Brands usually budget for six fees: per order packed, per additional item, storage, shipping supplies, inventory check-in and "other." A 3PL can bill you for 14. This checklist lists every one, with what to ask your 3PL about each before you sign.
Before anyone signs with KSP, we walk you through an invoice built on your business, line by line.
Minimums, inventory movement, packaging and returns are lines 2, 7, 8 and 10 of the Fulfillment Fee Checklist.
Peak surcharges are line 11 of the Fulfillment Fee Checklist. If peak rates aren't in your contract, the December invoice can carry rates you never signed.
KSP has built 20.9M kits. Lines 5 and 6 of the Fulfillment Fee Checklist cover how a 3PL bills kits: the additional-item fee a 6-component bundle pays five times, and a new setup charge every time the spec changes.
One brand's 3PL billed the same contents at 1.6, 2.2 and 2.6 lb in one week because it kept switching the box. Packaging and shipping markup are lines 8 and 9 of the Fulfillment Fee Checklist.
A DTC brand's test order came back at $26 against an $11–12 quote, and most of the extra $14 was shipping priced on the item's real size. Line 9 of the Fulfillment Fee Checklist covers postage markup and size-based billing.
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Written by KSP Fulfillment: 99.999% order accuracy across 32.1M orders shipped from our Brooklyn Park, MN warehouse.
Minimums get raised after you've moved in. One seller with two web stores saw their provider lift the monthly minimum from $500 to $5,000, and pulled every unit out of the warehouse rather than pay it.
Ask: What triggers a minimum increase, and how much notice do I get?
Three more lines bill before your first order ships. One of them only shows up on your first invoice (Line 1).
Carriers bill a big box by its size, so the box the warehouse picks sets the price. One brand had 3 lbs of product sent in an 18×14×12 box and paid $58 to ship it. A 12×12×12 box would have cost about $13.
Ask your 3PL for this price in writing. The checklist has the exact question.
Same contents, billed at 1.6, 2.2 and 2.6 lbs in one week. Line 8 shows why.
One brand sent a kitting shop product for 25 kits, got two sloppy samples back and asked for the rest. The owner wanted $1,500 to return 23 kits, or he'd throw them out.
Ask your 3PL for this price in writing. The checklist has the exact question.
Exit costs hit once your product sits in their warehouse, so price them before you sign.
Brands that ship with KSP
KSP is a godsend to our business, and we are grateful beyond words to be entrusting our warehousing and fulfillment to them since April 2021. KSP is efficient and professional in every way: orders are filled correctly, efficiently, quickly, and with top service. They find the best and most cost effective way to ship. When we make mistakes—and we do—they catch them and come to us. …
I'm loving your warehouse solution and wonder why I did not do this years ago. We really appreciate how smooth the transition was and how helpful everyone is with the onboarding. Thank you to all involved!
I had a meeting with a client this morning that reminded me of how much trouble we had in 2022 with delivery. She reminded me that they were rejecting more orders than receiving. … Between you and I, I likely would not be with my company still if I hadn't found KSP.
KSP Fulfillment ships for e-commerce and retail brands out of one 225,000 sq ft warehouse in Brooklyn Park, MN. Orders in by 2 PM CST ship the same day. Your account manager works on the floor next to your product (no call centers), and you get their personal phone number during work hours. Before you sign, we walk you through an invoice built on your business, not a rate card you can't decode.
Veteran-owned since 2012. Climate-controlled, FDA-registered storage.