Reddit mentions of BROTHER QL700 LABL PRINTER SILV QL700ZU1

Honestly, I get most of my packaging from Amazon and eBay now. All the sellers have pretty much the same supplies for the same price, so it's just a matter of finding a seller you like. It's all generic packaging, though, rather than customised, but PostPack do customised packaging, so they can probably do what you want. I looked at doing that myself, but customised packaging costs a lot more than the generic uncustomised packaging, and so it just didn't seem worth paying so much more for something 99% of customers are just going to throw in the bin.

For labels, again, Amazon is good. Up until recently, I was buying labels and handwriting addresses on them, but I just invested in a label printer (this one), and already much prefer it. I got it on special offer around £30, but it's still a worthwhile investment at the current price.

Can't help for raw materials for making cosmetics, as I make completely different products (plushies), but... my experience is that supplies from British sellers will always be more expensive than US sellers. The US has the advantage of economy of scale, both for manufacturing products and importing them, which the UK doesn't have. All the fabric I use costs double when I buy from a UK seller compared to a US one, simply because all the British suppliers aren't making the fabric themselves, they're buying it from abroad. Their costs are higher than a US seller, and so what they charge me is higher.

But those sellers import in bulk, so they get discounts that I can't, so I don't actually save any money if I buy from the US. I end up paying a fortune in shipping, and also import VAT, which applies on any package worth more than £15 coming from outside the EU (and post-Brexit, it'll prolly be on EU packages too. Sigh. I get a lot of fabric from Germany.) So when you're looking at buying from the US, make sure you factor import VAT into your costs - it's 20% on anything over £15, plus a handling charge (£8 if it's handled by Royal Mail, substantially more if it's shipped by UPS or FedEx). If I remember correctly, there's an extra customs duty on packages worth over £135, too, so if you're considering a big order from the US, you'll need to pay that too.

Just as an example, the primary fabric I use costs me about £15 a metre. If I buy it from the US, it's just $7 a yard... but after paying shipping, it actually comes out closer to $26 (~£20 after currency conversions). If I buy multiple yards at $7, the shipping cost goes up a little, but then I'm over the £15 threshold for import VAT, and I get an extra 20% on the price and a handling charge. So in the end... it's just cheaper to buy it at £15 a metre from the British supplier. These days I only buy fabric from the US if the British suppliers don't stock it.

As to the lack of reviews of British suppliers, that is sometimes an issue, but with our consumer contracts regulations for purchases made online, you're actually better protected than a lot of American consumers are. If you buy something online from a British supplier, you have legal rights concerning getting refunds or replacements in the event what you buy is lost or damaged in transit, not as described by the seller, and so on. Amazon and eBay will already have your back, and when you buy from other sites, use PayPal or your credit card, as they too have buyer protection policies. Buying from online retailers is very safe in the UK, as even if the absolute worst happens (you buy something, don't receive it, and the seller is uncooperative), the law is on your side and whichever company processed the payment will make sure you get a refund.