Resources · pricing
How pricing works, and what moves the number.
- Pricing
- By quote from partner suppliers
- Quote request
- Free, no obligation
- Biggest factors
- Quantity and distance
Request a quote
Send size, grade, quantity and your ZIP or postal code, and a partner supplier follows up with a quote.
Answer first
Six factors move every quote.
- Quantity. A truckload is a different business from a pallet, and the quote reflects it.
- Freight distance. Often a large single line on a used-box invoice, especially over longer distances.
- Grade. Cleaner, squarer boxes cost more than boxes with cosmetic wear on the same footprint.
- Wall count. Five wall commands a premium over four wall and tends to earn it in reuse cycles.
- Size and availability. Used stock is finite. A footprint that is short runs dearer.
- Season. Demand and trailer availability shift through the year.
Buying
What shapes a quote when you are buying.
| Product | What pushes the quote up | What brings it down |
|---|---|---|
| Gaylord, five wall | Higher grade, tall boxes, small quantities, long distance | Lower grade, standard sizes, truckload quantities, short distance |
| Gaylord, four wall | Higher grade, small quantities, long distance | Lower grade, truckload quantities, short distance |
| Octabin with base and cap | Complete sets, higher grade | Mixed condition, larger quantity |
| Used shipping cartons | Specific sizes, clean condition | Mixed sizes, bulk bundles |
| Pallets | Better condition, specific size | Mixed condition, larger quantity |
| Mixed load | Lower sorting effort by the buyer | Priced per load, usually lowest per unit |
Selling
What shapes a quote when you are selling.
| Item | Condition | Improves with |
|---|---|---|
| Gaylord, five wall | Clean, dry, square | Flattening, sorting, truckload volume |
| Gaylord, four wall | Clean, dry, square | Flattening, single-size lots |
| Gaylord, repairable | Needs work | Honest description up front |
| Octabin, uncut | Body, base and cap together | Sets kept together, no cut ports |
| Pallets | Sound condition | Sorting, no protruding nails |
| Baled corrugated | Low contamination | Consistent bale weight |
Total cost
The number that actually matters.
Unit price is the small half of the comparison. The full picture is (unit price + freight) ÷ number of trips the box survives.
A cheaper, lower-grade box that makes few trips can cost more per trip than a better box that makes many. The cheaper box is then the more expensive decision, and it is the one many buyers make because the invoice is the only number anybody looks at.
Add the accessory effect: a liner that lets you buy a lower grade and adds trips can be one of the best-value additions to an order.
Questions
Pricing, answered.
Why is there no price list?
What is the single biggest factor?
Do prices change through the year?
Is it cheaper to buy new in bulk?
Delivered cost
Why distance and lane matter so much.
The price of the box is the easy half. Freight is what often decides the number on the invoice.
| Situation | Effect on freight cost | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Short distance, full truck | Lowest | Little driving, no wasted space |
| Longer distance, full truck | Higher | Cost scales with distance |
| Regular route with a return load | Lower than distance suggests | The truck is paid for in both directions |
| One-way trip with no return load | Higher than distance suggests | The truck returns empty |
| Part load | Higher per box | Shared trailer, more handling |
| Busy season | Higher | Trailers are scarce |
Market
What moves these numbers through a year.
Used packaging prices are usually less volatile than the fibre market underneath them, because unit price is dominated by sorting effort and freight rather than board value.
- 01
The recycled corrugated market sets a floor
Recycling is always an alternative use for any container. When that market firms, recyclers can afford to pay more for mixed material, so reusable stock can get scarcer and dearer.
- 02
Industrial activity sets supply, with a lag
Used containers are a by-product of somebody else's production. Empties appear some time after the activity that generated them, so supply can lag demand.
- 03
Fuel flows into delivered pricing
For goods this bulky, freight is a meaningful share of the delivered price, and fuel moves it directly.
- 04
Seasonal demand spikes are predictable
Agriculture in spring and autumn, retail and fulfilment in the run-up to the holidays. These compete for the same trailers as well as the same boxes.
- 05
Backhaul availability is seasonal too
It can tighten during harvest and before the holidays. A lane that is cheap in one month can be noticeably dearer in another with nothing else having changed.
- 06
Supplier stock position matters
A supplier deep in a footprint is more flexible on price; one that is short will quote higher. Different partner suppliers will quote differently for the same request.
Total cost
Nine lines most packaging budgets never include.
Unit price is only part of what a container costs you over its life. These are the other lines.
- Freight in, which for used stock can exceed the unit price on a bad lane
- Storage: floor space for empties is rented, whether or not anyone bills you for it
- Handling: every double-handle is labour nobody books against packaging
- Damage rate, which is often higher than the assumption
- Trips actually achieved, which are often lower
- Liner and accessory spend, which can pay for itself
- Disposal or residual at end of life: a cost or a credit, rarely zero
- Compactor pulls and haulage attributable to packaging
- The carbon line, if your business prices it internally
Pricing is by quote. Request one.
Send size, grade, quantity and your ZIP or postal code. A partner supplier follows up with a quote. A quote request is free, with no obligation.