Pack Ratio Calculator
Prepacks against the curve you actually wanted.
Work out how many prepacks to order and how the fixed pack composition differs from your ideal size curve.
Packs to order
17
102 units at 6 per pack
A prepack fixes your size mix in exchange for a lower unit price. Compare the discount against the cost of the sizes you will be left holding: if the pack forces 20% more XL than you sell and XL clears at half price, the discount has to beat that loss.
How the Pack Ratio Calculator works
A prepack forces a fixed size mix in a fixed quantity, so the achievable buy is a whole number of packs rather than the curve you would have chosen. The question is how far that lands from your ideal, and whether the discount for taking packs is worth the mix you are accepting.
Also known as: prepack calculator · case pack ratio calculator
A fixed mix in exchange for a discount
A prepack is an assorted case with a fixed size composition — say 1 small, 2 medium, 2 large, 1 extra large in a six-unit pack. You buy whole packs, so both the quantity and the size mix are constrained.
Suppliers offer them because they simplify picking and reduce handling cost, and they pass some of that saving on. The saving is real; the constraint on your size mix is what you pay for it.
The comparison to make is the per-unit discount against the cost of the sizes you will be left holding at the end of the season, valued at whatever they will actually clear for.
A worked example
A target of 100 units against a six-unit pack gives 17 packs and 102 units — two over, which is fine. The mix is 17 small, 34 medium, 34 large and 17 extra large.
If your own curve says you sell 12% extra large rather than the pack's 17%, you are taking about five extra units of XL per hundred. If XL clears at half price, that is a real cost per hundred units, and the pack discount has to beat it.
Where the answer misleads
The comparison assumes you know your own curve, and many buyers do not — they know what sold, which is not the same as what would have sold had every size stayed in stock. A size that sold out in week two is under-represented in the history.
Mixing prepacks with open stock is frequently the best answer and is not modelled here: buy the core in packs for the discount, top up the fast sizes open. It costs a little more per unit and lands much closer to the real curve.
Finally, pack composition is sometimes negotiable, particularly on repeat orders. It is worth asking before accepting a mix that does not fit, because the supplier's standard pack was designed for their average customer rather than for you.
Not financial advice. Marketplace fees change, and they vary by country, plan and seller status. Every rate here is an editable default, not a quoted price, check the platform's current fee schedule before you price a product against it. This is not tax or business advice.
Frequently asked questions
What is a pack ratio?
The fixed composition of an assorted case — for example 1 small, 2 medium, 2 large, 1 extra large in a six-unit pack. You buy whole packs, so the size mix is decided by the supplier rather than by you.
Why do suppliers use prepacks?
They simplify picking and reduce handling cost, which is why prepacked goods are usually cheaper per unit. The saving is real; the constraint on your size mix is the price you pay for it.
How do I decide between prepacks and open sizing?
Compare the per-unit discount against the cost of the sizes you will be left holding. If a prepack forces 20% more extra-large than you sell, and extra-large goes to clearance at half price, the discount has to beat that loss.
Can I mix prepacks and open stock?
Frequently the best answer: buy the core in prepacks for the discount and top up the sizes that sell fastest with open stock. It costs a little more per unit and gets much closer to your real curve.