Pick and Pack Cost Calculator for Wholesale Brands
Model your true per-order fulfillment cost across labor, packaging materials and inserts, for DTC and wholesale orders. See where the cost reduction levers sit across order mix and package configuration.
Volume sensitivity
| Monthly orders | Monthly cost | Cost per order | % of revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 | $632 | $6.32 | 11.5% |
| 250 | $1,580 | $6.32 | 11.5% |
| 500 | $3,160 | $6.32 | 11.5% |
| 1,000 | $6,320 | $6.32 | 11.5% |
| 2,000 | $12,640 | $6.32 | 11.5% |
How the calculation works
- Order split: monthly orders times the B2B share gives B2B orders (rounded); the rest are DTC.
- Cost per order: DTC adds pick labor, pack labor, box or mailer, void fill, inserts and tape. B2B adds pick labor, pack labor, carton, packing materials and compliance labels.
- Blended cost: total monthly cost across both order types divided by total monthly orders.
- % of revenue: blended cost per order divided by your average order value.
As a working range, pick and pack at 8% of order value or less reads as healthy, up to 15% is worth watching, and above 15% usually means packaging or labor per order needs a closer look.
Volume sensitivity keeps your current DTC and B2B mix and per-order costs fixed, so cost per order stays flat as volume changes. Use it to size monthly spend at different order levels; negotiate volume pricing with your 3PL separately.
Keep going
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