Sending with Evri? Could the Right-Sized Box Save You Money?
10th Sep 2026
When you're sending parcels with Evri, the size of your cardboard box could affect more than how much packaging you use. It could also affect how much you pay to send it.
If you run a small online business, sell through eBay, Etsy or another marketplace, there's a good chance you've considered Evri for your deliveries.
And when you're sending parcels regularly, every saving matters.
You might compare courier prices, look at different delivery speeds and consider whether you can qualify for better rates by sending more parcels.
But there's something else worth looking at:
The size of your box.
Evri now offers a Small Parcel service specifically for parcels measuring up to:
450mm × 350mm × 160mm
and weighing up to:
2kg
Small Parcels can be cheaper to send than equivalent parcels using Evri's Standard service.
That raises an interesting question.
Could choosing a box made closer to the size of your product help you qualify for Evri's Small Parcel service?
What size is an Evri Small Parcel?
Evri currently defines a Small Parcel as measuring no more than:
45cm × 35cm × 16cm
with a maximum weight of:
2kg
If your packed parcel fits within those limits, you may be able to use Evri's Small Parcel service rather than its Standard parcel service.
The important word there is packed.
It's the dimensions of the finished parcel that matter.
So if your product is relatively small but you're putting it into an unnecessarily large stock cardboard box, the packaging itself could potentially push your parcel outside the Small Parcel dimensions.
Could your cardboard box be costing you more to send?
Let's look at a simple example.
Imagine the product you're sending could comfortably and safely be packaged in a box measuring:
400mm × 300mm × 140mm
That would be within Evri's current Small Parcel dimensions.
But you don't have that size.
The closest stock box you've found measures:
400mm × 300mm × 180mm
It's only an extra 40mm in depth.
Your product still fits perfectly well.
But your finished parcel is now too deep to meet Evri's 160mm Small Parcel limit.
That relatively small difference in the size of the cardboard box could mean you need to use a different Evri parcel category.
A custom-sized box approaches the problem differently.
Instead of finding the nearest available box and making your product fit inside it, you specify the dimensions you actually need.
Isn't a stock cardboard box cheaper?
It probably is.
And we think it's important to be upfront about that.
Standard cardboard boxes can be manufactured in their thousands – or considerably more – which makes them extremely cost-effective to produce.
ASC Direct manufactures boxes to the dimensions you require, from quantities as low as 25 boxes.
A custom-sized box can therefore cost more per box than a mass-produced stock alternative.
But here's the important question:
What's the cost of the box compared with the cost of sending the parcel?
If spending a little more on the right box allows a parcel to qualify for a lower-cost delivery category, the cheapest empty box may not necessarily produce the cheapest finished parcel.
And even when the parcel category doesn't change, there are other benefits to getting the size right.
1. Use less unnecessary void fill
An oversized box creates another problem.
Empty space.
If your product can move around inside the box, you'll probably need to fill that space before sending it.
That could mean:
- Paper void fill
- Bubble wrap
- Air pillows
- Other protective packaging
Some products genuinely need cushioning and protection.
But there's a difference between protecting your product and filling space simply because your box is too big.
Start with a box closer to the dimensions your product requires and there's less unnecessary space to fill.
Less empty space. Less unnecessary void fill.
2. Help keep your product secure
Reducing unnecessary space isn't just about saving packaging.
It can also help keep your product more securely positioned inside the parcel.
Imagine putting a small product into a large cardboard box.
If you don't add enough void fill, the product can move around as the parcel is handled and transported.
For fragile or delicate products, that movement could increase the risk of damage.
A right-sized box gives you a better starting point.
You can then add the protection the product actually needs rather than trying to fill a large empty box.
Right-sized doesn't mean tight-sized.
Always leave sufficient room for appropriate protective packaging where it's required.
3. Pack your Evri orders faster
If you're selling online, you're probably doing far more than simply packing parcels.
You're managing orders.
Answering customers.
Updating listings.
Ordering stock.
Managing returns.
And potentially trying to do all of that yourself.
So anything that makes packing quicker can help.
An oversized box can mean repeatedly adding void fill, checking whether the product moves and adding some more until everything feels secure.
A box designed around your product can simplify the process.
Build. Protect. Pack. Seal. Label.
Saving a small amount of time on one parcel might not seem important.
Saving it on every parcel you send certainly can be.
4. Store less packaging
This is particularly relevant to small sellers.
You might not have a warehouse.
Your packaging could be stored in:
- A spare bedroom
- A garage
- A home office
- A small stockroom
- A workshop
- A small business unit
Cardboard boxes are supplied flat-packed, but they still take up space.
The larger the box, the more cardboard is generally required to manufacture it and the larger the flat-packed blank can be.
If your boxes are considerably bigger than they need to be, you're potentially using valuable storage space unnecessarily.
For a home-based or small ecommerce business:
Smaller flat-packed boxes = more room for the products you're actually selling.
