The REAL cost of packaging (and why it’s not what you think)

When brands think about packaging costs, they usually look only at the price of the pouch itself. But if you're using labels — whether you print them yourself or buy them ready-made – the real cost comes from everything around that decision.

Because label-based packaging always includes:

• labels (printed in-house or bought separately),
• ink, cartridges and printer hiccups,
• the time it takes to stick each label on,
• mistakes (crooked labels, typos, damaged surfaces),
• wasted pouches and wasted labels,
• and yes – the bin full of backing paper and misprints.

In e-commerce and retail, packaging does more than hold your product. It shapes your brand, builds your unboxing experience, and can quietly drain your budget when the process depends on manual labelling.

So the real question isn’t: “How much does the pouch cost?” but rather: “How much does my entire labelling process cost me every month?”. And that number is usually… much higher than expected.

In this article, we break down the REAL cost of packaging - the visible costs, the hidden ones, and the ones nobody talks about. Plus: how custom printed pouches can reduce time, labour, waste and stress (yes, stress counts too 😉).

The Hidden Costs of Packaging No One Talks About

You might think you’re saving money by using a “cheap” pouch + sticker – whether you print the labels yourself or buy them ready-made. But here’s what most brands discover once they do the maths…

1. The cost of materials you don’t see

A plain pouch sounds inexpensive until you add all the extras:

·       labels

·       ink cartridges (which always run out at the worst moment)

·       printers

·       trial prints

·       ruined labels

·       backup rolls “just in case”

Suddenly your “cheap solution” isn’t cheap at all.

And remember: labels don’t come for free - neither does the time it takes to apply them.

2. The cost of labour (the silent budget killer)

Let’s be honest. Nobody starts a business dreaming about spending hours sticking labels on pouches. But someone has to do it. And that “someone” = money.

Your employee spends:

·       time printing labels

·       time peeling them

·       time sticking them

·       time fixing the crooked ones

·       time starting over after a bad batch

·       time throwing away ruined pouches

·       time re-sticking new labels on new pouches

All of that is labour cost. And worst of all? One crooked sticker = one wasted pouch + double labour time.

With custom print, every pouch comes perfectly aligned, every single time. Zero crooked labels, zero re-work.

3. The cost of waste (and yes, it adds up)

Stickers come with backing paper. Backing paper becomes waste. And waste needs to be stored, moved and thrown away.

Plus:

·       misprinted labels = waste

·       badly applied labels = waste

·       damaged pouches = waste

·       double-labour = indirect waste

All of that reduces efficiency and increases environmental footprint – something more customers care about every year.

When “cheap” packaging becomes an expensive process

On paper, a plain pouch + sticker sounds like the most budget-friendly option.
But in real life? It’s often the most expensive way to package your product.

Why? Because the cost of packaging isn’t just: pouch price + sticker price. It’s also:

·       +++ time

·       labour

·       mistakes

·       waste

·       inefficiency

·       inconsistency

·       slower fulfilment

·       frustrated staff (yes, this counts too)

Let’s look at a real scenario most brands recognise:

Scenario: A sticker costs 7p. Your employee spends 1 minute applying it. Their hourly rate = £10, so 1 minute of work costs you approx. 17p. So each “cheap” pouch suddenly costs 24p more than you thought. Multiply that by 500, 1,000 or 5,000 units… and suddenly that “simple” sticker system is adding hundreds of pounds per month to your packaging bill.

And that’s assuming every sticker is applied perfectly. Now think about:

·       labels stuck crooked

·       labels stuck too low

·       labels folded on the edge

·       fingerprints on glossy labels

·       labels placed inconsistently

·       labels falling off during transport

·       whole batches needing re-work

 
Each mistake = 1 wasted pouch + 1 wasted label + double labour time.

That’s the REAL cost nobody calculates at the beginning. And usually brands realise it only when the process becomes overwhelming.

