A packaging quote carries a bundle of assumptions about volume, freight terms, tooling amortization, and payment timing. Two quotes with the same headline per-unit price can represent very different total costs once the terms behind that number are read.
Confirm whether the quoted price is FOB, EXW, or DDP before comparing anything else. An FOB quote from one supplier and a DDP quote from another can look identical on the page while representing very different total landed costs once freight, duty, and destination handling are added in.
Check whether tooling cost is billed separately upfront, or quietly amortized into a higher per-unit price across the order. Amortized tooling can make a per-unit price look artificially high compared to a competitor who lists tooling as a separate line item. Always ask for both figures broken out.
A quoted price is only valid at the stated MOQ or volume tier. Confirm the quote reflects the actual order size, since suppliers sometimes quote a best-case volume that makes the per-unit number look attractive.
Normalize every quote to the same Incoterm, the same volume tier, and the same tooling treatment before comparing per-unit price. Send the spec for the bottle or closure program and request a quote on those terms.