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Buying guide

How many boxes to order: reorder points for D2C and plants

Order enough packaging to cover supplier lead time plus a spike buffer — for PackWorks stock packs that is often 2–4 weeks of usage plus festival uplift; for custom print, never buy more than you will sell before the next design change.

Updated 11 Sept 2026 · PackWorks By Velun, Karnal

Simple reorder math

Daily parcels × days until the next delivery lands + safety stock. Safety stock covers courier delays to you, sudden ad-spike volume, and the week your packers discover the wrong size.

SituationCoverNotes
Stable D2C, stock cartons2–3 weeks usageReorder when on-hand hits 10–14 days
Marketplace + ads volatility3–4 weeksKeep two nearby sizes
Monsoon / festive peakPeak week × 1.5–2Book early; print plates queue
Custom print runSell-through ≤ 60–90 daysDo not overbuy before a rebrand

Respect pack quantities

You buy packs (10, 25, 50, 100…). Round up to the next pack; do not plan on opening a sealed pack “halfway” across two pin codes if your warehouse is one room. For 3PL lines, standardise five middle sizes so reorder SKUs stay few.

Print and colour special cases

Colour mailers: smaller packs let you test shades without a year’s inventory. Custom flexo: MOQ 500 per size — calculate months of cover at current run-rate before you approve the plate. A beautiful carton you cannot store will get crushed in the aisle.

  • One hero size printed; secondary sizes stay plain stock
  • Advance payment locks cash — align with cash collection cycle
  • Samples first: never land 500 of an untested inner size

Storage reality

Flat cartons hate wet floors. Keep off monsoon concrete on pallets or racks, rotate older packs first, and separate printed lots from plain so packers do not mix. Damaged storage is a hidden reorder driver.

FAQ

Questions this guide answers

Should I buy the 5,000-pc price break immediately?

Only if storage and sell-through are clean. A lower piece rate with a year of dead stock is not a saving.

How fast does PackWorks restock plain sizes?

Core shipping and mailer sizes are catalogue stock. Order before you hit zero — do not assume same-day for every SKU in a peak week.

Can I mix sizes on one PO?

Yes. One cart can hold multiple sizes, tapes and bags — useful for a single GST invoice and one inbound shipment.