Samples & Specifications
Part of Supplier requests and quotations
Clarifying packaging and labelling requirements in a quote
Find out which packs, labels, artwork tasks and changes a supplier quote includes before accepting its price.
Before accepting a supplier quote, identify which packaging and labels the price covers. Give the supplier the presentation version you want priced, ask what it supplies at each packing level, and separate unpriced artwork or compliance questions. ‘Standard packaging included’ is too vague when goods must arrive ready for a particular use.
Describe each packing level
Distinguish the product or primary pack, any retail display pack and the outer shipping carton. State the units per pack and carton, required inserts or instructions, closures, protection and any barcode or stock identifier you require. For each level, ask the supplier to confirm proposed materials and dimensions, or mark them as provisional.
The quotation question is whether those items and assembly steps are included in the price. Detailed transport and retail packaging design belongs in the approved packaging specification. If the quote uses a different carton quantity or pack format, record the deviation because it changes what the unit price represents.
Make label content and responsibility explicit
Provide the current artwork or a controlled list of required text and markings. Ask who will prepare files, check proofs, print labels, apply them and pay for corrections after an approved change. Identify which variants need different labels and whether the price includes a proof or sample for review.
Check Australian requirements for the actual product category: mandatory consumer-product standards may specify packaging or labelling. The ACCC says it can require businesses to back up claims they make about their products or services, and may investigate misleading claims.
A supplier can quote the work, but a quoted label does not establish that its wording is legally suitable. Keep product-specific classification and compliance review open until the relevant requirements and evidence are checked.
Australian regulatory requirements affecting packaging and labelling
- Mandatory product safety standards
- Available at https://www.productsafety.gov.au/business/understand-product-safety-rules/product-safety-standards-and-how-to-comply
- Country of origin claims
- Must be accurate under ACCC rules
- False or misleading claims
- Businesses must provide evidence
Request an inclusion statement
Ask for a response in this form. Use a separate line for each variant:
Item / Clarification to obtain
- Product pack
- Material, contents, printing and assembly included in unit price
- Retail presentation
- Carton, sleeve, display features and included inserts
- Shipping carton
- Units per carton, dimensions, weight basis and markings
- Artwork and labels
- File preparation, proofing, printing, application and language versions
- Changes
- Charge and lead-time effect of revised artwork or pack quantities
If a measurement is not settled, ask the supplier to state the pricing assumption and whether confirmation can change the quote. Do not treat ‘included’ as a promise about an unspecified final design.
Close the quote without losing the version
Attach the agreed packaging and artwork versions to the selected quotation or order. Obtain a revised price if the approved presentation changes. Before mass production, review a proof or packing sample against those versions and record what the review covered. Quote comparison establishes price and responsibilities; finished-pack approval and applicable labelling checks are separate decisions.
