Packing and shipping a first order
Decide how clothes are folded, protected, boxed and identified before packing begins, then use measured boxes and matching records to plan shipping.
Quick answers from this guide
When should packing be decided for a first clothing order?
Decide packing before the maker packs the full order. Start from the quantities ordered in each size and colour, the approved clothes and the instructions for delivery. Agree how each item is presented, what each box contains and how boxes are identified. Put a packing trial and approval of the box labels on the order schedule so changes can be resolved before boxes are closed.
How should the fold, bag and box be chosen?
Choose the fold, protection and outer box together through a packed trial with the approved clothes. Include the bags, hanging labels and protective materials that will travel with them. Check whether the clothes crease, become compressed or move inside the box. Record the agreed contents, weigh the completed box and measure its outside after closing it. Those figures support the shipping plan.
Can a shipping box contain different clothing sizes?
A shipping box can contain different sizes when the packing instructions specify the exact number of each size. Its label and the packing list must describe those contents. Check the mix against the quantities ordered for each colour and delivery. Pieces left after complete boxes are packed need an agreed packing instruction and a clearly identified box with its actual contents recorded.
What information belongs on a shipping box?
A shipping box label should connect the box to the order and its line in the packing list. Agree the fields with whoever will receive the clothes. These usually include the receiving name, order reference, clothing reference, colour and box number within the shipment. A box with leftover pieces needs its own accurate description. Approve labels before printing and check them against the packed order.
How does packing affect shipping cost and loading?
Packing changes the space clothes occupy during shipping. A fold, protective insert or outer box can change how many items fit into a container even when the clothing quantity stays the same. Use completed-box measurements and weights to test the loading arrangement. Reduce avoidable empty space while preserving the agreed appearance, safe handling and stable stacks. Packaging materials and packing work also affect cost.
On this page 7 sections
Pack a first clothing order to an agreed plan for folding, protection, box contents and identification, then use the completed boxes to check how the shipment will be loaded. Decide that plan before the maker begins packing the full order. The fold affects the box, the box affects the space needed for shipping, and the label connects the clothes inside to the record used when they arrive.
A finished order can be held up by a mismatch between a box and its paperwork. The clothes may be correct while the size mix inside a box is wrong, or the box numbers disagree with the packing list. Packing belongs on the same schedule as making and checking the clothes.
01Agree how the clothes will arrive before packing starts
Begin with the order quantities for each design, colour and size. Read them alongside the approved sample and the delivery instructions. Together, these tell the maker what needs to be packed and how the receiving team expects to find it. A warehouse counting individual sizes may need a different arrangement from a shop receiving a planned mix of sizes in each box.
Write down the agreed presentation of the clothes, including whether they are folded or hung and what protects them. State how many items go into each bag or bundle, then how many go into the outer box. Record the box requirements and its label in the same instructions. Everyone packing, checking or arranging transport should be working from the same approved version.
Keep this with the document that tells the maker what to make. A thicker fabric or an added inner box can change how many items fit safely, even if the order quantity has stayed the same. Revisit the packing instructions when those details change. Put the packing trial, label approval and final check of the shipping records on the schedule before packing starts.
02Test the fold and protection inside the real box
Ask the maker to pack a trial box using the approved clothes and the materials intended for the order. Include the real bags and hanging labels, along with any tissue, inserts or other protection. Those details take up space and add weight. A drawing of a box cannot show how the clothes will sit inside it.
Open the trial and check the result. A fold can crease a shirt, a tight box can compress a padded jacket, and a loose box can let clothes shift. Delicate decoration or a rigid part may change the protection needed. Clothes on hangers require a different arrangement from clothes folded flat. The trial should establish a presentation that can be repeated across the order.
Choose the number of items per box from that trial. Check the filled weight and whether the proposed stack will protect the boxes underneath. Record how the box is closed and any agreed moisture protection. If pallets will be used, include their requirements in the plan. A tighter fold is useful only when the clothes still open out in the agreed condition. Compression that distorts a rib or crushes a trim defeats the packing decision.
03Set the exact contents of every box
A box can hold one design in one colour and size, or an agreed mix. Choose the arrangement with whoever will receive the clothes, according to how the order will be counted and distributed. There is no single best mix for every order.
