Most Amazon 3PL quotes show one per-unit number and stop there. The number that matters is what you pay after receiving, storage, bundling, inbound freight and placement fees are added, and that depends on how the provider bills each step. This guide breaks the quote into its parts, shows where AMZ Prep’s published rates sit, and gives you the questions that expose the costs a quote leaves out.
Key takeaways
- An Amazon 3PL bill has up to nine components. The quoted per-unit prep rate is usually one of the smaller ones.
- AMZ Prep’s published starting rates: FBA prep from $0.40 per unit, DTC fulfillment from $1.00 per order, case forwarding from $1.50 per box, placement fees $0 on FBA shipments via Middle Mile.
- The three costs most often missing from a quote are placement fees, storage billed on space reserved rather than used, and peak-season surcharges.
- Ask for the 12-month acceptance rate, the full exclusions list, and the inbound check-in time before you compare two providers on price.
What an Amazon 3PL does, and why its pricing is different
An Amazon 3PL stores your inventory, preps it to Amazon’s requirements, and ships it into Amazon fulfillment centers and other sales channels. It differs from a general 3PL in two ways that show up on the invoice. First, prep is billed per unit (FNSKU labeling, poly bagging, bundling, carton labeling) rather than per order. Second, inbound freight to Amazon carries its own costs: carrier appointments, 5-way split routing, and Amazon’s placement fees, which the 3PL either absorbs or passes through.
A prep center handles the item-level prep only. A full Amazon 3PL adds storage, FBM and Seller Fulfilled Prime fulfillment, Walmart and retail, and inbound freight from one inventory pool. Vendor Central (1P) is a separate workflow with its own routing guides and chargebacks, and only some providers support it.
Where Amazon 3PL costs come from
The table below lists each component, how 3PLs typically bill it, and how AMZ Prep bills it. Published AMZ Prep rates are starting rates; volume pricing is quoted.
| Cost component | What triggers it | How 3PLs typically bill it | AMZ Prep |
|---|---|---|---|
| Onboarding | Account setup, integrations, first receiving | Flat fee, sometimes waived | Free 3PL transition program; onboarding 2 to 4 weeks |
| Receiving | Counting and checking in inbound inventory | Per unit, per pallet, or per hour | Included in the per-unit prep rate |
| Storage | Space your inventory occupies | Per cubic foot, per pallet, or per bin per month; some bill on space reserved | Billed on space used; $0.20 to $0.40 per cubic foot per month |
| FBA prep | FNSKU label, poly bag, suffocation label, carton label | Per unit, or per touch | From $0.40 per unit, all-inclusive (rate card) |
| Bundling and kitting | Multi-packs, inserts, shrink wrap | Per bundle or per component | Custom quote |
| Packaging materials | Boxes, bags, fill | Separate line item or included | Included in standard prep |
| Inbound freight to Amazon | Carrier, appointment, placement fee | Pass-through plus Amazon placement fees | $0 placement fees on FBA shipments via Middle Mile; 2 to 4 day check-in |
| DTC and FBM fulfillment | Pick, pack, ship for non-FBA orders | First pick plus additional pick, plus shipping | From $1.00 per order |
| Case forwarding | Receiving sealed cases and forwarding to Amazon | Per box | From $1.50 per box |
| Minimums | Monthly minimum spend or order count | Varies widely | 300 orders a month across FBA, DTC and shipping combined |
Key takeaway: compare providers on the three items that move the bill most: placement fees, how storage is measured, and what inbound freight includes. Two quotes with the same $0.40 prep rate can differ by thousands a month on those three lines alone.
What an Amazon 3PL should cost at different volumes
At a few hundred units a month, prep and inbound freight dominate; storage is small. At a few thousand units, storage and placement fees become the largest lines, which is why zero placement fees and usage-based storage matter more as you grow. Above 10,000 units a month, most providers quote volume pricing, and the comparison shifts to check-in time and accuracy, because a week of stock sitting unreceived at Amazon costs more than any per-unit difference.
If you are below 300 orders a month combined, most full-service Amazon 3PLs will not be the right fit yet; a prep-only service or Amazon’s own inbound programs will usually cost less. To model your own numbers, use the 3PL cost calculator.
Key takeaway: below roughly 1,000 units a month, choose on prep rate and inbound freight. Above it, choose on placement fees, storage method and check-in time.
SFP and FBM: pricing for orders you fulfil yourself
Seller Fulfilled Prime and FBM orders are billed like DTC fulfillment: a first-pick fee, an additional-pick fee for multi-item orders, storage, and shipping at the 3PL’s carrier rates. SFP adds the requirement to meet Amazon’s delivery-speed targets, which means the 3PL’s warehouse locations and carrier mix determine both cost and eligibility. Ask where SFP orders will ship from and what share of US addresses the provider reaches in two days by ground. AMZ Prep’s SFP pricing and network coverage are detailed on the Seller Fulfilled Prime page.
