By 3PLWOW
The most useful fulfilment quote comparison prices the same month of orders with every provider. Include the stock you store, the items you pick, the packaging you use and the delivery services your customers receive. That gives you a cost you can use when planning your margins.
Whether you are considering Huboo, 3PLWOW or another UK fulfilment company, this checklist will help you turn different rate cards into a fair comparison. It also covers two details that are easy to miss: how extra items are counted and what happens when you use your own courier account.
Give every provider the same order profile
Start with a representative month of order data, plus a separate forecast for a busy period. Share order numbers, SKUs, quantities, parcel weights, delivery destinations and requested services. Customer names and full addresses are usually unnecessary for an initial pricing exercise; agree what data is needed.
Add stock levels, the number of active SKUs, expected inbound deliveries, returns and packing instructions. Include orders that take extra work, such as a starter kit, a mixed bundle or an order with a promotional gift.
Ask each provider to state its assumptions in writing. If one quote assumes one item per parcel and another uses your actual basket mix, the totals are answering different questions.
Check these 12 fulfilment costs
| Cost to check | What to ask |
|---|---|
| 1 Receiving stock | Is goods-in charged by pallet, carton, unit or time? What checks are included? |
| 2 Storage | Is storage measured by pallet, shelf, bin or cubic volume? How is usage calculated? |
| 3 First item | What does the base pick-and-pack charge cover, including the first item and packing labour? |
| 4 Additional items | When do extra-item charges begin? Are charges based on physical units, order lines or SKUs? |
| 5 Kits and assembly | How are preassembled kits priced compared with kits built from separate components? |
| 6 Packaging | Which materials are included? How are boxes, inserts and customer-supplied packaging handled? |
| 7 Delivery | Which carrier service, parcel dimensions, weights and destinations are included? |
| 8 Surcharges and customs work | What extra carrier, remote-area, international administration or customs-processing charges can apply? |
| 9 Returns | Does the rate include receipt, inspection, reporting and any approved restocking? |
| 10 Technology and account fees | Are integrations, software access, subscriptions or account administration charged separately? |
| 11 Minimums and peak work | Is there a minimum spend? Do peak periods, weekend work or exceptional volumes change rates? |
| 12 Setup and eventual exit | What would onboarding, stock transfer, final counts and stock release cost? |
Ask providers to mark each item as included, separately charged or not applicable. A blank field leaves an assumption that can change the comparison later. Keep recurring costs separate from one-off setup work, and compare all prices on the same VAT basis.
Count additional items using real baskets
Suppose a sample month contains these orders. This is an illustration, not client data or a price quotation.
| Order type | Orders | Physical items | Additional items |
|---|---|---|---|
| One item per order | 600 | 600 | 0 |
| Two items per order | 300 | 600 | 300 |
| Four items per order | 100 | 400 | 300 |
| Total | 1,000 | 1,600 | 600 |
If the base charge includes one physical item per order, this example contains 600 additional items. It would be incorrect to charge all 1,600 items as extras, or to count only the 400 orders that contain more than one item.
The result changes if your agreement includes two items in the base charge or treats preassembled kits differently. Have the provider show how it would calculate representative orders before you compare the final total.
Model packaging from the orders that need it
A single packaging price may not fit every basket. In a sample of 1,000 orders, you might need 650 bags, 300 small boxes and 50 large boxes. Ask the provider to price those quantities using the agreed packing rules.
If you supply your own boxes, separate the materials you buy from any storage or handling the warehouse charges. The material cost still belongs in your overall fulfilment budget, even when it does not appear on the 3PL invoice.
Our pick and pack service can be planned around your products and presentation requirements. Sharing examples makes that conversation much more useful.
Include postage even when you pay the courier directly
When you use your own carrier account, postage may sit on a separate invoice. Your total cost still includes that carrier bill plus the warehouse work. Pick and pack, additional items and packaging remain part of the operation.
Confirm which courier accounts and services a provider can support. Compare matching delivery speeds and parcel sizes, and price UK and international orders separately. Also check the process and charges for multiple parcels, failed deliveries and resends.
Compare a normal month and a busy month
For each scenario, add receiving, storage, order handling, packaging, delivery and other applicable charges. Identify any minimum-spend adjustment separately, so a minimum is not accidentally added twice. Show one-off onboarding costs on their own line.
Then divide the recurring monthly total by the number of orders covered. If some orders split into multiple parcels, include all associated parcel charges in that total. Keep the same definition of an order across every quote.
Repeat the calculation for a busy month with its expected stock and packaging needs. Ask what happens during quieter months too. A fixed subscription, a minimum spend and a usage-based charge can affect those scenarios differently.
Check that the service matches the price
Use a short demonstration to check the practical promises behind each quote. Ask about dispatch cut-offs, how held orders are released, who handles queries and what reports your team receives. Confirm the difference between a warehouse dispatch commitment and the carrier’s delivery service.
Try our client portal demo and bring questions about your own workflow. For supplements, also discuss batch information, expiry requirements and how returned stock is assessed before any restocking.
Comparing our service with Huboo? Read our guide to 3PLWOW as a Huboo alternative in the UK.
Get a fulfilment quote you can compare
3PLWOW builds pricing around the services your operation needs. We do not add a monthly subscription simply for being a fulfilment client. Storage, handling, packaging, shipping and other agreed work are still priced according to your requirements.
To request a useful comparison, send your representative order data, stock profile, packing instructions and delivery mix. Tell us if you already pay a courier directly, and flag any busy periods or planned product launches.
Request a tailored fulfilment quote or explore our fulfilment pricing page. We’ll help you understand what is included and how the charges apply to your orders.