3PL Quote Comparison
Enter your volume and compare 3PL quotes side by side: inbound, storage, pick, and packaging costs broken down into monthly totals and cost per order, so you can spot the best-value option.
Your Volume
These three numbers drive the monthly cost estimate for every quote below — change one and the whole comparison recalculates instantly.
Quotes
Enter the 6 line items from each 3PL quote. Compare up to 4 providers. Switch to the full version for 15 industry-standard line items.
Comparison
| Line item | Quote ABest value | Quote B |
|---|---|---|
| Inbound | $340.00 | $480.00 |
| Storage | $480.00 | $420.00 |
| Order processing | $2,160.00 | $2,640.00 |
| Picking | $1,080.00 | $840.00 |
| Packaging | $1,080.00 | $1,380.00 |
| Line-item subtotal | $5,140.00 | $5,760.00 |
| Monthly minimum | $1,500.00 | $800.00 |
| Monthly total due | $5,140.00 | $5,760.00 |
| Cost per order | $4.28 | $4.80 |
Monthly total comparison
How to Read a 3PL Quote
3PL quotes all look alike — the difference is in the details. Same inventory, different warehouse, and a few thousand dollars a month can separate them. Here is what the six most common line items actually mean, and what to watch for when you negotiate. The full version of this tool adds nine more — returns processing, labeling, container unloading, kitting, long-term storage, cycle counts, account management and special projects — confirm each of them up front too, not when the first invoice arrives.
1. Receiving / Inbound Fee
Charged per pallet. Covers the labor and equipment to unload your freight, check it in, and put it away.
Ask two things: is it billed per pallet or per carton, and is there a surcharge for floor-loaded trailers? Some warehouses charge double for freight that arrives unpalletized — this line is chronically underestimated.
2. Storage
Charged per pallet per month — usually the biggest line.
Two traps: how they define a "pallet" (a standard 48×40 and an oversized pallet are priced differently), and many warehouses bill on the pallet count at the start of the month, with no proration for mid-month outbound. That stings when you stock up ahead of peak season — get the billing basis in writing.
3. Order Processing Fee
Charged per order. Covers the fixed cost of order intake, label printing, and system handling.
It is a separate line from the pick fee — do not let a "flat rate" pitch blur them together. Split them out to see where the money actually goes.
4. Pick Fee
Charged per unit — every unit in the order gets charged. This is the line your order profile moves the most: 1,000 orders at one unit each versus five units each means 5x the pick cost.
Ask for tiered discounts by units picked; brands with high units per order should negotiate this line the hardest.
5. Packaging Materials
Charged per order for cartons, bubble wrap, tape, and the like.
If you supply your own packaging — many brands do — negotiate this line to zero. Ask before you sign, not after.
6. Monthly Minimum
Not a line item — a floor. No matter what your actual charges add up to, you pay at least this much each month.
Small brands get hurt here most: the unit rates look great on paper, then the minimum doubles your cost per order. Always run your real volume through it before signing — that is exactly what this calculator is for.
Three questions worth asking
- Get every "billed separately" item on the table up front: returns processing, oversize and overweight surcharges, holiday labor, cycle-count fees. Do not meet them for the first time on an invoice.
- Payment terms, minimum volume, and contract length are all negotiable — 3PL pricing has more flex than most people expect. Shorter contracts mean higher rates; that is the industry norm, so factor it into the total.
- Re-bid at least once a year. Even if you stay put, walking into a renewal with a comparison in hand changes the conversation completely.