Buying
Everything we have written on buying, newest first.
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In Buying
How we actually build a quote, line by line
What goes into the number when we price a load of used boxes: the six inputs, and why two suppliers can quote the same lot 30% apart.
Priya Raman · 7 min
August 12, 2025When to buy new: three clear cases and one genuine grey area
We would rather sell you a used box. Three situations where that would be wrong, and how to tell which one you are actually in.
Priya Raman · 6 min
April 15, 2025Lead time beats unit price more often than buyers expect
A four-week corrugator queue and a yard with stock on the floor are different products. What a stockout actually costs your operation.
Tom Brennan · 6 min
February 11, 2025How to audit a supplier's grading claims without being a specialist
A sampling method a receiving clerk can run in twenty minutes to tell whether the grade you paid for is the grade you actually got.
Marisol Vega · 7 min
June 11, 2024The economics of half gaylords, which almost nobody runs the numbers on
A half gaylord holds about 40% of a standard box, ships 900 to a trailer, and fixes a problem that full boxes quietly cause.
Tom Brennan · 6 min
May 7, 2024Writing a box spec your supplier cannot wriggle out of
A one-page specification with eleven fields that removes ambiguity from bulk box purchasing, and the exact wording that closes each loophole.
Priya Raman · 7 min
December 5, 2023How to run a packaging RFQ that gets you honest numbers
Most bulk packaging RFQs invite vague answers. The eight things to specify so quotes are comparable, and three questions that expose brokers.
Priya Raman · 7 min