How fulfilment pricing actually works
Most 3PL sites ask you to request a quote before telling you anything. This page explains the cost structure first.
Most Australian fulfilment sites ask you to request a quote before telling you anything about cost. That is understandable — pricing genuinely depends on your products — but it leaves you unable to judge whether any quote you receive is reasonable.
This page explains how the cost is built, and what the Australian market typically charges for each part.
The lines that make up your cost
- Receiving — charged per inbound pallet or carton when stock arrives
- Storage — charged per pallet space, cubic metre or shelf, per week or month
- Pick and pack — a base fee per order, plus a smaller fee per additional item
- Packaging — your materials, plus the handling time they add
- Returns — charged per returned item processed
- Postage — the courier's charge, passed through
Where the surprises usually come from
Minimum monthly charges are the most common. Many Australian providers apply one regardless of volume, which means a brand shipping fifty orders can be invoiced as though it shipped several hundred.
After that: peak-season surcharges, account or software fees, per-pick-line charges layered on top of the base order fee, and receiving priced differently for floor-loaded versus palletised deliveries.
None of these are unreasonable in isolation. They become a problem when they appear after you have signed.
How we price
Clear costs before your first order ships. Receiving, storage, pick and pack, packaging, shipping, returns and any special handling are set out in your rate card before you commit — not discovered on an invoice.
Our own rates are set per brand, because a lightweight accessories business and a bulky homewares business genuinely do not cost the same to run. That is why the next step is a quote rather than a rate card.
Founding brand offer
Founding brands get their first three months of storage free. It covers storage only — pick and pack, packaging, courier postage and returns are charged normally from the first order, and there is no free shipping or free packaging attached to it.
Standard storage rates apply from month four. Eligibility and storage limits apply, and the offer is limited to a small number of founding brands rather than open indefinitely. Whether it applies to you is confirmed in writing with your rate card before you commit to anything.
Common questions
- Why not just publish a rate card?
- Because a single rate card would be either misleadingly cheap or unnecessarily expensive for most brands. What we can publish honestly is the cost structure and the market ranges, which is what this page and the calculator do.
- Are the calculator figures your prices?
- No. They are industry ranges compiled from publicly published Australian 3PL pricing guides, with the source shown next to each figure. They exist so you can sanity-check any quote, including ours.
- Is postage included?
- No. Courier postage is a separate pass-through cost and depends on parcel weight, dimensions and destination.
- What exactly is free in the founding brand offer?
- Storage, for your first three months, up to an agreed storage limit. Pick and pack, packaging materials, courier postage and returns are charged normally throughout. Standard storage rates apply from month four. Eligibility and storage limits are confirmed with your rate card before you commit.
Not sure what your fulfilment would actually cost?
Work out a realistic range first, then get a quote based on your real numbers.