Black Friday mailer box deals only pay off when you buy the right number of the right sizes. A cheap box that sits unused in the stockroom until next year is still money spent.
An online store ships more orders in the holiday weeks than in any other stretch of the year. The mailers you buy at sale prices have to cover that rush and keep going well into the quiet months that follow.
This guide works through the stock math with real numbers, then covers sizes, board, label savings, unboxing extras and storage. It ends with the exact steps to lock in up to 30% off before Cyber Monday.
Key takeaways
- Black Friday mailer prices of up to 30% off apply to 500 or more boxes per size and design on cardstock and corrugated.
- Buy for the holidays and the first quarter plus about 10 percent so the sale stock carries you well past the rush.
- Keep to two or three sizes so each one reaches the 500 box tier instead of spreading the order thin.
- Right sized mailers cut the billed weight on every label, which saves more than the box itself costs.
- Confirm your order with code BFBOXES before Cyber Monday at 11:59 PM ET to lock in the sale price.
How Many Custom Mailer Boxes Should You Buy in Bulk for Black Friday?
Buy enough mailers to cover your holiday orders and the first quarter of the new year, plus about 10 percent for damage and returns.
| Line | Small mailer | Medium mailer |
|---|---|---|
| Share of orders | 60 percent | 40 percent |
| Forecast orders | 720 | 480 |
| Buffer of 10 percent for damage and returns | 72 | 48 |
| Boxes to order | About 790 | About 530 |
| Black Friday tier reached | Yes, 500 or more | Yes, 500 or more |
Both sizes clear 500 boxes, so both earn the 20 to 30% discount for cardstock and corrugated orders. Without the buffer the medium size would fall short and stay at the standard price.
The forecast is only as good as last season, so start from your order history and add the growth you expect. The next decision is how many sizes you should split that total across before you order.
Why Should You Limit Your Order to Two or Three Mailer Sizes?
Fewer sizes put more boxes behind each one, and the Black Friday tiers count per size and design rather than across the whole order.
A store that orders five sizes of 200 boxes reaches 1,000 boxes in total but earns no discount at all. The same store ordering two sizes of 500 boxes gets the full sale tier on both.
- Group products by their packed size and let one mailer cover every item within about 25 mm of each other
- Use a card insert or crinkle paper to fill the gap in the larger box instead of adding another size
- Keep one shared design across sizes so every size counts as a single artwork for the tier
Our guide on how to measure a box shows how to find the inside size for each group. Once the sizes are fixed the board has to match the weight that goes inside each one.
Which Board Should Your Black Friday Mailers Use?
Choose the board by the packed weight of the heaviest order that goes into each size, because a mailer fails at its weakest load.
| Packed weight | Board | Typical products |
|---|---|---|
| Up to about 10 lb | 1.6 mm E flute | Apparel, beauty, candles and small gift sets |
| 10 to 40 lb | 3 mm B flute | Glass jars, bundles and heavier kits |
| Over 40 lb or fragile | Double wall shipping box | Bulk orders and large glass items |
E flute prints sharper and costs less, so most stores keep it for every mailer that stays light. Heavier bundles belong in our shipping boxes where the board is rated for the load.
The right board protects the product, and the right size protects your margin on every label you print.
How Much Can Right Sized Mailers Save on Shipping Labels?
Right sized mailers cut the billed weight on every parcel, because UPS and FedEx charge on the larger of actual weight and dimensional weight.
For daily rates both carriers divide length times width times height in inches by 139. A stock carton of 16 by 12 by 8 inches gives 1,536 cubic inches and bills at 12 lb.
A custom mailer of 12 by 9 by 4 inches holding the same 2 lb gift gives 432 cubic inches and bills at only 4 lb. That gap of 8 lb in billed weight repeats on every single order you ship this season.
The label savings alone are larger than the cost of the box in this example, and the sale price widens that gap further. USPS applies dimensional pricing to parcels larger than one cubic foot, so oversized stock cartons cost more there as well. Smaller boxes also leave more of your packaging budget for what the customer sees inside the lid.
