PACKAGING SALES / PRACTICAL GUIDE

How to compare packaging quotes without losing the details

A practical comparison sheet for specifications, costs and delivery assumptions.

One row for each offer

Start a sheet with supplier, date, product specification, quantity, currency, unit price, setup charges, sample charges, freight, delivery terms, production timing and open questions. Keep the original replies alongside the sheet so you can check what was actually offered.

Match the specification before the number

Check internal versus external dimensions, material, thickness, printing coverage, finish and inserts. Record substitutions explicitly. If one supplier includes an insert and another excludes it, ask both to quote the same version before choosing between them.

Keep confirmed and unknown costs apart

Quantity multiplied by unit price gives the product subtotal. Add only charges that have been confirmed for that offer. Put unknown freight or setup charges in an open-questions column. Do not enter zero as a placeholder for an unknown cost: it makes an incomplete offer look complete.

Compare timing and revision terms

Separate sample preparation, sample approval, production and transit. Ask what starts the production clock. Save the specification version and price-validity date. A comparison should make the next question obvious; it does not need to pretend every uncertainty is already resolved.