For a mixed-size box, write the quantity of each size in full. For example, a packing instruction could specify one extra-small, two small, three medium, two large and one extra-large item. That makes nine items. A box could still contain nine items after someone swaps a size, so checking the total alone would miss the error. Compare the sizes inside with the agreed contents as well.
Calculate how many complete boxes the ordered quantities support for each design, colour and delivery group. Use the quantities in the order. A familiar mix of sizes may leave too many of one size and too few of another. If the order changes, calculate the packing plan again.
Pieces left after the complete boxes are packed need their own agreed arrangement. Mark their box clearly and record exactly what it contains in the packing list. Do not tuck extra pieces into a standard box while leaving its label unchanged. The person opening it needs to find what the record describes.
04Give each box a label that matches the packing list
The outer label should let the receiving team connect a closed box to the order and identify its contents. Agree its layout before labels are printed. The working information usually includes the receiving name and order reference, with the clothing reference, colour and box number. Include any origin wording specified in the delivery instructions.
A label reading only “garments” does not make that connection. If a box is labelled “7 of 34”, the packing list should identify box 7 and show the same contents, dimensions and weights. A box holding leftover pieces needs to be identified as such. Its contents cannot be assumed to match the regular boxes around it.
Keep the information readable when adding the brand's logo or other artwork. Separating the artwork from the changing order details helps keep a revised reference from becoming a redesign of the whole label. Approve both before printing. Late corrections to closed boxes involve relabelling and further counting, which can make the numbering unreliable.
Check a proposed size mix before packing begins, check it where the clothes are being packed, and open selected boxes during the final checks. Compare their contents with both the outer label and the packing list.
05Measure completed boxes before arranging transport
Shipping needs the outside measurements of the closed box and its total packed weight. A sample can help choose the packaging, but the final shipping figures should come from representative completed boxes. Include the clothes, inner packing and outer box in the total weight. Keep the weight of the clothes themselves separately identified in the packing list.
For each box type, multiply its length, width and height in metres to find its volume, then multiply by the number of those boxes. Add the results across the order. This gives the space occupied by the boxes before gaps and loading restrictions are considered. It does not yet show whether they fit in the proposed arrangement.
A clothing shipment can use up the available container space before reaching its weight limit. Bulky clothes and protective packing take up room; dense denim or heavy metal parts can make weight more significant. Record both. Give the company arranging transport the box count, measurements and packed weight, together with when the clothes will be ready and whether boxes will sit on pallets or be loaded directly.
Shipping cost per item can change with the packing even when the transport rate stays the same. A closer-fitting box may allow more clothes into the same container. Box materials and the work involved in packing also affect cost.
06Plan stable stacks and the order of unloading
For a shipment using a dedicated container, test a drawn or physical loading arrangement against the measured boxes. Allow for the doorway and the space needed to secure the load. Record which way each box may face and how high it can safely be stacked. The total volume alone cannot answer those questions.
Different box sizes can travel together when their dimensions and stack heights work together. Group compatible boxes so the arrangement stays stable. A shorter box beneath a taller one can leave an uneven layer, while excessive weight above a light box can deform it. The loading plan needs to preserve the protection agreed in the packing trial.
Map groups of boxes to their positions. Clothes that need earlier access should be placed according to the unloading sequence, with their box numbers still connected to the packing list. Record where boxes containing leftover pieces will sit too. Irregular final boxes can change the last rows of the load.
Do not open approved mixed-size boxes to fill a gap with loose items. That changes the contents the receiving team expects. If the box count or arrangement changes, update the loading plan and packing list together before handover.
07Reconcile the packed order before it leaves
Build the packing list from the approved plan, then check it against the physical boxes. Use one current file for the shipment. The people confirming quantities and arranging transport may add different information, but the box numbers and totals need a common source. Separate corrections can leave different people describing different shipments.
Check that the totals for each design, colour and size match the order or an agreed adjustment. Confirm that box numbers have no gaps or duplicates. Compare the recorded weights and measurements with the completed boxes, and check that every label agrees with the packing list and delivery instructions.
On the day a container is loaded, inspect its interior for cleanliness, dryness and protrusions. The loading team should use the current packing list and agreed arrangement, checking stable stacks and the method of securing them. Resolve discrepancies while the boxes remain accessible. Keep the final count and confirmation of the loading arrangement with the packing list. Before the doors close, the records should describe the clothes exactly as packed and loaded.