Questions to ask before you sign
- What is your Amazon acceptance rate over the last 12 months, not the advertised average? Below 99% means rejected shipments you will pay to re-prep.
- What is excluded from the quoted rate? Ask specifically about placement fees, storage minimums, long-term storage, peak-season surcharges and packaging.
- How is storage measured: space used, or space reserved? The second one bills you for empty racking.
- How long from your dock to Amazon check-in, and how is it tracked? Industry average is 7 to 10 days; the best Middle Mile programs run 2 to 4.
- Do you book your own Amazon appointments and run your own trucks, or broker them? Brokered freight is where peak-season delays start.
- Can you fulfil FBM, Seller Fulfilled Prime, Walmart and DTC from the same inventory, or does each channel need its own stock?
- Do you support Vendor Central purchase orders and chargeback prevention, or Seller Central only?
- What happens to your data and integrations if you leave? Ask for the offboarding process in writing.
Key takeaway: questions 2, 3 and 4 expose the costs a per-unit quote hides. If a provider cannot answer them in numbers, the quote is incomplete.
Which Amazon 3PL is the right fit
An Amazon-focused 3PL with its own inbound freight program is the right fit for brands shipping 1,000 or more units a month into FBA, or running FBA alongside DTC, Walmart or retail. AMZ Prep is built for that profile: 50+ centers in 6 countries, zero placement fees via Middle Mile, published starting rates, and Vendor Central support. See FBA prep services for what the service includes.
Brands under 300 orders a month will usually do better with a prep-only service or shipping direct to Amazon. Canadian brands with light products and modest US sales can ship from Canada through providers such as Stalco or SCI Logistics. Brands that need a general ecommerce 3PL with no Amazon-specific inbound program may find ShipBob or ShipMonk a simpler fit. Flexport (the former Deliverr and Shopify Logistics network) suits brands already inside the Shopify ecosystem who want fulfillment bundled with freight. For a fuller comparison, see the best 3PLs for Amazon sellers.
Frequently asked questions
How much does an Amazon 3PL cost?
An Amazon 3PL bill is built from receiving, storage, prep, bundling, inbound freight and any placement fees, priced against your volume and SKU count. AMZ Prep’s published starting rates are $0.40 per unit for FBA prep, $1.00 per order for DTC fulfillment and $1.50 per box for case forwarding, with $0 placement fees via Middle Mile. See the pricing page for the full rate card.
What is the difference between a 3PL and an Amazon prep center?
A prep center handles item-level prep: labeling, bagging, bundling. A full Amazon 3PL adds storage, FBM and SFP fulfillment, multi-channel shipping and inbound freight to Amazon from one inventory pool.
What is the difference between a 3PL and a freight forwarder?
A freight forwarder arranges transport from point A to point B by ocean, air, rail or truck. A 3PL does that plus prep, storage, order fulfillment and returns. Many Amazon 3PLs, including AMZ Prep, offer freight forwarding as a service alongside fulfillment.
How much does SFP 3PL fulfillment cost?
SFP orders are billed like DTC: a first-pick fee, an additional-pick fee for multi-item orders, storage, and shipping at the 3PL’s carrier rates. Cost depends mainly on the ship-from location and carrier mix needed to hit Amazon’s delivery targets. AMZ Prep’s SFP rates are on the Seller Fulfilled Prime page.
When should a seller start using an Amazon 3PL?
Once fulfillment slows you down more than demand does: storage limits, rejected shipments, placement fees eating margin, or plans to add Walmart, DTC or international marketplaces. Most full-service Amazon 3PLs, including AMZ Prep, set a minimum around 300 orders a month combined.
Do you need one 3PL in Canada and one in the US?
It depends on weight and sales mix. Light products with modest US sales can ship from Canada. Heavier items or growing US demand usually justify US inventory to cut cross-border cost and transit time. A 3PL with facilities in both countries lets you split inventory from one account.
Can an Amazon 3PL handle Shopify, Walmart and other channels?
Yes. Amazon is the most compliance-heavy channel, so a 3PL that handles it well can usually run Shopify, Walmart, TikTok Shop and retail from the same inventory. Confirm the channels are integrated, not fulfilled by manual export.
Arishekar N is a Vice President (VP) of Marketing at AMZ Prep, specializing in ecommerce fulfillment and Amazon logistics strategies with a proven track record of driving growth for e-commerce businesses. He is a strategic leader with extensive expertise in marketing, e-commerce operations, SEO & advertising, and branding.
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