Want your mailer sizes priced at the sale tier?
Send your sizes and quantities with code BFBOXES and we return a dieline and a sale price. Our team checks each size against the 500 box tier before the quote reaches you.
What Should Go Inside a Mailer for a Better Unboxing?
Spend a small part of the savings on the inside of the box, because the first thing a customer films is the moment the lid opens.
- Print a short thank you line or a pattern inside the lid where every customer sees it first
- Add a card insert that holds the product in place so nothing rattles during the trip
- Place a printed discount code for the next order inside the lid to bring holiday buyers back
- Seal the tuck front with a branded sticker so the box feels finished before it is opened
Holiday designs suit our custom holiday mailer boxes, while year round designs keep working after the season. Whichever design you pick, the boxes still need a dry place to wait before the holiday rush begins.
How Do You Store Hundreds of Flat Mailers Before the Rush?
Store flat mailers in their shipping cartons on a raised shelf, away from damp floors and direct sunlight, until the day you fold them.
Five hundred E flute mailers ship flat in a few cartons and fit on one shelving unit in most stockrooms. Keep each size in a labeled stack so packers grab the right one without thinking.
Count the cartons the day they arrive and check one mailer from each size against a real product before you put the stock away.
Fold a day of boxes ahead each morning during the busiest week so packing never waits on folding. Subscription stores face a slightly different version of the same planning problem, and the next section covers it.
Do Custom Subscription Boxes Get the Black Friday Sale Price?
Yes, custom subscription boxes earn the same Black Friday sale tiers, and a box that ships every month reaches 500 per size faster than most retail mailers.
A store with 150 monthly subscribers needs about 450 boxes for three months, so adding a fourth month or the holiday gift subscriptions crosses 500. Our monthly subscription boxes page covers the sizes and inserts that suit recurring monthly orders.
Ordering several months at once also locks the sale price for the whole run, since reorders after the sale return to standard pricing. Stores that sell one off products face a harder forecast, and the next section deals with that.
What If Your Holiday Order Forecast Is Uncertain?
If you are unsure of your forecast, put the sale order behind your best selling size and keep the second size at a smaller standard run.
Your best seller carries the least risk because it ships every week of the year, so 500 boxes in that size will not go to waste. A second size of 100 to 499 boxes stays at the standard price but keeps your cash free for stock.
Look at your busiest month last year and multiply it by four to estimate the next four months of demand. That rough figure is enough to decide whether a size clears 500 boxes or not.
Remember that reorders after the sale return to standard pricing, so a size you expect to reorder belongs in the sale order. With the numbers decided the last step is placing the order before the countdown ends.
How Do You Claim the Black Friday Mailer Box Deal?
Claim the deal by sending your sizes, quantities and the code BFBOXES through our quote form before Cyber Monday at 11:59 PM ET.
- Write each mailer size, the board and the quantity per size in the form so we can apply the right tier
- Type BFBOXES in the message box, because the code is applied by our team when the quote is prepared
- Approve the dieline and the price before the countdown ends, since the discount applies to confirmed orders only
- Request a plain sample in 3 to 5 business days if you want to test the fit before production starts
Every tier and rule sits on our Black Friday packaging boxes page, and our guide to Black Friday bulk order guide explains the offer across every box type.
Production then takes 8 to 10 business days and shipping is free across the United States, so your custom boxes arrive ready for the holiday orders.
Frequently asked questions
The short version
Buy enough mailers for the holidays and the first quarter plus about 10 percent, and split them across only two or three sizes.
Each size needs 500 or more boxes to earn 20 to 30% off, and right sized mailers save money on every label you print this season.
Send your sizes with code BFBOXES before Cyber Monday at 11:59 PM ET and our custom mailer boxes team will price each one.
Ready to stock up on printed mailers?
Black Friday pricing runs until Cyber Monday at 11:59 PM ET with code BFBOXES. Production takes 8 to 10 business days and shipping is free across the United States.
