8 Sources for the Best Custom Mailer Boxes & Packaging (2023)
This article is part of a larger series on Retail Management.
Custom packaging makes an impressionable mark on customers and protects the contents to ensure products arrive as expected. The best suppliers for custom mailer boxes and packaging will have an array of design and customization options, a low price point, many types of containers, great UX design, and no, or at least limited, minimum order requirements.
In our evaluation of the best custom boxes and packaging sources, we found that the eight best custom mailer boxes are:
- BuyBoxes: Best overall
- Packola: Best for internal packaging products including tissue paper and stickers
- FedEx: Best for integrating boxes and shipping
- Fantastapack: Most affordable custom boxes for small business
- Packlane: Best for its intuitive design studio
- Packwire: Best for a straightforward vendor
- Packhelp: Best for regular and ongoing custom box needs
- The Packaging Company: Best one-stop shop for packaging and custom branding
Best Sources of Custom Shipping Boxes Compared
Minimum order requirements | Turnaround time | Extent of container options | |
|---|---|---|---|
 | ✕ | Production within 10 business days; shipping within 6 additional business days | Average |
 | ✕ | 20–25 business days; expedited production is 6–8 business days; samples in 3–5 business days | Above average |
 | ✕ | Produced and shipped in 10–15 business days; shipping in 3–5 business days | Above average |
 | 1–4 units come in a sample order | Full production orders of 5+ boxes ship in 10 business days; shipping time varies | Above average |
 | None for corrugated boxes; minimum 25 units for paperboard cartons | Production in 7–10 business days (15 business days for HDPrintGloss); rush production in 4–6 business days; shipping time is an additional 1–2 weeks | Average |
 | Website claims low order minimums without specifics | Production time 10–20 days depending on quantity | Below average |
 | 30 units | Some orders can be delivered in just 7 days | Above average |
 | 60 units for custom boxes; 50 units for custom mailers | Lead time is 15–20 business days for branded boxes; 10–15 business days for color boxes | 3 styles for custom boxes and many other custom product types |
BuyBoxes: Best Overall
Overall Score:
4.76 / 5
Pros
- 10-day production turnaround times
- 3D design suite
- Custom order quantities
Cons
- Limited material options
- Limited customer service availability
- Tricky site navigation
What We Like
BuyBoxes is our top pick for your custom box needs. It has a great selection of containers—from your standard corrugated boxes to donation bins (the only provider that beats this variety is FedEx). BuyBoxes also has a speedy production time (including shipping) of under 10 days—one of the fastest turnaround times among any of the providers we evaluated.
With its selection and quick turnaround, BuyBoxes earns our top spot, only getting docked for its site navigation and limited support and customer service availability.
BuyBoxes Pricing & Order Requirements
Pricing depends on the type of box you want to customize. To order 100 7”x6”x3” cardboard boxes, for example, pricing starts at $3.90 per box. You can get instant pricing information on the site if you know what kind of boxes you need and how many, or reach out for a custom quote. Custom pricing is encouraged if you want to order more than 1,000 boxes.
BuyBoxes is a great option because there are no order minimums, and most orders are produced within 10 business days. After that, they’re shipped from the company’s location in Massachusetts within six business days.
BuyBoxes Features
Some of the standout features from BuyBoxes include:
- Variety of boxes: Choose from custom mailer boxes, shipping boxes, donation bins, product boxes, gift boxes, ecommerce mailer boxes, and protective packaging.
- Proofing included: BuyBoxes will send you a proof for review and approval before printing the whole order. They’ll also help fix any alignment issues and flag image quality issues.
- Custom inserts: BuyBoxes offers custom packaging inserts as well as the boxes and mailers.
- Design how you want: Use the 3D design tool from BuyBoxes, or upload a design you made in Adobe or a different design program. You can also tap into the internal design expertise of the packaging engineers at BuyBoxes.
- Flexible printing options: BuyBoxes can print flexographics, lithographics, and digital prints.
