Your Complete Checklist for Ordering from Fillmore Container (Plus Coffee, QR Cards, and Flyer Apps)

This checklist is for you if you're placing your first order with Fillmore Container, or if you've ordered before and something went wrong—wrong lid size, missed a coupon code, shipping cost that surprised you. I'm a quality compliance manager for a small-batch food producer, and I've reviewed roughly 1,200 container shipments over the past four years. I rejected 18% of first deliveries in 2024, mostly due to specification mismatches that could've been caught before ordering.

What follows is an 8-step process. Not complicated, but there are two steps most people skip entirely. Those skipped steps cost us $2,400 in 2023 on a single order.

Step 1: Confirm Your Actual Container Requirements

Before you even look at the products offered by Fillmore Container, write down three things:

• What's going inside (liquid, solid, hot-fill, cold-fill)
• Target volume in fluid ounces AND milliliters—because Fillmore lists both, and confusing them is easier than you'd think
• Closure type needed (continuous thread, lug, press-on)

Most buyers focus on jar appearance and completely miss closure compatibility. The question everyone asks is "what size jar do I need?" The question they should ask is "what closure system works with my filling process?"

When I compared our Q1 and Q2 2024 orders side by side—same jars, different lid specifications—I finally understood why we kept having seal failures. The jar was fine. The lid-to-jar threading was the problem.

Step 2: Search Products Offered by Fillmore Container Using Specific Filters

Go to fillmorecontainer.com and use their category navigation, not just the search bar. Here's why: searching "8 oz jar" returns dozens of results with different neck finishes. Filtering by category first narrows it down.

Check for:

• Neck finish diameter (63mm, 70mm, 89mm are common)
• Glass type (flint, amber, cobalt)
• Case pack quantity—this matters for your storage and minimum order math

Write down the exact SKU numbers. Don't rely on "the 8 oz one with the gold lid." That description matches at least six products.

Step 3: Apply Your Fillmore Container Coupon Before Adding to Cart

This is the step people do backwards. They add everything to cart, go to checkout, then hunt for a Fillmore Container coupon code.

Do it first. Check:

• Fillmore Container's homepage banner (they rotate promotions)
• Email signup—first-order discounts are common
• Seasonal sales (January and July typically)

In March 2024, we paid full price on a $1,800 order because I didn't check for a Fillmore Container coupon until after checkout. Found out later there was a 10% code running that week. That's $180 gone. Simple.

The coupon field is at checkout, but knowing the code beforehand lets you calculate actual costs while you're still deciding quantities.

Step 4: Calculate Total Cost Including Shipping (Not Just Unit Price)

People think the listed price is what they'll pay. Actually, glass containers ship heavy, and freight can add 15-25% to your order total depending on location.

Fillmore's shipping calculator appears in the cart. Use it before finalizing quantities. Sometimes ordering one more case pushes you into a better freight tier. Sometimes it doesn't. Do the math.

Our 2023 mistake: we ordered 11 cases at $1,847 + $412 shipping. Twelve cases would've been $2,016 + $318 shipping because it qualified for palletized freight. We paid $75 more for less product.

Step 5: Request a Sample If This Is a New Product for You

This is the step most people skip.

Fillmore Container offers samples on many items. The cost is minimal—usually just the sample plus shipping. Compare that to discovering a compatibility issue after receiving 2,000 units.

I ran a test with our production team in 2024: same jar, two different lid options. The 70G-450 worked with our capping machine. The 70-400 didn't seat properly. The visual difference is almost invisible. The functional difference ruined 340 units before we caught it.

Request samples. Test them with your actual filling and capping process.

Step 6: Document Your Order Specifications

Before you click "place order," screenshot your cart or export it. Include:

• SKU numbers
• Quantities
• Unit prices
• Applied coupon code
• Shipping method selected
• Estimated delivery date

When your order arrives and something seems off—maybe the neck finish looks different—you'll need this documentation. "I thought I ordered the other one" doesn't help your vendor or your quality team.

Step 7: Inspect Upon Delivery (Don't Just Count Boxes)

Open at least one case from each SKU on delivery day. Check:

• Correct product (match against your documented SKUs)
• No shipping damage (chips, cracks, especially on rims)
• Lids actually fit the jars (thread compatibility)

Report issues within 48 hours. Most vendors, Fillmore included, have claim windows. Miss the window, and you own the problem.

Step 8: Store Properly to Avoid Quality Degradation

Glass containers seem indestructible until they're not. Store in climate-controlled space, away from direct sunlight (especially if using for light-sensitive products later), and keep boxes sealed until needed.

In 2022, we stored 8,000 jars in a warehouse that got humid over summer. No damage to the glass, but the cardboard case packs degraded, and half the jars ended up with paper residue that required extra cleaning before use. That's labor cost we didn't budget.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Ordering lids separately without confirming compatibility: Fillmore lists which lids work with which jars, but if you're mixing products from different purchases, verify threading matches.

Assuming "rush" means same-week: Lead times vary by product availability. If you have a hard deadline—a product launch, a seasonal production run—confirm estimated ship dates before ordering, not after. In deadline-critical situations, paying for expedited shipping buys certainty, not just speed. After getting burned twice by "probably on time" promises, we now budget for guaranteed delivery on anything launch-related.

Ignoring case pack quantities: If you need 500 jars and they come in cases of 12, you're ordering 504 (42 cases). Plan your storage and budget accordingly.

Bonus: Related Tools That Came Up in Our Workflow

While we're on ordering and business operations—three quick notes on tools that kept appearing in our production and marketing workflow:

How to make a cup of coffee properly for product photography: If you're photographing beverage containers with liquid inside, the coffee you use matters. Use fresh medium roast, brew at 200°F, and shoot within 90 seconds while the surface is still glossy. Cold coffee photographs flat. We learned this after 40 unusable product shots. That's about an hour of photography time wasted because someone used leftover break room coffee.

Google QR code business cards: If you're handing out cards at trade shows (which, if you're ordering wholesale containers, you probably are), Google's QR code integration through Chrome lets you generate a QR that links to your business profile. Print that on your card. We tracked 23% more profile visits from QR-enabled cards versus traditional ones at a 2024 packaging expo. According to Google's support documentation (support.google.com), QR codes can link directly to Google Business Profiles, Maps locations, or contact cards.

Free flyer design app options: For quick promotional materials—trade show handouts, product spec sheets—Canva's free tier handles most basic needs. Adobe Express also has a free version. Neither is perfect. Canva's export resolution is limited on free; Adobe's template selection is smaller. For anything going to print professionally, export at 300 DPI minimum and convert to CMYK (which, honestly, the free versions make harder than they should).

Final Notes

That's the checklist. Eight steps for Fillmore Container orders, three common mistakes, and a few workflow tools that kept coming up.

The steps that save the most money are the ones that feel unnecessary when you're in a hurry: confirming specifications before ordering, applying coupon codes before adding to cart, and requesting samples before committing to volume.

The assumption is that experienced buyers don't need checklists. The reality is experienced buyers use checklists because they've made the mistakes that prove why each step exists.