Houston 3PL Fulfillment Guide
Your Houston 3PL Fulfillment Guide
This guide covers what a Houston 3PL should cost, how to vet a warehouse before you ship inventory into it, and what the facility itself looks like inside. We run ours at $0.75/unit FBA prep, $2.00/order FBM, and $25/pallet storage billed monthly — with the math for what that means at your volume below.
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Get a fulfillment quote in 24 hours
Tell us what you sell and your monthly volume. A real person replies within one business day with exact numbers.
Before you request a quote
Know the cost. Check the fit. Plan your first shipment.
Start with a small shipment or an established operation. There is no minimum volume. Tell us what you sell so we can confirm the handling, space and shipping you actually need.
What will my first month cost?
Example: 500 single-item orders under 5 lb × $2.00 full-service handling = $1,000. At $0.25 per mailer add $125; two full billable pallet-months add $50 and one inbound pallet adds $20. Total: $1,195 BEFORE postage, returns or extra work.
Examples use standard storage in the first three months. Long-stay pallet rates are $28/month in months 3–6 and $32/month after six months. Your written quote separates receiving, storage, handling, materials and shipping. Build your own estimate.
Why are there two handling prices?
Under 5 lb, Lean FBA is $0.50/unit and Lean FBM is $1.75/order when goods arrive pre-packed and ready to label. Full-service handling is $0.75/FBA unit or $2.00/FBM order; materials and postage are separate. These are service tiers, not automatic volume discounts.
Heavier items use different weight bands; over 15 lb or bulky items need a written quote. See the complete rate card.
Can you handle my products and platform?
Share your product type, packed dimensions and weight, sales platform and expected volume. Small batches and returns-only enquiries are welcome. Batteries, liquids, food, supplements, temperature-sensitive, hazardous or oversized items need acceptance and handling requirements confirmed before you ship.
For Shopify, Amazon, Walmart or another platform such as Amboras, tell us how orders and inventory are exchanged. The team confirms the connection or file workflow before onboarding; a platform name alone does not guarantee a supported integration.
How do I send inventory?
- Send your SKU list, dimensions, weights and carton/pallet count.
- Receive the written scope, rates and product-acceptance confirmation.
- Confirm account setup, labeling and receiving instructions with the team before dispatch.
- Send shipment details and tracking; agree the first prep job or order workflow.
Receiving location: 6117 Long Dr, Houston, TX 77087. Confirm inbound instructions before sending goods.
What about shipping and storage dimensions?
For a shipping estimate, send origin and destination ZIP codes, packed dimensions, weight, parcel count and desired delivery speed. Handling prices do not include carrier postage. Storage is charged only by carton or pallet. Bin and shelf storage is included in our standard pick-and-pack rate, with no separate charge. Send product dimensions and quantities so the team can confirm usable space, availability and the applicable carton or pallet storage rate in writing.
After you enquire: a real person from our Houston team replies within one business day, confirms any missing details and sends itemized pricing. You can ask for a written quote without booking a sales call. Unsure of volume? Select “Not sure yet” in the quote form.
What a Houston 3PL Should Cost
A Houston 3PL should charge you per unit or per order with the rate published up front — not a "request a demo" page hiding a rate card behind a sales call. Here's what we charge, and it hasn't moved since we locked it through Q1 2027.
| Service | Rate | What's included |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon FBA prep | $0.75/unit | Full-service FBA handling for units under 5 lb is $0.75/unit, including FNSKU labeling and prep labor. Materials are separate: polybag $0.20/unit and bubble wrap $0.20/unit when needed. Receiving, storage and outbound freight are separate. Lean label-ready units start at $0.50; heavier units use the published weight bands. |
| FBM/DTC pick-pack-ship, up to 5 lb | $2.00/order | Packaging materials from $0.25 |
| FBM/DTC pick-pack-ship, 5–8 lb | $2.75/order | Packaging materials from $0.25 |
| FBM/DTC pick-pack-ship, 8–15 lb | $4.00/order | Packaging materials from $0.25 |
| FBM/DTC pick-pack-ship, over 15 lb | Custom quote | Packaging materials from $0.25 |
| Pallet storage | $25/pallet, billed monthly | Climate-controlled; $25/mo for a pallet stored a full month |
| Receiving | $20/pallet ($5/carton) | Charged on every inbound |
| Returns processing | $1.50/return | Inspection included |
| Postage/carrier labels | Pass-through at cost | Discounted USPS/UPS/FedEx rates, no markup |
Those rates work across Shopify, TikTok Shop, Walmart, eBay, BigCommerce, WooCommerce, Etsy, Magento, and Amazon FBM — same per-order price regardless of channel. See the full breakdown on our pricing page or the line-item price list.
How to Vet a Houston Warehouse Before You Sign
Vet a Houston 3PL on six things before you ship a single pallet: pricing transparency, storage billing basis, climate control and security, insurance, turnaround times, and whether you can actually walk the floor. Here's what to ask.
- Pricing transparency. Is the rate card public, or do you have to book a call to hear a number? Many 3PLs charge setup fees and lock new accounts into long-term contracts before you've shipped a single order — ask directly whether either applies.
- Storage billing basis. Per pallet or per square foot? Billed monthly, and is it prorated? Prorated monthly billing means you're not paying for a full month of storage on inventory that only sat for ten days.
