As of January 2025, LTL (Less-Than-Truckload) freight rates are volatile. A pallet of glass from the East Coast to the Midwest might be $450 one month and $620 the next. Many suppliers quote FOB (Free On Board) from their warehouse. That means you own it and pay for shipping the moment it leaves their dock. If you're not factoring in current freight costs—and a buffer—your packaging budget is wrong. Always ask for a freight estimate to your door based on your order weight and dimensions before finalizing. A good supplier should be able to ballpark this.

5. I see "FDA" mentioned a lot. Does that mean any jar from a big supplier is food-safe?

This is a major point of confusion, and getting it wrong has serious consequences. There's a big difference between a material being FDA-compliant for food contact and a specific container being approved for your specific use.

The resin or glass type might be fine. But what about the inks in the labeling? The adhesive on the liner in the cap? The sealant? In 2023, we sourced some beautiful printed lids for a nut butter. The polypropylene lid material was FDA-compliant. The printing ink, however, was not rated for direct food contact (it was meant for the outside). We caught it during our sample review (thankfully). The vendor had to reformulate. The assumption is that a big supplier only sells "safe" items. The reality is you must verify every component against your product's pH, fat content, and storage conditions. Don't take the word "FDA" on a product page as a blanket approval.

6. How do you actually judge quality from a website photo?

You can't. Not fully. But you can read between the pixels.

First, look for technical drawings or spec sheets. A supplier investing in providing detailed dimensional drawings (showing height, diameter, thread finish, etc.) is often more reliable. It shows they care about specs. Second, read the product description for material grades. "Glass" is vague. "Type III soda-lime glass" is specific. "Plastic" is useless. "PETG" or "HDPE" is better.

Finally, and this is key: call them. Ask a technical question. "What's the burst strength of this bottle?" "What's the torque specification for this closure?" Their ability (and willingness) to answer—or to find out—tells you more than 100 photos. The best part of finding a supplier with good technical support? No more 3am worry sessions about whether your caps will arrive matching your bottles.

7. Is it worth paying more for a supplier that offers custom services?

It depends on where you are in your business. For a startup testing the market? Probably not. For a scaling brand where packaging is a key differentiator? Absolutely.

Custom services—like sourcing a specific Pantone color for a closure, or applying a unique coating—add cost and time. But they also add control. We once used a stock amber glass bottle. It was fine. Then we worked with a supplier to apply a custom, UV-blocking coating to the same bottle. It cost 12% more per unit. But it extended our product's shelf life by an estimated 30%, reducing returns and increasing retailer confidence. That $0.24 per bottle upgrade paid for itself many times over. The question shifts from "What does it cost?" to "What value does it create?"

There's something satisfying about getting the packaging just right. It's the unboxing experience for your customer, the first touchpoint of your brand. After all the stress of coordinating specs, samples, and freight, seeing that perfect, consistent container arrive on your production line—that's the real payoff.