Selling packaging to other makers means B2B pricing: quotes, tiers and buyers who compare. The core of it is one honest mechanic: setup costs the same whether the run is 100 or 500 boxes, so the per-box price must fall with quantity while never falling through your floor.
The cost of a branded mailer
- Corrugated blank: about $0.85
- Print (250-run, setup spread): about $0.22
- Tissue liner: about $0.15
$1.22 per box at 250 units: $3.25 is a 62% margin. At 100 units, the same setup spreads thinner and the per-box cost rises past $1.40, which is exactly why the 100-tier price is higher. Tiered pricing isn't marketing; it's the math showing.
Quote like a supplier
- Setup as its own line (plates, dies, design): visible setup makes tier pricing legible to business buyers
- Materials per unit scale linearly; publish 100 / 250 / 500 tiers built from real math
- Lead times in the quote: your buyer's launch depends on your delivery; reliability is a priced feature
- [Break-even per run](/blog/break-even-for-handmade-products) before agreeing to small custom runs: tiny runs with full setup are how packaging makers lose money politely
Your MOQ gap is a cash question
Suppliers sell blanks by the thousand; customers buy by the hundred. The gap lives in your storage and your cash flow. Track committed vs free blank stock, and let reorder timing follow your actual order pipeline rather than supplier minimums alone.
Packaging pricing mistakes to avoid
- One flat per-box price: the 100-run and 500-run have different real costs
- Hiding setup inside the unit price: buyers compare unit prices; visible setup wins quotes
- Quoting without checking blank stock: a missed launch date loses the customer, not just the order
- Free design revisions: plate changes are setup work, bill them
Tiers, setup spread and blank stock: Keepsel for packaging makers keeps your blanks counted and each product's true cost current, so your quotes start from real numbers. Test a tier ladder in the free wholesale price calculator.