Hat boxes aren't just for hats any more. Vintage hat boxes are often used in store displays. Decorative hat boxes can double as wholesale gift boxes. And sometimes, paper hat boxes are actually used for their original purpose — to hold hats.

No matter what you are using hat boxes for, you will want to have a good idea of the pricing and costs of hat boxes before you start shopping. So figure out exactly what you need, and ask yourself:

1. Do I want to buy cardboard hat boxes?

2. Do I want fancy, decorative hat boxes?

3. Do I want to locate a discount hat boxes wholesale supplier?

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Purchase cardboard hat boxes

Hat box suppliers sell round hat boxes, square hat boxes, big hat boxes and small hat boxes. The price of the box depends on the size, shape and color of the box you are purchasing. But generally, you can expect to pay around $2 per box for a small hat box and around $5 per box for a large hat box.

I recommend: For an excellent selection of hat boxes, check out Hats By Leko. The company has a large inventory of hat boxes in many different sizes and shapes. Dunwoody Booth Packaging has a large inventory of four- and six- cornered hat boxes, in a wide variety of sizes and colors.

Purchase decorative hat boxes

Decorative hat boxes make a statement. They are perfect for store displays or for gift boxes. Since most decorative hat boxes are custom made and one of a kind, prices vary greatly. However, a single decorative hat box can easily cost you several hundred dollars.

I recommend: Workers at Sarah's Hat Boxes hand make each hat box with fine fabrics and decorations. These hat boxes have been featured in stores and catalogs across the country. Sizes can be custom made. Lady Diane Hats also has an excellent selection of beautiful and unique hat boxes. The company's boxes are custom made and lined with quality tapestry material on the inside, outside and bottom.

Purchase cheap hat boxes

If you need a large number of hat boxes for shipping or storage, you don't need expensive decorative boxes. You need basic discount hat boxes. The exact price will depend on the size of the box, but these cardboard hat boxes will often cost you less than $2 each.

I recommend: Paper Mart stocks pop-up cardboard hat boxes with a white exterior and gray interior. A 15% discount is offered on all purchases of more than $200. PackingSupplies.com sells hat boxes by the case. Orders that are placed before noon EST usually ship the same day.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  When custom ordering hat boxes, be sure to specify exactly what size you need. All dimensions should include height.
• •  If you are going to be storing a large amount of hat boxes, consider purchasing foldable hat boxes.
• •  Ask about discounts for large purchases of hat boxes, even if a company does not advertise bulk discounts.

Used for a variety of reasons in the retail industry, some companies sell hat boxes, some use them to display their products, some use them to ship their products, and some use them for their original intention: to store or carry hats. Whatever your needs are for hat boxes, this guide will help you find exactly what you're looking for.

Since hat boxes come in all sizes, shapes, and colors, your needs for these items should be specific. Make sure you get an array of sizes that will benefit all of your business needs. You also want to keep your customer and product price in mind.

Before deciding on one type of hat box to purchase, consider this:
1. Appeal to the masses. Don't buy a large amount of unique items that might only appeal to a few customers, unless you are a specialty store.
2. Coordinate your products. When buying hat boxes, make sure the colors are not going to clash with the products you are putting inside them.
3. Buy wholesale gift boxes and hat boxes in bulk. This will help you get a larger amount of the items you need, usually at a lesser cost.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

If you are a business selling hat boxes, offer a variety

If you are selling hat boxes, offer a variety of shapes and colors to your clients. Include round, square, decorative and vintage hat boxes. Make sure you have some unique items that will make your hat boxes stand out from other retailers.

I recommend: The company Dunwoody Booth Packaging (dbp) offers hat boxes in a variety of styles and colors. If you are looking to display edible items in your hat boxes, consider Sarah's Hat Boxes. Made with non-toxic adhesives, these customized hat boxes should meet your business needs. Pricing is not available on the website, however. For unique hat boxes, visit Lady Diane Hats and Emily Way Hats.

Make the most profit from selling hat boxes: wholesale hat boxes

Whether you are looking to simply sell hat boxes or use them to display your products, check out hat box wholesalers. Many of these companies offer a variety of discount hat boxes. Some even offer an extra discount to retail stores looking to sell their products.

I recommend: Presentable Packaging, Co. has a modest array of hat boxes available, including a special box designed to appeal to the Red Hat Society. The Nu-Era Group and Uline Shipping Supplies sell simple, white hat boxes by the case.

Use cardboard hat boxes and paper hat boxes to ship your products

If you own a hat company, then you need to ship your hats to retail stores. You don't want to purchase vintage hat boxes or decorative hat boxes for this purpose. Instead, find sturdy paper and cardboard boxes that will get the product to its destination safely.

I recommend: Bags and Bows offers sturdy cardboard hat boxes by the case. Although the hat boxes only come in white, Bags and Bows does offer hot stamp personalization. Hats By Leko has a nice array of affordable hat boxes that, when bought in bulk, saves money. The hat boxes are white and collapsible for easy shipping; they also come in a variety of sizes.

Consider displaying your products in hat boxes or wholesale gift boxes

Whether you sell stationery or bath products, you can enhance these items with unique packaging. Consider arranging your products in inexpensive hat boxes.