- Climate control and security. Ask if the facility is climate-controlled and monitored around the clock. Our building is — 32,000 sqft at 6117 Long Dr, Houston, TX 77087, monitored 24/7.
- Insurance and liability. Ask what happens if they lose or damage your inventory, and get a coverage number in writing. We carry coverage up to $500,000 per occurrence and stand behind our own handling.
- Turnaround and cutoff times. What time does inventory or an order have to land to ship the same day? Ours is 2pm CT, Monday through Saturday.
- Can you actually see it? A 3PL that won't let a customer walk the floor is telling you something. We take walk-ins with 24 hours' notice, Monday through Saturday, 9am–6pm CT.
The Houston Facility Itself
Every rate on this page is set by one building, not a network of regional hubs. We run 32,000 sqft of climate-controlled space at 6117 Long Dr, Houston, TX 77087, monitored 24/7. Your inventory lands there, sits there, and ships from there — the same address for every order, every time.
You don't have to take our word for what that building looks like. We take walk-ins with 24 hours' notice, Monday through Saturday, 9am–6pm CT, so you can see your own inventory in person. Read more on how we run the building itself in the Houston 3PL ultimate guide or the warehouse services page.
What a Month Actually Costs
Your monthly cost is order volume times the per-order rate, plus storage by the pallet, plus anything you receive or return that month — no flat account fee sitting on top. Here's FBM pick-pack-ship alone, at three volumes, assuming orders under 5 lb:
| Orders/month | FBM pick-pack-ship cost |
|---|---|
| 50 | $100.00 |
| 100 | $200.00 |
| 300 | $600.00 |
Now a fuller month, mixing FBA and FBM the way most of our sellers actually run: 300 FBM orders under 5 lb, 800 units through FBA prep, 12 pallets in storage, one inbound shipment of those 12 pallets, and 15 returns.
| Line item | Math | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| FBM pick-pack-ship | 300 × $2.00 | $600.00 |
| FBA prep | 800 × $0.75 | $600.00 |
| Storage | 12 pallets × $25/mo | $300.00 |
| Receiving | 12 pallets × $20.00 | $240.00 |
| Returns | 15 × $1.50 | $22.50 |
| Total | $1,762.50 |
This is one illustrative mix, not a quote. Your real number depends on your order weight tiers, pallet count, and how much you receive or return in a given month. Send your actual SKU list through get a quote and get line-item numbers built off these same published rates.
What's Included and What's Custom-Quoted
FNSKU labelling is included in the FBA prep rate above; packaging materials for FBM orders are billed at cost, mailers from $0.25.25 per order. A short list of services fall outside the published rate card because they depend on your specs, and we quote those honestly rather than guess at a number here.
- Branded inserts, custom packaging, kitting, bundling, and subscription-box assembly — custom-quoted. Tell us your specs and you'll have the number in 24 hours.
- Container devanning, LTL freight, and white-glove handling — quoted per shipment at negotiated carrier cost.
- Bundles — picked and packed per order at the flat per-order rates above by default, no forced preassembly. If you want items pre-kitted before the order comes in, that's available too, custom-quoted.
Returns, Carrier Rates, and the Rest of the Fine Print
Returns cost $1.50 each, and inspection is included in that fee. If you need a specific photo-documentation, restocking, or disposal process, tell us your specs and it's custom-quoted rather than something we'd guess a number on here.
Carrier rates are USPS, UPS, and FedEx discounted rates passed through at cost — no markup on postage. There are no peak-season surcharges added on top of the published rates, and nothing changes about the rate card during Q4.
Cutoff for same-day processing — whether that's an FBA unit going through prep or an FBM order going out the door — is 2pm CT, Monday through Saturday. Anything that lands after cutoff ships or preps the next business day.
How Onboarding Works
Onboarding starts with your SKU list, not a discovery call. Here's the sequence from first email to your first shipped order.
- Send your SKU list or current invoice — no call required to get a number.
- Get line-item pricing back, built off the published rates above.
- Ship inventory in. Receiving posts to your dashboard as pallets land.
- Go live. Orders sync from Shopify, TikTok Shop, Walmart, eBay, BigCommerce, WooCommerce, Etsy, Magento, or Amazon FBM, and we pick, pack, and ship against the 2pm CT cutoff.
Once you're live, the KAK WMS gives you a real-time inventory dashboard, with lot-number and expiration-date tracking available if your product needs it. Read more about the platform on our storage page or reach the team directly through contact us.
Houston 3PL Fulfillment — Frequently Asked Questions
What does a Houston 3PL charge for fulfillment?
Is there a minimum order volume to start?
Are there setup fees or a contract?
How is storage billed?
What does receiving cost?
Do you support lot-number and expiration-date tracking?
What ecommerce platforms do you integrate with?
What's the cutoff for same-day processing?
Can you handle branded inserts or kitting?
What happens to returns, and what do they cost?
Ready when you are
Get a fulfillment quote in 24 hours
Lean handling under 5 lb: FBA $0.50/unit or FBM $1.75/order for pre-packed goods. Full service: $0.75/FBA unit or $2.00/FBM order. Materials and postage are separate; storage is $25/pallet/month.