The invention includes an apparatus (01) and a method for handling articles (02). The apparatus (01) includes a first conveyor (03) for supplying articles (02), a second conveyor (04) for supplying outer packagings (05), a third conveyor (06) for discharging filled outer packagings (07), and a placing surface (08) arranged between the second conveyor (04) and the third conveyor (06). The apparatus also includes a device (09) for transferring supplied outer packagings (05) from the second conveyor (04) to the placing surface (08), a device (10) for transferring articles (02) from the first conveyor (03) into outer packagings (05), and a device (11) for transferring filled outer packagings (07) from the placing surface (08) onto the third conveyor (06). The method places articles (02) into outer packagings (05), staged on a placing surface (08), from one or more article flows lined up one after the other uninterruptedly and/or with gaps between them and/or grouped. The outer packagings (05) themselves in turn are supplied independently of the articles (02) in a transport direction (41) and are transferred (91) onto the placing surface (08) individually or groupwise transversely to the transport direction (41). After the articles (02) have been placed in the outer packagings (05), they are transferred (111), in turn individually or groupwise, transversely to the transport direction (41) in order to be subsequently discharged in the direction of the transport direction (41) or opposite to it in parallel to the transport direction (41).