Ecommerce Fulfillment Centers

Cheapest 3PL Companies

By EFC Editorial · Updated · How we research

Quick answer

No 3PL is cheapest for everyone, and most don't publish rates, so only a handful can be compared. Among published all-in prices (postage included), Simpl Fulfillment starts at $7 per order and Fulfyld at $7.74+ for a 4–12 oz package. The lowest published pick/pack-only figures are RyderShip from $2.35 and ShipCalm at $2.65 per order plus $0.95 per item, but both exclude postage, and ShipCalm adds a weekly platform fee and a quarterly minimum. Quote-only providers such as ShipBob and ShipMonk can't be ranked on price.

Key takeaways

  • Only a minority of the 27 providers in our database publish rates; the rest are quote-only and can't be ranked on price.
  • All-in prices (Simpl from $7, Fulfyld from $7.74) include postage; pick/pack prices (RyderShip from $2.35, ShipCalm $2.65 + $0.95/item) don't.
  • Minimums change the real cost at low volume: Simpl bills a $750 monthly minimum, and ShipCalm's pricing calculator lists a $6,000 quarterly minimum.
  • ShipCalm's platform fee starts at $49 per week on its DTC Essentials plan, on top of per-order fees.
  • The cheapest quote is the one that matches your order profile: weight, items per order, SKU count and storage all move the total.

Best for the lowest published all-in price: Simpl Fulfillment

Simpl publishes pricing from $7 per order that covers up to three picks, postage and standard packaging, with no setup fee, no onboarding charge and complimentary receiving. The rate scales with weight, and storage is billed separately by bin, shelf or pallet at rates not shown. The trade-off is a $750 monthly minimum billed pay-the-difference, and a single Austin warehouse.

Visit Simpl Fulfillment

Best for fully published tiers, including storage: Fulfyld

Fulfyld publishes an all-in average of $7.74+ for 4–12 oz standard shipments at 501–1,000 orders a month, including postage and five picks, plus a storage table by volume tier (a pallet runs $28 a month at that tier, $16 above 10,000 orders). Receiving is $40 an hour after two free onboarding hours. Rates for heavier packages aren't shown on the page, and it runs from one Alabama warehouse.

Visit Fulfyld

Best itemized rate card for comparing line by line: ShipCalm

ShipCalm publishes nearly every fee: $2.65 per DTC order, $0.95 per item, $0.19 per cubic foot per week of storage and $39.50 per receiving shipment. Postage isn't included, and you also pay a platform fee from $49 per week. Its pricing calculator lists a $6,000 quarterly minimum while its homepage says $3,000, so confirm which applies; it's month-to-month with 90 days' notice.

Visit ShipCalm

Best low pick/pack rate from a large carrier-backed network: Ryder E-commerce (RyderShip, formerly Whiplash)

Ryder's RyderShip listing on the Shopify App Store says pick and pack starts at $2.35 and storage at $0.45 a month, with the app free to install. The listing doesn't say what unit the storage price applies to or what postage costs, so it isn't an all-in figure. Minimums and contract terms aren't published.

Visit Ryder E-commerce (RyderShip, formerly Whiplash)

Best if your inventory is already in FBA: Amazon Multi-Channel Fulfillment (MCF)

Amazon publishes an MCF fee schedule and a pricing calculator, with rates that vary by size, weight and speed, and uses FBA storage fees. It adds a 3.5% fuel and logistics surcharge on US MCF fees and holiday peak fees from Oct. 15, 2026 to Jan. 14, 2027. It's only cheap if you already store stock in FBA; it ships unbranded and doesn't suit kitting or retail B2B.

Visit Amazon Multi-Channel Fulfillment (MCF)

Best for founders who pack their own orders: Saltbox

Saltbox isn't a traditional 3PL: memberships start at $500 a month, month-to-month, for warehouse space with loading docks and daily carrier pickups in about 15 US metros. If you do your own packing, that can cost less than paying per order. Its pick-and-pack add-on isn't priced on the site.

Visit Saltbox

Which 3PL company is the cheapest in the USA?

The honest answer is that only a few 3PLs publish enough to compare. This table lists every provider in our database with public rates, and what the headline figure covers.

