{
  "slug": "3pl-pick-pack-quote",
  "title": "3PL Pick-and-Pack Quote Calculator",
  "heading": "3PL Pick & Pack Cost Calculator",
  "category": "financial",
  "url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/3pl-pick-pack-quote",
  "summary": "Estimate a fulfillment provider's per-order cost including storage.",
  "description": "Third-party logistics providers typically price fulfillment as a combination of a per-order pick fee, a per-additional-item fee for orders with more than one unit, packaging material markup, and monthly storage cost per pallet or bin, on top of the actual shipping label cost passed through at their negotiated carrier rate. Comparing 3PL quotes side by side is hard because providers structure these components differently, so this calculator normalizes a quote into one true cost per order. Enter base pick fee, additional item fee, average items per order, packaging markup, storage cost allocated per order (monthly storage divided by monthly order volume), and shipping cost passed through. The output shows total 3PL cost per order and monthly total at your volume, which you should compare directly against your fully-loaded in-house fulfillment cost (labor, rent, packaging, software) before deciding whether outsourcing fulfillment actually saves money at your current volume or whether you've outgrown in-house fulfillment.",
  "formula": "Cost per order = pick fee + (additional item fee × (avg items − 1)) + packaging markup + storage allocation + shipping passthrough.",
  "dateModified": "2026-09-30",
  "run_url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/api/public/calc?tool=3pl-pick-pack-quote",
  "inputs": [
    {
      "id": "pickFee",
      "label": "Base pick fee (first item)",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 2.75,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "additionalItemFee",
      "label": "Additional item fee",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 0.6,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "avgItems",
      "label": "Average items per order",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 1.8,
      "unit": null,
      "min": 1,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "packagingMarkup",
      "label": "Packaging material markup",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 0.5,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "storageAllocation",
      "label": "Storage cost allocated per order",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 0.4,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "shippingPassthrough",
      "label": "Shipping cost passthrough",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 6.2,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    }
  ],
  "outputs": [
    {
      "id": "total",
      "label": "Total 3PL cost per order",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": true
    },
    {
      "id": "pickTotal",
      "label": "Pick & item fees",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "fulfillmentOnly",
      "label": "Fulfillment cost (excl. shipping)",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    }
  ],
  "worked_example": {
    "inputs": [
      "Base pick fee (first item): 2.75 $",
      "Additional item fee: 0.6 $",
      "Average items per order: 1.8",
      "Packaging material markup: 0.5 $",
      "Storage cost allocated per order: 0.4 $",
      "Shipping cost passthrough: 6.2 $"
    ],
    "outputs": [
      "Total 3PL cost per order: $10.33",
      "Pick & item fees: $3.23",
      "Fulfillment cost (excl. shipping): $4.13"
    ]
  },
  "how_to": {
    "title": "How to use this",
    "steps": [
      "Enter base pick fee (first item) ($).",
      "Enter additional item fee ($).",
      "Enter average items per order.",
      "Enter packaging material markup ($).",
      "Enter storage cost allocated per order ($).",
      "Enter shipping cost passthrough ($).",
      "Read your total 3pl cost per order on the right — it updates as you type.",
      "Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone."
    ]
  },
  "scenarios": [
    {
      "name": "Conservative",
      "description": "Lower-end numbers — what if things land soft?",
      "values": {
        "pickFee": 1.65,
        "additionalItemFee": 0.36,
        "avgItems": 1.08,
        "packagingMarkup": 0.3,
        "storageAllocation": 0.24,
        "shippingPassthrough": 3.7199999999999998
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Typical",
      "description": "Defaults — the most common real-world setup.",
      "values": {
        "pickFee": 2.75,
        "additionalItemFee": 0.6,
        "avgItems": 1.8,
        "packagingMarkup": 0.5,
        "storageAllocation": 0.4,
        "shippingPassthrough": 6.2
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Ambitious",
      "description": "Higher-end numbers — what if things really pop?",
      "values": {
        "pickFee": 4.4,
        "additionalItemFee": 0.96,
        "avgItems": 2.8800000000000003,
        "packagingMarkup": 0.8,
        "storageAllocation": 0.6400000000000001,
        "shippingPassthrough": 9.920000000000002
      }
    }
  ],
  "limitations": [
    "Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.",
    "Rates are treated as fixed for the whole period — variable-rate products will drift from this projection.",
    "This is educational maths, not financial advice. Check anything contractual with the lender or your accountant."
  ],
  "faq": [
    {
      "q": "At what order volume does a 3PL become cheaper than in-house?",
      "a": "It varies by market and labor cost, but many DTC brands find the crossover somewhere between 500 and 2,000 orders per month, where in-house fixed costs (rent, software, a dedicated fulfillment employee) start costing more per order than a 3PL's variable pricing."
    },
    {
      "q": "What's typically not included in a 3PL's headline quote?",
      "a": "Receiving/inbound fees for putting new inventory away, kitting or bundling fees for multi-SKU sets, returns processing fees, and minimum monthly storage commitments are commonly quoted separately and missed when comparing providers on pick fee alone."
    },
    {
      "q": "Should I compare 3PL cost against my fully-loaded in-house cost?",
      "a": "Yes, and 'fully-loaded' means including warehouse rent allocation, fulfillment labor and benefits, packaging materials, WMS software, and your own time managing it, not just the hourly wage of whoever packs boxes. In-house fulfillment often looks cheaper than it really is until every cost is counted."
    },
    {
      "q": "How much does shipping passthrough typically vary between 3PLs?",
      "a": "3PLs negotiate carrier rates in bulk and usually pass through rates close to or better than what a small individual shipper gets directly, often 10-20% below retail carrier rates, which can offset a higher per-order pick fee."
    }
  ],
  "related": [
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/packaging-cost-per-order",
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/returns-rate-cost",
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/marketplace-vs-dtc"
  ],
  "license": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "citation": "RevenueLab — 3PL Pick-and-Pack Quote Calculator (https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/3pl-pick-pack-quote)"
}