The Fastest Quote Is Rarely the Most Useful One
A supplier who can price your job from a two-line email has either done it a hundred times or has not asked what they need to know.
Distinguishing between the two is straightforward: a supplier who has understood your job will ask about things you had not thought to mention, and one who has not will send a number.
This article is a list of what a good conversation contains, from both directions.
What a Supplier Should Be Asking You
If none of these come up, the quote is built on assumptions:
- What the packaging holds, at what temperature, and for how long before it is eaten.
- What share of your orders are delivered rather than handed over.
- What cone, cup or container you already use, and whether you can send one.
- Your realistic annual volume, not just the first order.
- Where and how you store stock, which constrains what they should sell you.
These are not sales questions. Each one changes the specification, and a quote produced without them is a guess with a decimal point.
What You Should Be Asking Them
All of these should be answerable in writing without hesitation:
- What exactly is the board grade, lining, ink system and finish being quoted?
- What is the minimum order quantity, and what is the lead time from artwork approval?
- Is the die cost separate, and what happens to the die at reorder?
- What sample options exist before a full run, and at what cost?
- What happens if the delivered goods do not match the approved proof?
A supplier reluctant to put any of these in writing is telling you something useful.
Claims That Should Make You Cautious
Blanket environmental claims are the most common. "Eco-friendly packaging" without a specification behind it is a phrase rather than a fact, and it puts you at risk if a customer challenges it.
Guaranteed delivery times from a supplier who does not run their own vehicles are another. Carriers give estimates, and a supplier promising more than their carrier does is promising something they cannot control.
Precise-sounding turnaround figures published on a website, without reference to your specification or the season, are worth treating as marketing rather than commitment.
We set out what environmental claims can honestly be made in more detail, including what we will not claim ourselves.
A Sensible Process for a First Order
Following this sequence catches problems while they are still cheap.
Send a Physical Sample of What the Packaging Has to Fit
A cone, a cup, a burger, a container. It removes more ambiguity than any description.
Get the Full Specification in Writing
Board, lining, ink, finish, quantity, lead time and die terms, on the quote rather than in conversation.
Check a Flat Sample Against the Real Product
Wrap it, load it, carry it. Do this with the person who will actually use it during service.
Order a Realistic First Quantity
Enough to find out how many you use, not so many that a wrong specification becomes a two-year problem.
Review After One Reorder Cycle
By then you know the real usage rate and whether the specification survived a season.
On Price Comparisons
Two quotes for "cone sleeves" are rarely for the same thing. Board weight, lining, finish and quantity all move independently, and a cheaper quote often differs in one of them.
The only fair comparison is against an identical written specification. If you have one quote in hand, send its specification to the second supplier and ask them to price exactly that.
Where the prices then still differ substantially, that is worth asking about directly — there is usually a reason, and a good supplier will explain it.
Knowing the board variables that move a price makes those conversations much shorter.
What We Would Want You to Ask Us
Everything on the list above. We would rather answer five specific questions before an order than deal with a mismatch afterwards.
The two we most want people to ask are what the specification actually is, in writing, and what happens if the delivered goods do not match the proof. Both are reasonable, and a supplier who hesitates on either has answered a different question.
Judging a Supplier by How They Handle Uncertainty
The most revealing moment in a supplier conversation is not the price. It is what happens when you ask something they cannot answer immediately.
A supplier who says they will check the board grade and come back has told you they know the answer matters. One who produces a confident figure on the spot for a specification they have not seen has told you something else.
The same applies to dates. Any supplier can promise a two-week turnaround in a first email. The useful ones ask what the job is before committing to anything.
Switching Supplier Without Starting Again
If you already buy printed packaging, you are not starting from nothing. You have a size that works, artwork that has been through a press, and a usage figure based on real trade rather than a guess.
Send all three to any new supplier. A sample of your current packaging is worth more than a written specification, because it shows the board weight, the finish and the fit in a way a description cannot.
The one thing that rarely transfers is the die. A die made by another supplier normally stays with them, so budget for a new one when you move, and treat that as a one-off rather than an ongoing cost.
Our the artwork files a new supplier will ask for lists what to dig out before you start the conversation.
Questions
Should we always take the cheapest quote?
Only when the specifications genuinely match, which they usually do not. Board weight, lining and finish all move independently, so ask the second supplier to price the first one's written specification exactly.
Is it reasonable to ask for samples before ordering?
Entirely. What is available depends on the print method quoted for your job, and it is a fair question to put at quote stage rather than after you have committed.
What should a supplier be able to confirm in writing?
Board grade, lining, ink system, finish, minimum quantity, lead time from artwork approval, and what happens to the die at reorder. Any reluctance on those is worth noticing.
What should a supplier confirm in writing?
Board grade, lining, ink system, finish, minimum quantity, lead time from artwork approval, and what happens to the die at reorder.
Is the cheapest quote usually comparable?
Rarely, because specifications move independently. Send the first quote's written specification to the second supplier and ask them to price exactly that.
Should we expect samples?
What is available depends on the print method, and it is a fair question to ask at quote stage rather than after committing.
What claims should make us cautious?
Blanket environmental claims, guaranteed delivery times from a supplier without vehicles, and published turnaround figures unrelated to any specification.
Can we move supplier without starting again?
Largely. Your size, artwork and usage figures all carry over. The die usually does not, so budget for a new die.
How do we judge a supplier early?
By what they ask. One who prices from two lines has either done it a hundred times or has not asked what they need to know.
What should we send with a first enquiry?
A physical sample of what the packaging has to fit, your realistic quantity, and any date you are working to.