Industry Trends

I Spent a Year Reviewing EcoEnclose Orders: Here’s What Actually Passes Quality Control

EcoEnclose’s packaging holds up—but only if you check the right specs.

I’m a quality and brand compliance manager for a mid-sized e-commerce company. We ship roughly 50,000 units a year, and we switched fully to EcoEnclose for our mailers and shipping materials in early 2023. Over the last 18 months, I’ve reviewed over 400 unique items from them—everything from their standard poly mailers to custom-printed boxes. Here’s what I’ve learned about what works, what doesn’t, and where to save a few bucks.

Free shipping from EcoEnclose? Yes, but there’s a catch.

One of the first things I noticed—and the reason we stuck with them—is the free shipping on orders over a certain threshold. For our Q1 2024 order, we saved about $180 on freight alone compared to our previous supplier. But here’s the nuance: “free shipping” doesn’t always mean faster shipping. If you’re used to paying for expedited freight, switching to the free option might add 2-3 days to lead time. I didn’t fully understand the value of that buffer until a rush order for a product launch came in and we had to pay for expedited separately (note to self: always ask for the standard timeline, not the “free shipping” timeline).

The coupons work—but they’re not the same as a volume discount.

EcoEnclose offers coupons pretty regularly. In fact, I’ve used an “ecoenclose coupon” code for our last three orders, saving anywhere from 10-15% per order. But here’s a mistake I made: I assumed a coupon would stack with our negotiated volume pricing. It doesn’t. The coupon is a flat discount, not a percentage on top of a volume discount. So if you’re ordering in bulk (say, 10,000 mailers), the coupon might actually be less valuable than your standard volume price. For our 50,000-unit annual order, the volume discount saved us about $450 more than using a 10%-off coupon.

What I look for in every EcoEnclose shipment

Over the past 18 months, I’ve developed a checklist that I run on every incoming pallet. It’s not complicated, but it catches problems before they hit the floor.

Spec 1: Material thickness

EcoEnclose’s poly mailers are advertised as 1.5 mil thickness. That’s standard, but I’ve seen batches come in at 1.3 mil. It’s within their tolerance (they say ±0.2 mil), but for our heavier products, we need that full 1.5 mil. In Q2 2023, we rejected a batch of 2,000 mailers because they were thinner than spec. The vendor claimed it was within industry standard, but our contract specified our tight tolerance. They redid the batch at their cost. Since then, every EcoEnclose order confirmation includes “material thickness: 1.5 mil minimum” in the notes.

Spec 2: Seal integrity

This one is non-negotiable. We run a blind test with our packing team: same item in a mailer with a standard seal vs. a mailer with a reinforced seal. In our test, 80% of the team identified the reinforced seal as “more secure.” The cost increase was about $0.02 per mailer. On a 10,000-unit run, that’s $200 for measurably better protection. Worth it.

Spec 3: Print alignment

This is purely aesthetic, but for brand-consistent companies, it matters. The logo placement on EcoEnclose’s printed mailers can shift by up to 1/8 inch. On a standard mailer, that’s not noticeable. On a custom-printed box with a logo that runs edge-to-edge, it’s a problem. We rejected a batch of 500 custom boxes in January 2024 because the logo was skewed. EcoEnclose fixed it, but it delayed our launch by a week. If I remember correctly, the cost of that delay was about $3,000 in lost sales. Lesson learned: always ask for a proof before anything goes to bulk production.

The hidden costs you might not see

People think EcoEnclose is expensive because it’s eco-friendly. Actually, the base pricing is competitive with standard poly mailers from other suppliers. The hidden costs come from customization and rush orders. A rush order (next-day turnaround) can add 50-100% to the base price. For a 1,000-mailer order that normally costs $120, a rush order can be $180-$240. That’s not unusual in the packaging world, but it’s worth knowing before you assume a quick turnaround is affordable.

Who shouldn’t use EcoEnclose?

Look, I’m a fan of their packaging. But I wouldn’t recommend them for a company that needs extreme temperature resistance (think frozen food shipping) or heavy-duty industrial packaging (like metal parts). Their materials are designed for lightweight e-commerce—apparel, accessories, small electronics. For anything over 5 pounds or requiring thermal insulation, you’re better off with a specialized packaging vendor. That’s not a knock on EcoEnclose; it’s just the right tool for the right job.

Also, if you’re in Louisville, Colorado (their base), you can pick up orders to save on shipping. I haven’t done this myself, but a colleague told me it saved them about $60 on a medium-size order. (Pricing as of January 2025; verify current rates at their site.)

Final thought

EcoEnclose is a solid choice for e-commerce sustainable packaging, but the savings come from understanding the details: use coupons strategically, check your specs on every batch, and don’t assume free shipping means fast shipping. If you’re consistent with your quality checks, you’ll get consistent results.