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Marginory

Fulfillment Cost Calculator

Work out what fulfillment really costs per order: receiving, pick and pack, extra items, packaging, postage, storage and monthly minimums from your own 3PL quote. Use it to compare warehouses or to price products with fulfillment included.

By Marginory teamContent reviewed

Your volume

$

Used only to show fulfillment as a share of revenue

Your 3PL rate card

$

Units received each month are assumed to equal units shipped

$
$
$
$
$
$

Fulfillment cost

Cost per order (all-in)$11.00
Cost per order excluding postage$4.50
Total per month$3,300.00
Share of order value27.5%

Monthly breakdown

Receiving$112.50
Pick & pack (incl. extra items)$1,012.50
Packaging$180.00
Postage$1,950.00
Storage$45.00
Account / minimum fee$0.00

Defaults are an example rate card, not market averages. Replace every rate with your 3PL's quote; many add fees for kitting, inserts, returns or peak season.

The fulfillment cost formula

Cost per order = (receiving + pick & pack + extra items + packaging + postage + storage + minimums) ÷ orders

With the example rate card above ( orders a month, items per order), fulfillment costs $0.00 per order all-in, or $0.00 excluding postage, and $NaN a month. On a $ order that is NaN% of revenue.

Why volume changes the cost per order

Same rate card, different order counts. Storage is fixed, so it is spread over more orders as volume grows:

Orders / monthMonthly totalPer orderPer order excl. postage
100$NaN$NaN$NaN
300$NaN$NaN$NaN
1,000$NaN$NaN$NaN
3,000$NaN$NaN$NaN

Storage held at cubic feet for every row to isolate the volume effect; in practice more orders usually need more stock on hand.

What to check on a 3PL quote

  • Receiving unit: per item, per carton or per pallet. Convert to per unit so quotes compare.
  • Storage unit: per cubic foot, bin, shelf or pallet, and whether it is billed on peak or average use.
  • Pick & pack: what the first-item fee includes and what each extra item costs.
  • Minimums: a monthly minimum can dominate the cost per order at low volume.
  • Extras: returns processing, inserts, kitting, labeling and peak-season surcharges.

Put fulfillment into your price

Once you know the all-in cost per order, add it to product cost in the pricing calculator or the profit calculator. Selling on Amazon? Compare your 3PL with FBA in the FBA vs FBM calculator.

Review the market, fee bases and exclusions shown with this tool. Published rates and illustrative cost inputs have different certainty. Compare your breakdown with an actual order statement. Sources and methodology.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How do you calculate fulfillment cost per order?
Add up every monthly fulfillment charge — receiving, pick and pack, extra-item fees, packaging, postage, storage and any account minimum — and divide by the orders shipped that month. Per-order charges stay flat, but storage and minimums are fixed, so they cost more per order at low volume.
What fees does a 3PL charge?
Most rate cards include receiving (per unit, carton or pallet), storage (per cubic foot, bin or pallet per month), pick and pack (per order plus per extra item), packaging materials, postage, and sometimes a monthly minimum or account fee. Many also charge for returns, kitting, inserts and peak-season surcharges.
What is a good fulfillment cost per order?
There is no universal benchmark; it depends on product size, units per order and where you ship. Judge it against your margin: compare fulfillment as a share of order value with your gross margin, and compare the cost excluding postage between 3PL quotes.
Should postage be included in fulfillment cost?
Include it when pricing products, because you pay it on every order. Exclude it when comparing 3PLs, since postage depends mostly on carrier rates and destination; the calculator shows both.
Is a 3PL cheaper than fulfilling orders myself?
Not on direct cost at low volume, because you replace your own time with paid fees and minimums. A 3PL usually makes sense once the hours you spend packing are worth more than the per-order fee, or when you need faster shipping or more space.