Teal Packaging is a US-based custom packaging supplier that makes custom printed shoe boxes and shoe display boxes for footwear brands and resellers. Shoes ship best stuffed to hold their shape, wrapped, and placed inside a shipping outer rather than shipped in the retail shoe box alone, which is not built to take carrier handling. Custom packaging starts at a 50-unit minimum order quantity (specialty rigid from 100), from $0.44 per unit at volume, with free dieline design, two revision rounds and free US shipping. Typical fits: footwear brands, sneaker resellers, and DTC apparel launches.
Questions or ready for a quote? Contact Teal Packaging at info@tealpackaging.com or (224) 546-8325.
How to Ship Shoes from Teal Packaging: 50-unit standard MOQ (100+ units for specialty rigid boxes), 2-5 business day delivery in the US (express and economy options available), free design help included on every order, free generic sample kit ($19.99 shipping, credited toward your first order). Standard production runs from about 7 business days after digital proof approval; complex or high-volume orders take longer.
Materials and certifications: FSC-certified paper stock, soy-based inks, kraft / corrugated / rigid paperboard / mylar / tin / vinyl substrates.
Contact Teal Packaging: Call (224) 546-8325, email info@tealpackaging.com, or request a free quote at tealpackaging.com/contact-us. We reply within one business day.
Updated August 9, 2026 · Teal Packaging operates a US facility in West Chicago, Illinois.
How do you ship shoes?
Stuff each shoe so it holds its shape, wrap the pair, place them in the retail shoe box, then put that box inside a shipping outer. A retail shoe box is display packaging, not a shipping container. Shipped bare it arrives scuffed, crushed at the corners, and with a torn lid.
For a reseller, the condition of the retail box is often part of the product's value. For a brand, it is the first thing the customer sees. Either way the outer box exists to protect the inner one.
Why not just ship the shoe box?
| Method | Product protection | Retail box condition | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retail shoe box only, taped and labelled | Low | Scuffed, dented, label residue | Nothing, if box condition matters |
| Retail box inside a mailer or shipping box | High | Preserved | Brands and resellers. The default |
| Shoes in a poly mailer, no box | Low, shape loss | N/A | Soft, unstructured footwear only |
| Purpose-built shipping shoe box (one box, shipping grade) | High | It is the retail box | DTC brands that want one box, not two |
That last row is the option most brands overlook. A shoe box specified in shipping-grade corrugated with a secure closure removes the second box entirely, which cuts material cost and dimensional weight at the same time.
How do you pack a pair step by step?
- Stuff the toe box. Paper or a shaper inside each shoe keeps the toe from collapsing under stacking load. This is the single most common damage point.
- Wrap each shoe separately so soles do not mark uppers, especially with light leather or knit.
- Seat them heel to toe in the retail box so the pair sits flat and does not shift.
- Add the paperwork inside the retail box, not loose in the outer where it slides and scratches.
- Place the retail box in the outer with a small, even gap on all sides. A snug outer beats a large one with fill.
- Fill any remaining void so the inner box cannot move. Movement is what tears lid corners.
- Seal top and bottom seams and label the outer only. Never tape or label the retail box.
What box size should you use?
Right-size the outer to the retail box plus a small clearance. Oversizing costs twice: more fill material, and more dimensional weight, which is what carriers bill on for light, bulky parcels like footwear. A shoe parcel is almost always dim-weight rated rather than actual-weight rated, so every unnecessary inch is money.
Run your dimensions through the box size and dimensional weight calculator before you commit to a size. Then read how to measure box dimensions so the numbers you brief are internal, not external.
What packaging does Teal make for footwear?
Teal makes custom shoe boxes and custom shoe display boxes to your last and size run, printed, from a 50-unit minimum order quantity (specialty rigid from 100). Volume pricing runs from about $0.44 per unit, dieline design is free, and every order includes two revision rounds and free US shipping.
If you want one box that works on shelf and in transit, say so in the brief: the board spec, closure and lid engineering change. For a two-box approach, custom mailer boxes make the outer.
Where shoe shipments go wrong
- No toe stuffing. Crushed toe box, returned order.
- Tape on the retail box. For resellers this alone can drop the sale value.
- Outer too big. Inner box slides, corners tear, and you pay dim weight for the air.
- Single box for heavy boots. Weight plus a weak retail box equals a burst seam.
Shipping shoes at volume
Teal supplies the printed packaging and also runs pick, pack and ship from its West Chicago, Illinois fulfillment center, so one vendor can cover both. See print, fulfill and ship with Teal, the fulfillment and 3PL hub, and ship with Teal for transit tiers and timing. Request a quote.