Packola: Best for Internal Packaging
Overall Score:
4.55 / 5
Pros
- Price-matching guarantee and accommodating return policy
- Custom dimensions available
- Flexible order quantities with no minimums
Cons
- Long turnaround time of 20–25 business days
- Only basic container options
- Reports of poor customer service in customer reviews
What We Like
Packola is another custom box and shipping supplies company we love. It has various customizable products, including tissue paper, stickers, and other internal packaging elements. You can also customize your box dimensions. Like BuyBoxes, there’s no order minimum, so you can order just one to see how you like it before committing to a full order.
It also offers a great 3D design suite with components that allow you to design each panel of your box and see a three-dimensional rendering as you go. Moreover, Packola has positive customer reviews, a friendly return policy, and a great selection of packaging products.
Drawbacks include some dimension limitations and few container options.
Packola Pricing & Order Requirements
Like BuyBoxes, Packola’s pricing depends on the type of box you want to customize. To order 100 8”x8”x3” cardboard boxes, for example, pricing is around $3.84 per box. This pricing is comparable to BuyBoxes, and Packola even has a price match policy. There’s no order minimum, so you can order as few or as many as you like.
Turnaround time is slightly longer, taking between 20 and 25 business days. However, you can pay extra to expedite this process and receive the boxes in 10–12 business days.
Packola Features
Some of the standout features from BuyBoxes include:
- Variety of packaging materials: In addition to an array of options for boxes and mailers, Packola offers labels, tissue paper, stickers, hang tags, tape, and pouches.
- Full color at no extra charge: Packola prints all materials in full color. There’s no additional charge, even if you have lots of color instead of a simple two-hue design.
- Quality assurance: Packola inspects all designs to make sure they’re print-ready. Its team will fix or flag any issues they catch.
- Design how you want: Packola has a 3D design tool, or you can upload a design you made in Adobe or a different design program.
- Interior and exterior design: Packola will print on the inside and the outside of your box if you want.
FedEx: Best for Integrating Boxes & Shipping
Overall Score:
4.50 / 5
Pros
- Easy-to-use design studio
- Container variety
- Custom dimensions
Cons
- Customer service wait times
- Must use FedEx as carrier
- Expensive samples
What We Like
With its intuitive website, custom order sizes and box dimensions, and low order minimums, FedEx’s custom box program is excellent. What really makes FedEx stand out, however, is its product variety. Not only does it have a plethora of container types to choose from (including wine and beer carriers, for example), but you can customize the material and gloss finish for maximum options.
In addition, FedEx has a competitively low price point and allows you to decorate every face of your box (from the inside out).
FedEx Pricing & Order Requirements
For pricing, FedEx keeps things customizable. It’s $2 per box if you order 500 9″x6″x2” boxes. You can also order a single sample unit before you make a full order. This is great if you want to see what your custom design will look like before you pull the trigger on larger quantities. Additionally, you can specify custom order quantities rather than requiring any set quantities. There’s no minimum order quantity, and unit prices decrease as you increase your order volume.
Overall, FedEx offers a competitive, low price point and will be able to provide you with the exact quantities you need for your business. FedEx doesn’t tack on a plate charge for your designs, so you can make your box as intricate as possible without worrying about driving up the price. Most receive boxes in under two weeks.
FedEx Features
Standout features of FedEx custom boxes include:
- Huge variety of boxes: Choose from custom mailer boxes, shipping boxes, point of purchase features, donation bins, recycling and trash boxes, and recyclable padded mailers.
- Proofing included: FedEx will send a proof within 48 hours of your order to make sure your design renders correctly.
- Design how you want: As with all of our options, FedEx lets you use your own brand images or create a design with its design studio. It even has free templates.
- FedEx Office Packing Pledge: This is protection for FedEx’s pack and ship services using FedEx Express, FedEx Ground, or FedEx Home Delivery®. This offers reassurance should any item get lost or damaged at the FedEx Office location or in transit.
