You’re Shipping 10,000 Boxes a Month. Are They the Right Size?

Here’s a number that should make you uncomfortable:

$2.50

That’s the average cost of shipping a box that’s one size too big. Dimensional weight pricing means carriers charge for the space your box takes up, not just what it weighs.

At 10,000 boxes per month, that’s $25,000/month in unnecessary shipping costs. $300,000 per year. Gone.

And that’s before we talk about the extra void fill, the damaged products, and the customers posting unboxing videos of your tiny product swimming in a giant box.

The Subscription Box Packaging Problem

Your business is fundamentally different from traditional e-commerce:

Traditional E-commerce	Subscription Boxes
Customer picks products	You curate products
Same SKU = same box	Every box is different
Predictable packaging	Variable contents monthly
One-time optimization	Continuous optimization

Most order management systems assume predictable orders. “Customer orders Widget-A, ship in Box-Small.” Done.

But your March box has 6 items. Your April box has 4 different items. Your premium tier has 8 items. Your “snack lovers” variant has bulky items. Your “beauty” variant has fragile items.

Every. Single. Box. Is. Different.

How Most Companies “Solve” This

Option 1: One Box Size for Everything

Pick a box that fits your largest possible combination. Ship everything in it.

Result: 60-70% of boxes are oversized. You’re paying dimensional weight on air.

Option 2: Manual Box Selection

Train packers to eyeball each order and pick a box.

Result: Inconsistent. Slow. Doesn’t scale. New hires get it wrong for weeks.

Option 3: Simple Rules

“If order has 4+ items, use large box.”

Result: Better than nothing, but still wrong 30-40% of the time. A box with 4 small items doesn’t need the same box as 4 large items.

The Right Solution: 3D Bin Packing

StoaPack is our 3D bin packing engine. It solves the actual math problem:

“Given these specific items with these specific dimensions, what is the smallest box that fits them all safely?”

This isn’t a lookup table. It’s not a rule engine. It’s actual 3D spatial optimization, running in milliseconds for every order.

How It Works

1. You enter product dimensions once — Length, width, height for each SKU
2. You define your box inventory — What boxes do you have available?
3. StoaPack calculates — For each order, which box fits best?
4. Packer sees the answer — “Use Box M, pack items like this”

What It Handles

Real subscription boxes have real constraints:

• Fragile items — Can’t stack heavy items on glass bottles
• Orientation — Some items must stay upright
• Weight limits — Box can only hold 15 lbs safely
• Padding — Account for 0.5” void fill on each side
• Branded inserts — That welcome card takes up space too

StoaPack handles all of this. You set the constraints once. It applies them to every order.

Real Math, Real Savings

Let’s do the calculation for a typical subscription box company:

Metric	Before StoaPack	After StoaPack
Orders/month	10,000	10,000
Avg. box size	12x10x8	10x8x6
Avg. DIM weight	6.9 lbs	3.5 lbs
Avg. shipping cost	$9.20	$7.10
Monthly shipping	$92,000	$71,000
Annual savings	—	$252,000

Example calculation based on typical dimensional weight pricing. Your actual savings depend on your product mix, box inventory, and carrier contracts.

Built Into Your Workflow

StoaPack integrates directly with Vectis. Here’s what your packer sees:

Order #12847 - Sarah M.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Items:
  • Artisan Chocolate Bar (2)
  • Gourmet Coffee 12oz
  • Ceramic Mug
  • Recipe Card Pack

📦 Use: BRANDED-MED (10x8x6)

Packing instructions:
  1. Mug in corner, handle facing in
  2. Coffee bag next to mug
  3. Chocolates on top
  4. Recipe cards in remaining space

No guessing. No “which box should I use?” No experienced packer required.

Works With Your Subscription Platform

Vectis + StoaPack handle fulfillment for subscription businesses:

Order Processing

• Import orders from your subscription platform via API
• StoaPack calculates optimal packaging for each order
• Print labels and pick lists
• Basic pick lists for warehouse flow

Flexible Product Mixes

• Optimize packaging for any product combination
• Handle varying box contents month to month
• Same packing optimization regardless of what’s in the box

See Your Savings

We’ll calculate your potential savings using your actual:

• Product dimensions
• Box inventory
• Monthly volume
• Current shipping costs

Bring your data. We’ll show you the math.

Schedule a demo →

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Common Questions

Do I need to measure every product?

Yes, accurate dimensions are required. But you do it once per SKU. We provide measurement guidelines and can help with bulk measurement workflows for large catalogs.

What if my boxes are custom branded?

Perfect. Enter your custom box dimensions (internal dimensions, not external). StoaPack optimizes for your actual packaging inventory, branded or not.

Can I use StoaPack without Vectis?

Yes. StoaPack is available as a standalone API. Integrate it with any system. But the Vectis integration makes the workflow seamless—no development required.

How accurate is the box selection?

Very. StoaPack uses actual 3D bin packing algorithms (not simple volume calculations). It accounts for item shapes, orientations, weight distribution, and your specific constraints. Accuracy is typically 95%+ for well-measured products.

What if StoaPack picks a box I’m out of?

You can set box availability in real-time. If you’re out of Medium boxes, StoaPack will use the next best option from your available inventory.