Rex says
Money math without the spreadsheet headache. Plug in your numbers and I'll show you exactly where the dollars land.
Try a scenario
Click to load — tweak from there.Inputs
Result
Total 3PL cost per order
$10.33
Pick & item fees
$3.23
Fulfillment cost (excl. shipping)
$4.13
Psst — share this and help Rex grow
One click, a permanent link with your numbers baked in.
How to use this
- 1Enter base pick fee (first item) ($).
- 2Enter additional item fee ($).
- 3Enter average items per order.
- 4Enter packaging material markup ($).
- 5Enter storage cost allocated per order ($).
- 6Enter shipping cost passthrough ($).
- 7Read your total 3pl cost per order on the right — it updates as you type.
- 8Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone.
About this calculator
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.
Worked example
Using the values the calculator loads with:
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 $
Results
- Total 3PL cost per order: $10.33
- Pick & item fees: $3.23
- Fulfillment cost (excl. shipping): $4.13
What each field means
Inputs
- Base pick fee (first item) ($)
- The base pick fee (first item) used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 2.75 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Additional item fee ($)
- The additional item fee used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 0.6 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Average items per order
- The average items per order used in the calculation. Starts at 1.8 so you have a working example on load.
- Packaging material markup ($)
- The packaging material markup used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 0.5 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Storage cost allocated per order ($)
- The storage cost allocated per order used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 0.4 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Shipping cost passthrough ($)
- The shipping cost passthrough used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 6.2 $ so you have a working example on load.
Results
- Total 3PL cost per order
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars and shown as the headline result. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Pick & item fees
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Fulfillment cost (excl. shipping)
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
FAQ
At what order volume does a 3PL become cheaper than in-house?
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.
What's typically not included in a 3PL's headline quote?
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.
Should I compare 3PL cost against my fully-loaded in-house cost?
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.
How much does shipping passthrough typically vary between 3PLs?
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.
Accuracy and 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.
Related tools
Packaging Cost Per Order Calculator
Box, void fill, tape, labels, and inserts rolled into one per-order number.
Returns Rate Cost Calculator
The true dollar cost of returns including shipping both ways and restocking.
Marketplace vs DTC Profit Comparison Calculator
Compare net profit per order selling on a marketplace versus your own site.
Cite this calculator
Writing about this topic? Grab a citation — every link helps keep these tools free.
RevenueLab. (2026). 3PL Pick-and-Pack Quote Calculator. Retrieved from https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/3pl-pick-pack-quote
<p>Source: <a href="https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/3pl-pick-pack-quote" target="_blank" rel="noopener">3PL Pick-and-Pack Quote Calculator — RevenueLab</a> (2026).</p>
Source: [3PL Pick-and-Pack Quote Calculator — RevenueLab](https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/3pl-pick-pack-quote) (2026).