Provider Headline published rate Postage included? Minimum Not included in headline
Simpl Fulfillment From $7/order (up to 3 picks) Yes $750/month, pay-the-difference Storage (rates not shown)
Fulfyld $7.74+ avg, 4–12 oz, 501–1,000 orders/mo (5 picks) Yes No formal minimum Storage, receiving after 2 free hours
ShipCalm $2.65/order + $0.95/item No $6,000/quarter (calculator) or $3,000 (homepage) Postage, $49+/week platform fee, storage, receiving
RyderShip (Ryder E-commerce) Pick/pack from $2.35 No Not published Postage, storage (from $0.45/month, unit not stated)
Amazon MCF Fee schedule + calculator Check the fee schedule None stated; needs FBA inventory FBA storage, 3.5% surcharge, peak fees
Walmart Fulfillment Services Cost estimator WFS picks, packs and ships; no setup or monthly fees None stated Walmart Marketplace sellers only
Saltbox Space from $500/month N/A Month-to-month membership Labor, unless you buy its fulfillment add-on

So the cheapest published all-in rate is Simpl's $7, and the cheapest published pick/pack line item is RyderShip's $2.35. Those two numbers measure different things, so don't compare them directly.

How do all-in and pick/pack prices compare?

An all-in price bundles labor, packaging and postage into one number per order. A pick/pack price covers only the warehouse labor, and postage is billed on top at whatever carrier rates the 3PL gets.

To compare fairly, add postage to the pick/pack quotes. A one-item order at ShipCalm costs $2.65 + $0.95 = $3.60 before postage, storage and the platform fee. Whether that beats Simpl's $7 all-in depends on your package weight, your ship-to zones and the carrier rate ShipCalm passes through, which it doesn't publish (its page offers a parcel cost analysis instead).

For the arithmetic of these fee lines, our small business 3PL guide lists the common hidden costs.

Why can't quote-only 3PLs be ranked on price?

Most of the larger networks set prices per client. ShipBob, ShipMonk, Stord, Shipfusion, Red Stag and Flexport don't publish rates, and eFulfillment Service keeps its pricing page behind a login. Tondo Fulfillment's site says 'Save up to 40%, guaranteed' but publishes no rates. Any ranking that puts these firms on a price list is guessing.

A quote-only 3PL may still come in cheaper for your profile, especially at higher volume where networks negotiate. The only way to know is to send the same order profile to several providers and compare the totals, including minimums.

What is the cheapest 3PL for small orders and low volume?

At low volume, minimums matter more than per-order rates.

  • Simpl: at 100 orders a month, the $750 minimum works out to $7.50 per order even if your fees total less.
  • ShipCalm: a $6,000 quarterly minimum is $2,000 a month (or $1,000 a month at the homepage's $3,000 figure), plus at least $49 a week in platform fees.
  • Fulfyld: no formal minimum, though it names 500–5,000+ orders a month as its best fit.
  • eFulfillment Service: no minimums and no setup fees stated, but rates are behind a login.

For light, small orders, a provider with no minimum and a published all-in rate is usually the easiest to price. See Fulfyld's review and Simpl's review.

Is Amazon MCF cheaper than a 3PL?

It can be, if your inventory is already in FBA, because you avoid paying for a second warehouse and moving stock between them. MCF's published fees vary by size, weight and delivery speed, and Amazon adds a 3.5% fuel and logistics surcharge plus holiday peak fees. It stops being cheap if you need branded packaging, kits or retail orders. See our Amazon MCF review.

How do I get a like-for-like 3PL quote?

Send every provider the same profile:

  • Monthly orders, and the peak month.
  • Average units per order and average package weight and dimensions.
  • Number of SKUs and cubic feet or pallets in storage.
  • Inbound volume: parcels, pallets or containers per month.
  • Ship-to mix by region, and any international share.

Then ask for a total monthly cost, not a per-order rate, including minimums, platform fees and postage.

Frequently asked questions

Which 3PL company is the cheapest in the USA?

Among published all-in rates, Simpl Fulfillment starts at $7 per order including postage. RyderShip's pick/pack from $2.35 is lower but excludes postage and storage.

What is the cheapest 3PL with no minimums?

eFulfillment Service states no minimum order requirements and no setup fees, but its rates are behind a login. Fulfyld has no formal minimum and publishes its tiers.

Is ShipBob cheap?

ShipBob doesn't publish rates; it quotes each customer. It can't be compared with published rate cards without a quote for your profile.

Does the cheapest per-order rate mean the lowest bill?

Not necessarily. Minimums, weekly platform fees, storage and postage can outweigh a low pick fee, especially at low volume.

Is it cheaper to use a 3PL than fulfill in-house?

At a few orders a day, packing yourself or renting space such as Saltbox (from $500 a month) often costs less. Once volume grows, a 3PL's carrier rates and labor can come out ahead.

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