How Packaging Marketplace Works
What we do
Packaging Marketplace is a price comparison site for stock cardboard boxes in the UK. We gather box listings from multiple UK suppliers, put them onto a common set of dimensions and specifications, and show you the prices side by side for the size you need.
We are infrastructure, not a shop. We do not sell boxes ourselves and we do not hold stock. We show you who sells the box you need and what they charge, so you can buy from the supplier that suits you.
Why comparison is needed
The same box, a single wall 305 x 220 x 100mm regular slotted case for example, is sold by dozens of UK suppliers at prices that can vary significantly from one supplier to the next. A buyer ordering a pallet quantity of a common size can easily pay a noticeably different per-unit price depending on which supplier they happen to use. On top of that, suppliers describe boxes differently: some quote internal dimensions, some external; some price ex-VAT, some inc-VAT; free delivery thresholds and carriage charges differ; board grades and flutes are not always stated the same way.
That makes honest comparison hard by hand. Most businesses settle on one supplier and stop checking, which adds cost to every order. Our job is to make the comparison quick and fair.
How the comparison works
Our method comes down to normalising everything onto a common basis before we compare price.
- Size is standardised. Every listing is mapped to internal dimensions in millimetres, in length x width x depth order, so you are always comparing the usable space your product fits into, not a mix of internal and external figures.
- Specification is recorded. Single or double wall, flute profile and board grade where the supplier states it, and the FEFCO style. A 0201 single wall box is only comparable to another 0201 single wall box at a similar grade.
- Price is normalised. All prices are shown ex-VAT, the B2B convention, and captured at standard quantity breaks so you can see the per-unit cost at the volume you actually buy.
- Delivery terms are surfaced. Free delivery thresholds, carriage charges and any postcode surcharges affect the real delivered cost, so they appear alongside the box price rather than surprising you at checkout.
- Results are shown by size. Search the internal size you need and the comparison lists every supplier who stocks it with their prices, so you can choose on total delivered cost, not sticker price.
What we normalise
| Field | How we normalise it |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | Internal measurements in mm, stated as length x width x depth |
| Wall type, flute and board grade | Recorded as stated by the supplier; flagged where not available |
| FEFCO style | Mapped to the standard FEFCO code where identifiable |
| Price | Ex-VAT, shown at standard quantity breaks |
| Delivery terms | Free delivery threshold, carriage charge, and postcode surcharges shown alongside the box price |
When those fields line up, a price difference is a genuine saving, not an artefact of two suppliers describing different things.
How suppliers get listed
If you are a UK box supplier, listing is straightforward. We take your stock range, sizes, specifications and pricing, and add it to the comparison so buyers searching your box sizes can find you. There is no charge to the buyer, and being listed puts your prices in front of businesses at the moment they are choosing where to order.
We list your products as they are. We do not rewrite your specifications or hide your delivery terms. Accurate, well-described listings tend to win business, because buyers can see exactly what they are getting and trust the comparison.
If you supply stock single wall cardboard boxes in the UK and want to be included, get in touch and we will walk you through what we need: your size range, board specifications, pricing at quantity breaks, and delivery terms.
What buyers and suppliers get
Packaging Marketplace gives buyers a straightforward, like-for-like comparison of stock box prices across UK suppliers. You know the size you need, and you should be able to see who sells it and what it costs, on a fair basis, in one place. Suppliers get visibility at the exact moment a buyer is deciding where to order.