I recommend: Bayley's Boxes, Inc. has a unique selection of gift boxes. A sample pack of boxes is also available. Box and Wrap offers an array of nested boxes, sold separately or in cases.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  If you are selling your product(s) inside a hat box or gift box, make sure the customer knows exactly what is inside. Create a list of items included in the box.
• •  Know what you are getting before you buy. Hat box companies should provide details about their boxes. Know the composition of the boxes, especially if edible items are inside.
• •  If it will add to the product's appeal, buy coordinating tissue paper with the hat box. Many companies offer coordinating extras to match the hat boxes they sell.

Hat boxes are one of the more versatile items in retail. They can be used to enhance the atmosphere of your store, to set the scene in a display or to create a gift that will wow any customer.

Decorative hat boxes, round hat boxes and papier mache hat boxes are just a few of the types of hat boxes you can get creative with. Additionally, you can even have hat boxes custom made. The possibilities for using hat boxes really are endless, so this guide will help you go about making the most of hat boxes by:

1. Creating attention-grabbing displays with hat boxes.

2. Using vintage hat boxes for decoration.

3. Selling gift hat boxes to your customers.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Get a customer's attention with hat boxes

A stack of cardboard hat boxes can be used to create an inexpensive yet creative display stand for many items. Simply purchase a matching set of hat boxes in different sizes, and arrange them vertically or horizontally to showcase your product. You don't want to buy cheap hat boxes, but you don't need expensive ones either. A simple stack of white hat boxes can create an elegant setting for clothes, jewelry or collectibles.

I recommend: For a good selection of solid red, green and white hat boxes, check out GreatLookz. If you want something less plain, osCommerce has a good choice of sturdy hat boxes in several designs.

Decorate your business with hat boxes

If you want to create an atmosphere with a vintage feel, purchase a number of decorative hat boxes and place them around your business. These boxes can be quite elaborate (and also quite expensive), but a few of them placed in key areas of your shop can give your business an elegant and sophisticated feel.

I recommend: Check out the stunning selection of unique hat boxes available from Emily Way Hats. The hat boxes are decorated by hand. Another source of beautiful hat boxes is Hat Boxes and More. Staff members hand make the hat boxes in a variety of materials and styles.

Create stunning gift boxes with hat boxes

A simple hat box can boost your sales by providing a unique wrapping for any small gift. Imagine opening a lavishly decorated hat box and finding small jars of gourmet jellies inside. Or using another hat box to wrap up candles, cookies or collectibles. Present these displays to your customers, and they will be willing to pay a premium for gift boxes that are hat boxes.

I recommend: Anvente Enterprises has a great selection of unfinished hat boxes, ready to be decorated and personalized to fit your business. PackagingSupplies.com sells white square hat boxes. They're not exactly wholesale gift boxes, but they are appropriate for holding any type of gift.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  To save money, buy your hat boxes wholesale or in bulk.
• •  If you plan on storing a large number of hat boxes, inquire about purchasing foldable hat boxes.

Hat boxes can be purchased as individual items through many supply companies or in larger bulk orders for retail stores. The hat box itself may seem a simple concept, but the sizes, designs and styles of boxes available can make hat box shopping a little challenging.

Learn the key terms associated with hat box styles and sizes so you can make an informed purchase to preserve a beautiful hat properly.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Collapsible or foldable

A collapsible hat box, sometimes also refereed to as foldable, has easily foldable sides that make it convenient to store flat. The sides fold down making the box virtually flat.

I recommend: The Presentable Packaging Company includes examples of collapsible hat boxes in a variety of designs and colors. The boxes are just as elegant looking, but store a lot easier than the traditional hard side box.

Vintage

When a hat box is called vintage, it can mean one of two things. Either the box is actually old and has been preserved, or the box was designed to resemble the hat boxes of the past usually with floral patterned cloth, lace or other materials.

I recommend: Review the explanation of the vintage hat box at The Wedding Bistro at Bellenza.

Nested

Nested hat boxes are those of several sizes that fit inside each other. If hat boxes are sold as nested sets, they are usually in sets of 3 or more with the smallest fitting inside the next size, and so on.

I recommend: A definition of nested is found at Stowers Containment Solutions. They define nested in terms of plastic containers, but the same holds true for the hat box set.

Tuck top

A tuck top box is one with edges that fold into the box holding the top on. The top is usually connected at one edge of the box so it never fully comes detached from the box. The other edge folds down, or tucks, inside to close.

I recommend: The tuck top box and how it works is explained at the Paper Mart website.

Shape (six-cornered, four-cornered and round)

A six-cornered box is hexagon shaped, while the four-corner box can be square or rectangle and the round box is circle-shaped. These are the three main categories of boxes to consider when deciding on a hat box.

I recommend: All shapes of boxes - the six-cornered, four-cornered and round options - are available with descriptions at Dunwoody Booth Packaging.

Dimensions

When dimensions are discussed in terms of hat boxes, there are two main measurements to consider. The inside measurements of the box, or dimensions of the inside, may be the most important because these measurements must be the same size or larger than the outer edge measurements of any hat you want to put in the box.

I recommend: International Paper defines dimensions and how they relate to boxes.