Custom Printed Pouches: the smarter solution

Here’s the good news: you don’t have to live in the land of stickers, crooked labels and wasted time. Custom printed pouches solve almost every hidden cost at once – and they do it beautifully.

Here’s why: ✔ No labels, no peeling, no sticking

Everything is printed directly on the pouch. No extra materials. No extra tools. No extra steps. You save time. Your team saves time. Your stress levels drop to zero.

✔ Perfectly aligned, every time

Custom print means your design is always:

·       straight

·       centred

·       professional

·       clean

·       consistent

There’s no “Oops, that one is slightly crooked” moment. Everything looks like it came straight from a premium brand - because it did.

✔ Better unboxing experience

A printed pouch feels intentional. Designed. Premium. Finished. A sticker feels… well… like a shortcut.

Unpacking is emotional. Customers remember it. Printed pouches give you an instant boost in perceived value.

✔ Less waste = more efficiency

No label backing paper. No ruined labels. No ruined pouches. No double labour. Just clean, efficient fulfilment.
Your team can finally focus on real tasks, not peeling stickers all day.

✔ And the best part?

Custom print is not slow or expensive anymore.

At JAMO, you can order custom printed pouches:

• from just 100 pcs (overprint) ready in a few days
• or fully customised pouches from 500 pcs (with edge-to-edge print) ready in 3-4 weeks

Fast. Easy. Affordable. A huge upgrade with minimal effort.

What brands usually realise too late

Some small businesses start with the plan: “We know labels take time, but it’s still the simplest option. We’ll just buy plain pouches and stick labels on them.” And honestly, it does sound like a good idea at the beginning.

But even when brands are aware of the extra work and still choose the label route, this is what usually happens after a few months:

• “We thought labels would be cheap… until we added the labour cost.”

The pouch was cheap. The sticker was cheap. The process was not.

• “We didn’t expect so many mistakes.”

Crooked labels, misprints, bubbles, fingerprints – and customers notice.

• “Our team spends hours on labelling instead of actual work.”

Your staff is capable of much more than peeling stickers. But the process locks them into low-value, repetitive tasks.

• “We ended up wasting more pouches than we expected.”

Every crooked label = 1 wasted pouch. Every mistake = double labour time. Everything adds up.

• “We realised our packaging didn’t look as professional as we wanted.”

This one hurts the most. Because your packaging is a part of your brand. And a slightly crooked sticker can make even the best product look… unfinished. This is usually the moment brands start looking for a better option. And that’s exactly when custom printed pouches start to make sense.

The REAL cost of packaging isn’t the pouch - it’s the entire process

Here’s the truth most brands only discover after a few months in business:

Your packaging isn’t expensive because of the pouch. It’s expensive because of the system around it. Labels. Mistakes. Labour. Waste. Time. Inconsistency. Slow fulfilment.

When you add all these hidden costs together, you suddenly realise the pouch itself was never the problem.

Custom printed pouches change that. They remove:

·       sticking

·       peeling

·       correcting

·       reprinting

·       reworking

·       wasting

And replace all of it with one simple step: Take pouch -> Fill pouch -> Ship pouch.

Zero labels. Zero rework. Zero waste.
More consistency. More professionalism. More brand value.
Better unboxing. Less stress. Often at a lower total cost, too.

All while your brand looks sharper, cleaner and more premium - every single time. Plus custom print often ends up cheaper than DIY-sticker packaging. Brands only realise this AFTER switching - and almost every time they say the same thing: “We should have done this months ago.”

If your current packaging feels slow, messy or more expensive than it should be – you’re not imagining it. It is. But fixing it is easier than you think.

At JAMO, we help brands:
✔ reduce labour costs
✔ eliminate stickers and rework
✔ speed up fulfilment
✔ look more professional
✔ and simplify their entire packaging routine

All starting from just 100 pouches.

If you want to see how much you can save (time, money, and sanity 😄), just reach out - we’re here to help.

✨ Ready to switch to smarter packaging? Let’s talk – we’ll make it easy (+44 2033 719569, info@jamosolutions.co.uk)