- Full color at no extra charge: There’s no additional charge if you have lots of color in your designs. You can also print on the interior and exterior of the boxes.
Fantastapack: Most Affordable
Overall Score:
4.10 / 5
Pros
- High-quality boxes
- Lots of different styles and types of boxes
- Two-sided printing and custom sizing
Cons
- User reviews mention poor customer service
- Unpredictable turnaround time with frequent delays
- Less reliable and consistent than other options
What We Like
Fantastapack is a great pick for your custom box needs if affordability is a priority. It has low order minimums and attractive pricing. Plus, a great selection of containers—from packaging to food and displays—means you’ll likely find what you need. Production time is also fairly quick, with rush options available.
On the flip side, customer reviews say it’s frustrating to deal with support, and many orders aren’t delivered within the estimated window.
When we plugged in a similar order to The Packaging Company and Packlane, Fantastapack gave the best pricing. It ranged from $2 per box to just over $3 per box, depending on printing options. Fantastapack also has low order minimums, so it’s one of the more affordable options on this list.
As far as turnaround time goes, standard production time is 10 business days, plus however long it takes to ship. You can pay a rush fee to shorten production time to seven business days. However, many customer reviews say estimated delivery dates aren’t met.
Fantastapack Features
Some of the standout features from Fantastapack include:
- Variety of packaging materials: In addition to standard custom boxes and mailers, Fantastapack has beverage carriers, shoe boxes, gift totes, trays, book mailers, pizza boxes, and more.
- Two-sided printing: Fantastapack prints all materials in full color and can do exterior, interior, or two-sided printing.
- Design how you want: Fantastapack has its own 3D design tool you can use in your web browser, or you can upload a design you made in a different design program.
Packlane: Best Design Tools
Overall Score:
3.93 / 5
Pros
- 3D design studio
- Bulk order discounts
- In-house postage services
Cons
- Reports of poor customer service
- Limited size options
- Lack of container options
What We Like
If having an intuitive and rich design suite is a priority, Packlane is the best custom box supplier for you. While many of the providers on this list have great design suites, we found Packlane’s to be the most intuitive and user-friendly. Packlane also has in-house shipping label printing via Shiplane and an easy-to-use site.
On the flip side, its container variety and size options are limited. We also found Packlane to be at a slightly higher price point in relation to quality than any of our other options.
Packlane Pricing & Order Requirements
Packlane provides some of the best custom boxes at a price that decreases as you increase your order volume.
Packlane also offers a special service for bulk orders of more than 2,000 units. Through the “Volume Discount” option, Packlane will write you a custom quote with a steep discount when you place an order for over 2,000 units. For orders smaller than 2,000, a price will automatically be generated on the site.
Packlane Features
Standout features of Packlane custom boxes include:
- Variety of boxes: Shipping boxes, mailer boxes, product boxes, gift boxes, subscription boxes, econoflex shipping boxes, e-flute, and b-flute boxes. You can also do custom sizing and get protective dust flaps.
- Design how you want: Packlane has an impressive 3D design studio and free online printing. You can also take advantage of two-sided printing.
- HD printing: Though pricey overall, HDPrint printing options won’t break your budget. You can get a free sample kit to see for yourself.
Packwire: Best for Straightforward Orders
Overall Score:
3.80 / 5
Pros
- Fast turnaround times, often shorter than quoted
- Helpful and responsive customer support
- Straightforward and simple user experience
Cons
- Limited options for types of boxes
- Not the most affordable option
- No information about minimum order specifics
What We Like
Packwire is a great solution for small businesses with straightforward needs and perhaps limited design expertise. A responsive and proactive customer success team ensures every order is up to its quality standards. A simple list of box options can reduce overwhelm.
However, the limited options can also be seen as a downside, as Packwire may not be able to grow with your business like the others.
