Free fulfillment sourcing economics tool
3PL vs In-House Fulfillment Calculator
Compare your own warehouse against outsourced fulfillment using rent, labor, WMS, equipment, packing, storage, pick-pack fees, returns and shipping — then find the volume where the economics cross over.
Simple sourcing model
Crossover EngineBuild both fulfillment cost structures
Order & inventory workload
In-house warehouse fixed cost
In-house variable cost & capacity
3PL pricing
Switching & investment horizon
Decision logicShipping is modeled separately because a 3PL can be more expensive operationally but still win on parcel rates. In-house labor uses actual required work hours and prices any capacity overflow at the overtime multiplier instead of assuming every scheduled labor hour is consumed.
Cost Bridge
How in-house and 3PL economics are built
Volume Crossover Curve
What happens as monthly order volume changes?
| Volume scenario | Orders/month | In-house monthly cost | 3PL monthly cost | In-house cost/order | 3PL cost/order | Lower-cost model | In-house labor load |
|---|
Volume × 3PL Pick-Pack Rate
Sourcing sensitivity matrix
Advanced fulfillment portfolio
Cost Crossover BoardCompare six order profiles and peak-season economics
Shared in-house fixed cost
Shared in-house labor & capacity
Shared 3PL storage, receiving & account fees
Switching & horizon
Six order profiles
Profile logicEach order profile gets its own monthly volume, items/order, in-house labor minutes, packaging, shipping, returns, and 3PL first-item/additional-item/packaging/shipping rates. Shared facility and 3PL storage costs are allocated across the portfolio only for reporting, not double-counted.
Profile Cost Board
Which order types favor 3PL and which favor in-house?
| Rank | Profile | Orders/mo | Items/order | In-house direct cost/order | 3PL direct cost/order | Difference/order | Monthly direct difference | Shipping delta/order | Signal |
|---|
Cost Crossover Board
Fixed-cost absorption, labor capacity and 3PL variable cost
Peak Volume Stress Test
What happens during a major sales spike?
| Volume scenario | Orders/mo | In-house cost/order | 3PL cost/order | Lower-cost model | In-house labor load | Overtime hours | Extra staff needed |
|---|
Volume × 3PL Fee Level
Portfolio sourcing sensitivity
Scope
Compare quotes on the same service scope
This calculator is a planning model. Real 3PL agreements can include minimums, zones, weight bands, storage aging fees, carton receiving, special projects, B2B fees, kitting, inserts, postage markups, carrier account rules, claims, peak surcharges and termination terms. In-house models can also require deposits, racking, MHE, insurance, taxes, recruiting, temporary labor and working capital. Use the calculator to normalize competing proposals before making a sourcing decision.