How we actually build a quote, line by line

We publish our grading standard, our freight arithmetic and our specification logic, so it would be odd to be secretive about pricing. Here is what actually goes into the number.

Input one: acquisition

What we paid for the lot, which varies enormously. A truckload bought from a facility clearing a lease against a deadline costs a fraction of a standing arrangement with a plant that knows exactly what its boxes are worth.

This is the input customers cannot see and it is the reason two honest suppliers can be 30 percent apart on identical goods. It is not margin, it is inventory cost.

Input two: grading and reconditioning labour

Every box gets stood up and checked against six points. That is roughly ninety seconds of a person's time, plus handling to and from the line. Boxes needing a patch, a re-taped seam or a replacement flap take longer.

It is the largest controllable cost in the business and it is where suppliers diverge most. A yard that sells boxes ungraded has almost none of this cost — and the customer discovers the difference on their own dock.

Input three: storage time

Boxes occupy yard space, and yard space costs money. A size that turns over weekly carries almost no storage cost. A seasonal size that sits for four months carries real cost, plus the risk of degrading while it waits.

This is why our deep-stock sizes are proportionally cheaper than our seasonal ones even when the acquisition cost was similar.

Input four: quantity

Input five: freight

Linehaul at roughly $2.20 to $3.40 per mile on Texas dry-van lanes, plus a fuel surcharge that moves weekly, plus accessorials if your dock needs a liftgate or driver assist. On bulk corrugated this frequently exceeds the value of the boxes.

Which is why we quote landed cost. A per-box price without freight attached is answering a question your controller did not ask.

Input six: whether it pairs

The one that moves the number most and that customers most often do not mention. A trailer delivering to you will return empty unless something fills it. If you have empties, baled fiber or pallets going out, that same trailer takes them.

One linehaul instead of two takes roughly 40 percent off each direction, and we pass that through rather than pocketing it — because a customer on a paired route is a customer who stays.

What is not in the number

• No charge for the quote, the stock check, or the specification advice. Those are how we find out whether we can help.
• No fuel surcharge hidden inside the unit price. It is a separate line.
• No restocking charge unless a lot has already been pulled and staged.
• No sales commission driving somebody to sell you a heavier box than you need.

Why we sometimes quote lower than you asked for

If your RFQ specifies a wall count your load does not need, or Grade A for boxes that will never leave your building, the quote will say so and price the cheaper option alongside.

Not out of virtue. Selling somebody a more expensive box than they need is a one-order strategy, and the used box business runs on customers who come back — ideally on a truck that is already going their way.