Packwire Pricing & Order Requirements
Packwire has the most limited options for boxes, including folding, rigid, mailer, and shipping boxes. Custom mailer boxes are 60 cents to $6+ per box, depending on size and quantity. An order similar to the examples above brings the pricing to more than $4 a box, making it not the most expensive, but definitely one of the pricier options on this list.
The Packwire website says there are low order minimum requirements but doesn’t specify the amount. Turnaround time is 10–20 days for production, depending on quantity, plus shipping time.
Packwire Features
Some of the standout features of Packwire include:
- Proofing included: Packwire will send you a proof to review and approve before printing the whole order if you want. They’ll also help fix any alignment issues and flag image quality issues.
- Design how you want: Use the Packwire 3D design tool or upload a ready-made design. You can also tap into the internal design expertise of the team at Packwire.
- Flexible printing options: BuyBoxes can print flexographics, lithographics, and digital prints.
Packhelp: Best for Recurring Orders
Overall Score:
3.64 / 5
Pros
- Subscription pricing model for small businesses that frequently need custom boxes
- Affordable pricing
- Super fast turnaround times
Cons
- Minimum order requirement of 30 boxes
- No custom sizing
- Limited design options
What We Like
Packhelp has a huge variety of custom boxes and branded items, all designed with a commitment to more sustainable business practices. Purchase sample packs of the high-quality boxes to ensure you like them before you commit. Packhelp is also one of the more affordable custom box options.
While we like Packhelp’s innovation, it’s also more limited in design and customization options than other box and packaging companies.
Packhelp Pricing & Order Requirements
Packhelp is the only option on this list that offers a subscription pricing model for its premium Packhelp Pro services. This would suit small businesses that frequently need to use custom boxes. It also includes dedicated customer support and additional user accounts.
You don’t have to subscribe though. An order of 240 standard custom mailer boxes, for example, is just over $1.60 per box. Unfortunately, Packhelp does have an order minimum of 30 units, though you can also purchase smaller sample packs. Turnaround time is fast and varies, but often within seven days.
Packhelp Features
Standout features for Packhelp include:
- Variety of boxes: Choose from a huge array of custom mailer boxes, shipping boxes, flexible packaging, bags, envelopes, accessories, and tubes.
- Design how you want: Use the 3D design tool or upload your design.
- Sample packs: Purchase a bundle of five boxes as a sample pack to see if you’re happy with the design and quality first.
- Sustainability: Packhelp is one of the unique custom box options with a strong commitment to sustainability. Many of its boxes are made from recycled materials.
The Packaging Company: Best for Custom Branding Needs
Overall Score:
3.53 / 5
Pros
- Product variety and custom sizing
- Product quality
- 24-hour customer service messaging
Cons
- Only 3 styles of custom boxes to choose from
- Poor user reviews
- Pricey and high order minimums
What We Like
The Packaging Company is much more than just a custom box website—it also carries standard (non-custom) supplies, janitorial supplies, and other things you might need for your store. In addition, it has a premium design studio with tons of color, container, design, and material options. In addition to custom boxes and mailers, The Packaging Company probably has the most extensive list of customizable products of any option—you can also customize packaging tape, food carriers, bubble wrap, tubes, foam, envelopes, chipboard, sanitizer, and strapping.
Some downsides include the price point, lack of custom order quantities, and user reviews.
The Packaging Company Pricing & Order Requirements
The Packaging Company has a mid-range price point. It also has a pretty high order minimum—50–60 units—making it a less desirable option for smaller enterprises. It also only offers three custom box styles: a front lock mailer, an easy fold mailer, and a regular slotted carton.
The Packaging Company has upcharges for most of its design features, so be sure to watch the price tag as you continue to add elements. For a flatter pricing structure, try FedEx. A similar order to the Packlane example above brings the price to nearly $6 per box, almost double Packlane.
The Packaging Company Features
Some of the standout features from The Packaging Company include:
- Proofing included: The Packaging Company boasts no proofing fees but doesn’t include much more information about what their proofing process entails.
