A 3PL quote is a fulfillment provider’s estimate of what it will cost to store your inventory, process your orders and ship them. The quote is only as accurate as the information behind it. Send a warehouse a vague request such as “we do around 500 orders, what’s your price?” and you will get a vague number back, usually the best-case rate that rarely survives your first invoice.
The fix is to do the homework before you ask. Prepare the 12 numbers below, send the same request to every provider, and you will get quotes you can actually compare. This guide also gives you a ready-to-send request template, a simple RFP structure and a worked example of two quotes compared line by line.
Why most 3PL quotes miss the real cost
Warehouses price on assumptions. If you do not tell them your average units per order, they assume one. If you do not share dimensions, they assume a small mailer. Every gap gets filled with the cheapest assumption because a low number wins the conversation.
The gap shows up fast. Per eightx’s 2026 pick and pack benchmark, a single-item order runs about $1.50 to $3.00 to pick and pack, while a six-item order runs about $3.30 to $6.75. Quote on single-item assumptions when your real average is four items and you will underestimate handling by more than half.
Want a quote built on your real numbers? Fulfillmen prices storage, handling and shipping line by line, with no minimum order quantity and no monthly commitment.
The 12 numbers to prepare before you ask for a quote
Order profile
- Monthly order volume, with your average and your peak month. Peak capacity is a separate conversation from average pricing.
- Average units per order. Pull this from your store’s order export, not from memory.
- Order growth forecast for the next 6 and 12 months, so the provider can confirm capacity.
Product and inventory
- Active SKU count, including variants such as size and colour.
- Unit dimensions and weight for your top 10 SKUs by volume.
- Inventory on hand in cartons, pallets or CBM, plus how many months of stock you usually hold.
- Special handling: batteries, liquids, fragile items, expiry dates or high-value goods.
Shipping and channels
- Destination split by country as a percentage of orders.
- Delivery promise you make customers, such as 7 to 12 days, so the provider quotes the right carrier lines.
- Duty preference: DDP (duties paid before delivery) or DDU (customer pays on arrival).
- Sales channels and platforms: Shopify, WooCommerce, Amazon, TikTok Shop or a custom store.
Services
- Value-added services: branded packaging, inserts, kitting, quality checks, returns handling or product photography.
A quote request template you can copy
Paste this into an email or contact form and fill in the brackets. Sending the identical brief to every provider is what makes the answers comparable.
| Field | Your answer |
|---|---|
| Orders per month (average / peak) | [ 800 / 1,600 ] |
| Average units per order | [ 1.6 ] |
| Active SKUs | [ 45 ] |
| Top SKU size and weight | [ 25 x 18 x 4 cm, 0.38 kg ] |
| Stock on hand | [ 4 CBM, about 2 months of cover ] |
| Destinations | [ US 60%, UK 15%, EU 15%, AU 10% ] |
| Delivery promise | [ 7 to 12 business days ] |
| Duties | [ DDP preferred ] |
| Platforms | [ Shopify, Amazon ] |
| Extras | [ branded mailer, thank-you card, QC check ] |
Turn your numbers into a simple 3PL RFP
If you are comparing three or more providers, wrap the template in a short request for proposal (RFP). It does not need to be long. Two pages is plenty, and it signals to every warehouse that you will compare like for like.
- Company snapshot: what you sell, where it is made, and the markets you ship to.
- The 12 numbers: the table above, filled in from real exports.
- Service levels you expect: order accuracy, same or next day dispatch, receiving time and support response.
- Pricing format: ask every provider to price storage, receiving, pick and pack, packaging, shipping per destination and any monthly fees as separate lines.
- Questions to answer in writing: minimums, contract length, peak surcharges, duty handling and exit fees.
- Deadline and next step: a date for the quote and whether you want a trial batch of orders.
The pricing format line matters most. A provider that will not split its price into lines is asking you to trust a bundle you cannot check.
Worked example: comparing two quotes line by line
Here is how two quotes for the same brief can look once you convert them into a monthly total. The brief is the template above: 800 orders a month at 1.6 units per order, about four pallets of stock. Both quotes are illustrative, built from the 2026 US benchmark ranges published by Fulfill.com, and shipping is compared separately using a weighted rate across your destination split.
| Line | Quote A (itemised) | Quote B (bundled) |
|---|---|---|
| Headline rate | $2.50 first item | $2.80 per order, all items |
| Extra items (480 units a month) | $0.50 each = $240 | Included |
| Pick and pack (800 orders) | $2,000 | $2,240 |
| Storage (4 pallets) | $25 each = $100 | Included in allowance |
| Account management fee | $103 | None |
| Monthly minimum | $517 (not triggered at this volume) | None |
| Monthly total before shipping | $2,443, about $3.05 per order | $2,240, $2.80 per order |
Quote A has the lower headline rate and the higher real cost. Now run the same brief at your slowest month. If orders drop to 150, Quote A’s fixed storage and account fees are spread over far fewer orders: $623 in total, or about $4.15 per order, while Quote B stays at $2.80. Drop a little further and the $517 minimum becomes the floor you pay regardless of volume. That is why you compare monthly totals at both your average and your low volume, never the headline rate.
Not sure which quote is really cheaper? Send us your quotes and your 12 numbers. We will lay our line-by-line estimate next to them so you can compare.
How to compare the quotes you get back
Do not compare headline rates. Convert every quote into a cost per order using your own numbers. Multiply each fee by your volume, add storage for your real stock level, and use a weighted shipping rate across your destination split. If you need a starting framework, our China fulfillment center guide explains how each part of the operation is priced and run.
Then check what is missing. Fulfill.com’s 2026 data puts the average US monthly minimum at $517 and average account management fees near $103 a month. If a quote does not mention minimums, onboarding, receiving or account fees, ask directly whether they apply.
Red flags in a 3PL quote
- A price given before the provider asked about your units per order or product size
- Shipping quoted for one destination only when you sell to several
- No mention of receiving, storage or minimum fees
- “Rates subject to change” with no notice period
- No written answer on duties for cross-border orders
If you spot two or more of these, send the provider your template again and ask for an itemised re-quote before you go any further.
What Fulfillmen needs to quote you
The 12 numbers above are exactly what our team uses. With them we can quote storage, handling and shipping per destination line, including DDP options, in one document. Fulfillmen has no minimum order quantity and no monthly commitment, and includes 90 days of free storage, so a smaller brand gets the same line-by-line quote as a large one. See what is included on our fulfillment services page.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to get a 3PL quote?
With complete data, most providers can return a quote within a few business days. Missing information is the main cause of delay, because each gap means another round of questions before anyone can give you a reliable number.
Should I share my sales data with a 3PL?
Share order-level aggregates: volume, units per order, weights and destinations. You do not need to share revenue or customer details to get an accurate fulfillment quote, and a good provider will not ask for them at this stage.
What is a 3PL RFP?
A 3PL request for proposal is a short document that sends the same order profile, service expectations and pricing format to several fulfillment providers, so their quotes come back in a form you can compare line by line.
Why do two 3PL quotes for the same brand differ so much?
Usually because each provider filled gaps with different assumptions, or bundled fees differently. Sending an identical brief to every provider, and asking for itemised lines, removes most of that difference.
Is the cheapest 3PL quote the best one?
Not always. Check accuracy commitments, receiving times, peak capacity, minimums and exit terms. A slightly higher rate with clear service levels and no monthly floor often costs less over a full year.
Ready to compare? Send us your 12 numbers and get a line-by-line estimate for storage, handling and shipping to every market you sell in.