5. Make ParcelShop drop-offs easier
If you don't have your Evri parcels collected, you've got to get them to a ParcelShop or Locker.
That means loading them into your car or carrying them yourself.
Imagine taking 20 parcels to your local ParcelShop.
Now imagine every one of those parcels is 20% or 30% bigger than it actually needs to be.
That's a lot of unnecessary space.
Right-sized parcels can be easier to store while they're waiting to go, easier to load into your vehicle and easier to carry into the ParcelShop.
For a large fulfilment centre, that might not sound particularly significant.
For a small seller doing the parcel run themselves, it can make a real difference.
6. Make your packaging look more professional
Packaging is also part of your customer's experience.
If someone orders a relatively small product and receives an enormous box filled with packing material, it can create the impression that little thought has gone into the packaging.
A well-fitting box can feel much more considered.
And if you want your packaging to work harder for your business, ASC Direct can also add custom printing to your boxes.
Your packaging then becomes more than simply a way of getting an order from you to your customer.
It becomes part of your brand.
Evri is particularly popular with frequent sellers
Getting your packaging right becomes increasingly important as the number of parcels you send increases.
Evri offers a Frequent Seller Account aimed at businesses and side hustlers regularly sending parcels.
Its discounted pricing currently starts when you send at least 40 qualifying UK parcels per month, with another pricing level for higher-volume sellers.
Forty parcels a month isn't a huge ecommerce operation.
It's roughly ten parcels a week.
But it's enough for small inefficiencies to start adding up.
If you're using too much void fill on every parcel, spending an extra minute packing every order or using boxes larger than you actually require, multiply that across every parcel you send over a year.
Small changes start becoming much more significant.
What about Evri Postable parcels?
If you're sending particularly small products, there's another Evri category worth knowing about.
Evri also offers a Postable service for suitable parcels that can fit through a letterbox.
The current maximum dimensions are:
350mm × 230mm × 30mm
with applicable weight restrictions.
For very slim products, documents or other suitable items, it's worth checking whether your finished package could qualify as Postable before automatically sending it as a Small or Standard parcel.
Again, the principle is the same:
Don't start with the box. Start with the product and the delivery requirements.
Choose the packaging around what you're actually sending.
Don't sacrifice protection just to make your parcel smaller
There's an important caveat to all of this.
Don't reduce your box size simply to squeeze into a cheaper delivery category if doing so compromises the protection of your product.
Saving money on postage isn't a saving if the item arrives damaged and needs to be replaced.
Your packaging still needs to be appropriate for the product.
Fragile goods may require additional cushioning.
Some products may require stronger cardboard.
And certain products simply won't fit safely within Evri's Small Parcel dimensions.
That's fine.
The objective is not to make every parcel as small as physically possible.
It's to avoid making it unnecessarily large.
Could paper-based packaging reduce unnecessary plastic too?
Once you've got the size of the box right, you can look at the other materials you're using.
If your business is trying to reduce its reliance on plastic packaging, you could consider combining:
A right-sized cardboard box
Paper-based protection such as HexcelWrap® where required
This can help create a predominantly paper and cardboard-based packaging solution.
At ASC Direct, the cardboard boxes we manufacture use FSC® Mix 70% certified material and contain a minimum of 70% recycled content.
But choosing more responsible packaging isn't only about the materials themselves.
It's also about not using more material than you actually need.
Custom-sized Evri boxes from just 25 boxes
Custom packaging isn't only for large businesses sending thousands of orders.
At ASC Direct, you can order cardboard boxes manufactured to your required dimensions from just 25 boxes.
That makes custom-sized packaging particularly relevant to the same type of businesses regularly using services such as Evri:
- eBay sellers
- Etsy sellers
- Vinted sellers
- Marketplace sellers
- Side hustles
- Small ecommerce businesses
- Independent retailers
- Home-based businesses
Our online Box Builder allows you to enter your required internal length, width and depth, choose your box style and cardboard grade and get an instant price.
If you're specifically trying to remain within Evri's Small Parcel dimensions, remember that the measurements you enter into our Box Builder are the internal dimensions of the box.
The finished external dimensions will be slightly larger because of the thickness of the cardboard.
Always allow for this when comparing your box with a courier's maximum parcel dimensions.
Before you send your next Evri parcel, measure the box
If you regularly send products through Evri, it's worth spending a few minutes looking at your current packaging.
Measure the finished parcel.
Then measure what's actually inside it.
How much of the box is product – and how much is empty space?
If a cheap stock box fits your product well, keep using it.
But if you're using a box that's significantly larger than necessary, filling the gaps with additional packaging and potentially pushing your parcel outside Evri's Small Parcel dimensions, it could be worth comparing the alternative.
A custom box might cost more than a mass-produced stock box.
But if the right-sized box reduces your void fill, saves packing time, takes up less storage space and potentially helps you access a lower-cost parcel category, the price of the box isn't the only number that matters.
Start with what you're sending.
Consider how much protection it needs.
Check Evri's current parcel dimensions.
Then choose the box.