- Design how you want: Use the design tool from The Packaging Company, or upload a design you made in a different design program.
Why Custom Packaging Is Important
Packaging is important to protect your products while they’re in transit to your customer. In addition, custom packaging solidifies your brand’s identity, subsequently increasing awareness and value. Overall, it also provides a great unboxing experience for your customers.
How We Evaluated Custom Packaging Suppliers
When evaluating the best custom box suppliers, we look for features and criteria that make your life easier, save you money, and give you the best possible end product. We look at everything from design features to site navigation, customer service, and pricing information—anything that gives a better picture of the company and the services it provides.
Overall, our top pick is BuyBoxes. With its competitive price point, rich customization features, and fast turnaround times, BuyBoxes is a fantastic resource for your custom packaging ideas.
Here is a breakdown of our scoring criteria for the best custom box companies:
25%
Pricing
35%
Customization Options
20%
Customer Experience
20%
Expert Score
25% of Overall Score
We looked at minimum order requirements, custom order quantities, and general price points. FedEx, Packola, BuyBoxes, and Fantastapack earned perfect scores in this criterion.
35% of Overall Score
We looked for interior and exterior printing options, container variety, size options, and overall breadth of design features. The Packaging Company and FedEx earned the highest scores in this category, followed closely by BuyBoxes.
20% of Overall Score
We looked at ease of site navigation, customer service, and return and refund accommodations. Packwire led the suppliers in this criterion, followed closely by Packola, BuyBoxes, and Packlane.
20% of Overall Score
We looked at overall quality, value for money, and user reviews. BuyBoxes got the highest marks, followed by Packhelp.
*Percentages of overall score
How to Choose the Best Custom Packaging
When choosing the best custom packaging for your business, consider the following:
- Price: Budget is always a top consideration when shopping for vendors. Consider bulk discounts and rush fees as well as refund policies.
- Customer support: Designing custom boxes can be tricky, so you want to choose a team that will help you along the way.
- Turnaround time: Pay special attention to production time vs lead time vs shipping time. While some vendors may boast a fast production time, this may fluctuate and it also may not include shipping time.
- Order a sample first: Get a sample pack or small order to ensure you’re happy with the quality before investing in a full order.
Custom Packaging Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Aside from protecting your parcels during shipping, custom packaging solidifies your brand’s identity, subsequently increasing awareness and value. Overall, it also provides a great unboxing experience for your customers.
That would depend on the products you ship and your business goals.
If budget is a concern, start with a few pieces of custom boxes to test the waters, monitor your overhead costs, and see how customers react to it. You can keep it as part of your fulfillment operations once you have the budget or if your customers send positive feedback.
Meanwhile, if you want to invest in unboxing experiences, custom boxes build anticipation and excitement over your product. Conversely, it also can serve as part of your social proof (or social influence) once customers post their unboxing experience in social media or reviews.
You have two ways to design custom boxes—hire a designer or do it yourself. The custom box suppliers we have featured in our best sources for custom boxes buyer’s guide all have built-in design suites, which we have tested and found to be intuitive and user-friendly for non-designers.
Custom boxes protect your products during shipping, strengthen your brand identity, increase brand awareness and value, and create a memorable unboxing experience.
Custom shipping boxes can be worth it if you choose the best packaging company and use a strategic approach to the design.
Custom corrugated boxes have three layers for added protection and include customized design or branding.
The importance of creative packaging design is to create a memorable and positive first impression. It also boosts brand awareness and improves the unboxing experience.
Bottom Line
Choosing the best custom box company for your business is a big decision. Price, product selection, design features, customer service, and many other factors all play a role in your decision. With the guide above, you can make an informed decision about the best custom box supplier for your business.
Based on our criteria and expert evaluation, BuyBoxes is the best choice when it comes to custom shipping boxes. You can learn more and start designing your custom boxes by visiting its website today.
