we may consider a big change has very little impact—but a calculator can’t tell the difference, especially when it’s something like a design change that ends up requiring a different print method.
Take something as “simple” as a polymailer:
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Need a material thicker than the standard to handle heavier products? That could require a custom film run, which changes how the job is manufactured.
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Want a double adhesive strip and a tear strip for returns? That means extra adhesive, more manufacturing steps, and added production time.
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Designing with four colors on both sides instead of a single-color front? More ink, more print passes, and additional print plates.
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Ordering 20,000 units instead of 2,000? Now you’re dealing with a totally different pricing structure, thanks to material scaling and production efficiency.
Each of those factors plays a role in determining cost, and there are dozens more just like them. That’s why in the packaging industry, it often takes anywhere from a couple of days to a couple of weeks to deliver accurate, dialed-in pricing. We want to make sure you’re getting exactly what your product needs—no more, no less—at the best possible rate.
A simple calculator can’t account for all the nuances. It doesn’t know your priorities (sustainability, design impact, budget sensitivity), and it can’t flag areas where small changes could unlock big savings. That’s where human expertise matters.
So yes, it takes a little more time upfront. But the result? Packaging that’s tailor-fit to your needs, priced right, and built to elevate your brand.