Most first-round packaging quotes come back wrong for the same reason: the brief only described what the box should look like, not how it needs to work.

Start with the object, not the artwork

A supplier can’t price a box from a mood board. They need dimensions, the product it holds, how it ships, and whether it needs to survive a courier bag or sit on a retail shelf. Artwork comes after the structure is fixed — not before.

Say the quantity out loud, early

Minimum order quantities change everything about a packaging conversation: the stock available, the finishing techniques that make sense, and the price per unit. A brief that says “a few hundred, maybe more” gets a vague quote back. A brief that says “250 units, reordering quarterly” gets a real one.

Decide who owns the sample

Every packaging run should have a physical sample before the full production run, and someone specific — not “the team” — needs to sign it off. Skipping this step is where most packaging budgets get spent twice.