Quick answer: Test the physical gift box against the selections your rules actually allow. Use the exact candidate variants, repeat limit and included packaging, then check the closed presentation box and the complete shipping parcel. A valid four-item selection in tnova confirms an item-count rule; it does not establish that those four items fit a particular container.
This is a packaging test before selling an assortment. For turning an existing order into a pick list, use the separate gift-box packing handoff guide. The worksheet below is a manual merchant process, not a tnova packing calculator.
Define both containers and the exact item unit
Record the presentation box that the recipient opens and the outer parcel used for shipping. They may be different containers. Include inserts, tissue, sleeves and other materials that are part of the actual offer. Test with the same materials the packing team will use.
Measure the usable space inside the presentation box after placing its insert. Record any fixed compartments and whether an item must remain upright. For the shipping parcel, separately record its outside dimensions and empty packaging weight. Shopify's package setup documentation specifically calls for outside box measurements when creating shipping packages. An internal fit measurement and an external shipping measurement answer different questions.
Next, identify what one selectable unit contains. If a candidate variant is a two-pack of notebooks, test that complete two-pack as one candidate unit. Do not measure one notebook while the shopper receives two. The variant-identification guide explains this distinction in the picker.
For each candidate, keep its exact variant identity, packaged dimensions, measured weight and an observation about shape or orientation. Supplier measurements are a starting point; physical samples let you check the actual version you intend to sell.
Build a selection list from the saved rules
Consider a fictional stationery assortment: four items per box, four candidate variants and a maximum of two of each variant. All examples and weights here are invented to demonstrate the method; they are not test results or packaging recommendations.
| Candidate unit | Illustrative unit weight | Fit question to investigate |
|---|---|---|
| Pocket notebook | 100 g | Can it lie flat with the other items? |
| Rigid desk pad | 180 g | Does its footprint fit the insert? |
| Pencil tin | 150 g | Does the lid close over its height? |
| Filled zipped pouch | 80 g | Does its shape crowd neighboring items? |
Every test selection must contain four units and no more than two of a variant. Two desk pads plus two pencil tins is allowed. Four pencil tins is not allowed under these rules, even if that would be the easiest stress test to imagine.
With this small shared pool, there are 19 distinct quantity combinations: one with one of each variant, twelve with two of one variant and one each of two others, and six with two each of two variants. Order within the box does not create another shopper selection. Make a row for each combination and record its packing arrangement separately.
This gives a manageable way to test every quantity combination for this example. A much larger candidate pool needs a deliberate review of shapes and interactions; a few convenient samples cannot establish that every allowed selection fits. If you cannot substantiate the full assortment's packaging promise, simplify the pool or rules before offering it.
Test bulk, weight and arrangement separately
Start with selections that expose different problems, then complete the remaining rows. These are proposed tests, with outcomes still to be measured:
| Test selection | Component weight in this example | What to record |
|---|---|---|
| Two desk pads + two pencil tins | 660 g | Heavy arrangement, closed height and packed parcel weight |
| Two pouches + two pencil tins | 460 g | Crowding, usable space and whether the insert still works |
| One of each candidate | 510 g | Mixed shapes and a repeatable arrangement |
The heaviest selection is not necessarily the bulkiest. Nor does adding individual item volumes prove a fit: orientation, rigid edges and the insert can prevent an arrangement even when the volume total looks small.
For each row, place the actual units into the complete presentation packaging. Record whether the lid closes normally, whether the intended protective materials remain in place and whether another packer can reproduce the arrangement. Photograph the contents before closing and the completed parcel. A box that closes is only a fit result; protection during transit still needs the testing appropriate to your products and delivery service.
Weigh the finished shipping parcel as well. If the fictional 660 g component selection uses 240 g of presentation packaging, outer packaging and packing materials, the complete parcel is 900 g. Replace both figures with your measurements, and keep the empty-packaging figure separate from the complete-parcel figure when checking Shopify settings so packaging is not counted twice.
Resolve a failed combination in the assortment
When an allowed combination fails, record the exact variants and quantities. “Sometimes too full” is difficult to repair; “two filled pouches plus two pencil tins prevent the lid closing with the specified insert” identifies a decision.
Compare a larger presentation box, a different insert, a revised candidate pool or a different repeat limit. Each changes something the merchant must verify. A bigger outer shipping carton alone does not fix an overflowing presentation box inside it.
Check the effect of a rule change on shopper choice. In the four-candidate, four-item example, lowering the maximum to one means every complete box contains one of each candidate. It removes composition choice. See the item-count and repeat-limit guide before changing the offer.
tnova's existing configuration controls item count, candidates and repeat limits. It does not enforce a weight or volume ceiling for this worksheet. For a published box, use the pause-and-update procedure before changing the selling rules, then repeat the affected physical tests and update any packaging claim on the product page.
Verify the shipping settings after the physical test
In Shopify, review Settings > Shipping and delivery > Packages against the parcel you measured. The current Shopify package guide also documents packed product sizes and automatic selection among saved boxes, with conditions and fallbacks. That platform feature is not evidence of compatibility with tnova's shopper-selected boxes. Do not assume that a package assigned to the parent product controls every expanded component shipment.
Keep physical fit and checkout-rate verification as separate acceptance records. Use the gift-box shipping-cost checks with the actual settings available in your store, including multiple boxes or standalone products if you allow those carts. Do not change a store-wide default package for one gift-box test without assessing ordinary orders too.
Save the configuration version, candidate identities, packaging reference, measurements, photographs, failed combinations and final decisions together. Recheck them when a supplier changes a product's size, a pouch is filled differently, or the insert changes. The useful result is an assortment the team can consistently pack with the materials promised to the shopper.
tnova's current scope and availability remain separate from this manual planning method: public installation is not available yet, and store compatibility must be verified. This guide does not add packaging automation or shipping support.
Prepared with AI assistance and checked against tnova's implementation and current official Shopify documentation. The assortment, weights and proposed tests are illustrative; no merchant test outcomes are claimed.
See a gift box in action
Try the sample picker with fictional products. It creates no cart or order.
Try the box builder