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The lowest cost self seal postal packaging – prices checked weekly

About us

A Lil' Different Approach to Packaging

At Lil, we constantly push the boundaries of ecommerce packaging manufacture

We’ve become recognised as the innovators in paperboard, unboxing alternatives and since then our products have replaced over 450 million plastic bags destined for either landfill, incineration or the oceans.
All of our base materials are FSC™ certified and none of our products use any plastic.
And better still, none of our products need to be sealed with packaging tape. Our packaging is the strongest there is, and we don’t compromise on anything we do including the material we specify for all our products. In fact we see ourselves as setting the standard by which all competing products are judged. So every product in our range has been time and motion studied to ensure that they provide an additional benefit of reduced labour time through larger capacity and ease of use, including our peel and seal closure strips.
As they say a Lil can go a long, long way and we never stop looking for new innovations which maintain us at the manufacturing forefront of unboxing experiences.

  • above: Fred & Barry Lil in the 1980's

  • above: Fred & Barry Lil in the 1980's

The Lil S.U.R.F Philosophy

Sustainability, unboxing experiences, reduced returns and faster fulfilment are the values on which our business is founded. These haven’t happened by chance, our team is constantly looking at what we do and how we do it to deliver best in class products – both now and in the future.

  • Sustainability First

    We are the first packaging manufacturer to be certified Plastic Free in 2020. Our innovative strip & stick design eliminates the need for extra tape, our inks are plant-based and we source sustainable, FSC™ Certified materials only.

  • Unboxing Experiences

    Establishing a fantastic first impression is more crucial than ever within the custom ecommerce packaging sector; a massive shift to direct to consumer and a UK boom in ecommerce that saw the 2030 objective met.

  • Reduced Returns & Shipping

    We've designed a line of super-efficient post-box packaging that save money on postage while allowing packages to be easily slipped through a letterbox. Why not make it custom to your brand & make it your very own?

  • Faster, More Efficient Fulfilment

    When compared to rival goods, our products take half the time to build and have double the capacity, resulting in a fifth of the labour expenses. All of our products are time-tested.

A Lil' History

1983

1983: Lil Packaging was born under the leadership of Roger Lil.

The CD was invented

Back in 1983 when, when our company was born, digital technology was more of a buzzword than reality, and in our early days, we were known as the company that made packaging for Kodak’s photo papers. Fast forward a few years, and as digital technology emerged and traditional photography declined, we moved to producing large, manilla wallets suitable for posting calendars and high-quality brochures. Not the sexiest products, but as a business we’ve always strived to be one step ahead. And always with a commitment to excellence of product and service.

1990

1990: Super Mario became the best-selling video console game

We had become Europe’s largest manufacturer of these specialist products but as the digital revolution continued and the demand for ecommerce packaging increased, we saw the opportunity to become an early mover business in this fast-growing, direct to home space.
Lil packaging outgrows 5,00sqft site In St.Ives and relocates to a 20,000 sq ft unit on Glebe Road, Cambridgeshire.

1994

1994: ISO Accreditations

The Channel Tunnel was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II. Company gains BS5750 and ISO 9000 accreditations.

1996

1996: Bill Clinton re-elected president

Today, our original business values are still our guiding principles. Beyond all our dreams we celebrate providing multi-currency distribution services for the worlds’ largest internet retailers.

Mezzanine floor added and sample making becomes automated.

2000

2000: The start of a new LilleniumThe factory is running at full capacity and new machinery is purchased.

2001

2001: Fred and Barry Lil Join the Business

David Attenborough, Blue Planet first screened.

The business invests in a super-fast automated gluing machine.

2002

2002: End of the dot.com boom

But our original business values are still our guiding principles today the largest producer of postal packaging to the World’s best known internet retailers.

Lil Packaging proves its strength by pivoting into new areas of print.

2007

2007:The business purchases a further 30,000sq ft and builds a futuristic-looking linkway between the two sites.

2008

2008: Wall St crash!

Lehman Brothers employees pack up their boxes due to bankrupcy. Meanwhile, brothers Barry & Fred land contract with world's largest retailer. It was a game-changer for us and them. Since then, we’ve constantly strived to improve our products, and indeed we have now completely eradicated plastic from our packaging and our Lil envelope is version 8 of our original idea.

2020

2020: The start of a new decade

Lil Packaging wins A Plastic Planet certification for making all our ecommerce packaging plastic free. What an achievement.

Having spent 2 years tirelessly eradicating plastic from our product line up, we are now helping a myriad of our internet retailing customers (from IR500 giants through to sellers on Etsy) to make the switch to sustainable, plastic free packaging. And we’re very pleased to say that in recognition of our efforts, we have been awarded Plastic Free certification by A Plastic Planet. To learn more about the plastic free movement, check out 'A Plastic Planet' over onhttps://aplasticplanet.com/

2022

2022: Move to Windover Road

Lil Packaging HQ moves to 13 Windover Road, Cambirdgeshire. This move allowed us to disconnect from mains gas & off the grid electricity, using only clean sustainable renewable energy for our all-electric machines & vehicles.

2023

2023: Decade Price Drop

We now offer guaranteed lowest price peel & seal packaging (Lil promise) – Like Tesla, we slashed our prices (up to 57%) for ALL of our 61 stock products. It effectively means our pricing is rolling-back a decade to 2013 pricing, giving our customers no reason to buy unsustainable alternatives to our inventions made in the Far East [the only way other websites compete with us]. We proudly fly the flag for UK made.
We are currently a team of 85 employees. 

We innovate, so you can mail happy!

Here at Lil Packaging, pioneering innovation is in our blood. You might say we’re eco-packaging geeks. But we see ourselves as the guys who tick all your boxes. Here’s a Lil statement of what we do, and why:
“At Lil Packaging it is our mission to provide internet & mail-order businesses with a greatly improved, cost-efficient fulfilment operation so that they can ‘mail happy’." "We will achieve this by delivering uniquely engineered paper-based and sustainable solutions that reinvent their view of packaging, through the application of unmatched expertise in packaging design and world-class manufacturing.”

  • Lil Factory

  • Roger Lill's office

  • The Lill family on the road

The Lil Difference

  • Sustainably sourced, always

  • Plastic free & biodegradable

  • Seriously fast to use

  • Researched sizes to fit your needs

  • Maximum protection, always

  • Consistent supply

Our New HQ

  • The new Lil HQ

  • A tour of our new HQ