Custom Dropship Boxes & Dropship Packaging
Dropshipping puts your brand in a strange position. Somebody else picks and ships your order, the customer never sees your warehouse, and the box on their doorstep is the only physical thing connecting them to you. That makes dropship packaging the whole brand experience rather than a part of it. We produce a lot of it at ZEE Packaging and the constraints here are genuinely different to normal retail.
Your Fulfiller Sets The Rules
A dropship box has to suit whoever is packing it, not just you.
- Ask your fulfilment partner what formats they can handle before designing
- Some centres will not assemble anything complicated at speed
- Crash lock bottoms pack far quicker than hand folded snap locks
- Storage space at the warehouse is charged, so flat packing matters
- Label placement needs a clear flat panel of the right size
- Barcode position often has to sit where their scanner expects it
Most dropship packaging problems we get asked to solve are fulfilment issues rather than design ones.
Ship Weight Is Your Profit Margin
Freight cost eats into thin dropship margins fast.
- Right size the dropship box, since dimensional weight pricing punishes air
- A snug carton often drops you into a cheaper courier band
- Lighter board where the product genuinely allows it
- Flat packed formats reduce inbound freight to the fulfiller
- One carton size covering several products cuts inventory cost
- Paper void fill weighs less than most alternatives
- Roll end tuck front mailer our most ordered dropship box
- Crash lock bottom mailer fastest to assemble at a pick station
- Plain corrugated shipper low cost dropship packaging with a branded insert
- Printed interior mailer branding without the outer cost
- Book wrap format for flat items, uses less material
- Sleeve over a plain box light branding on stock cartons
Sizes We Print Regular
Every dropship box is built to your product range, though these run often:
- 6" x 4" x 2" for small items
- 8" x 6" x 3" for a standard order
- 10" x 8" x 4" for a mid size product
- 12" x 9" x 3" for apparel and flat goods
- 9" x 6" x 1" for a book wrap format
- 14" x 10" x 6" for larger or multi item orders
Look at your actual order data. Most stores find three sizes cover the vast majority of what they ship.
Board And Print
- Corrugated E flute for light single item orders
- B flute where the parcel gets stacked or the product has weight
- Kraft corrugated for a plain, low cost outer
- White corrugated where you want print on the shipper itself
- Litho laminated for full colour dropship packaging
- One colour flexo, which is the cheapest branded route by far
Printing the inside is the best value branding in this category. It costs a fraction of full outer print and it is what appears in every unboxing photo.
Greener And Cheaper Together
- Recycled corrugated, standard across these grades
- FSC certified board, certificate available on request
- Soy based ink through the whole run
- Paper tape and paper void fill instead of plastic
- No lamination, so the carton recycles kerbside
- Right sized dropship packaging, which cuts board and freight together
How We Work With Dropshippers
- 100 unit minimum, so you can start before your volume justifies bulk
- Free 3D mockup and flat proof before anything prints
- Free dieline drawn by our own designer
- We hold your dieline so reorders skip proofing entirely
- Urgent turnaround at 5 to 8 business days
- Free shipping worldwide, including direct to your fulfilment centre
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you ship direct to our fulfilment centre?
Yes, and most of our dropship clients do exactly that. Send us the delivery address and any receiving requirements they have.
How many sizes should we stock?
Usually three covers most stores. Look at your order history, group by dimensions, and you will normally find a clear pattern.
Is printing the outside worth it?
Sometimes. Printing the inside costs far less and delivers most of the brand value, since that is what customers photograph.
Will a printed box slow down our fulfiller?
Not if the structure is simple. Crash lock bottoms assemble in a second, which is why we steer high volume clients toward them.
Can one box work for several products?
Often yes, with a paper void fill to take up the difference. It reduces your inventory complexity considerably.
Do you supply paper tape and fill?
We do, so the whole parcel can go out plastic free if that matters to your brand.
How much does a dropshipping box cost?
Rough estimate is $0.35 to $0.90 per unit for a plain kraft mailer, $0.55 to $1.40 with one colour print and $0.90 to $2.20 for full colour litho at moderate quantity. Volume moves it considerably. Shipping is included in our price. This is estimate only, so ask our team for a exact quote.
