What information does a 3PL need to prepare a fulfilment quotation?

To prepare a meaningful fulfilment quotation, a 3PL will normally need your product type, business location, monthly order volume, destination-country distribution, packed parcel dimensions and weights, SKU count, average items per order, storage requirement, ecommerce platform and selection priorities. Exact figures are ideal, honest estimates are useful, and unknown values should be marked clearly because they may require follow-up before a final quotation can be prepared.

A fulfilment quotation is not simply a price list. It is an estimate of the work, storage and shipping profile your orders will create: how many parcels are processed, what they contain, how large and heavy they are, where they go, how stock is stored and how orders enter the warehouse system.

A quotation prepared without a sufficiently detailed operational profile will necessarily rely on assumptions. Those assumptions should be visible, so the webshop understands which parts of the quotation may still change.

A store platform and a broad order-volume range can be enough to create a lead record, but not enough to price the operation reliably. Two webshops with the same monthly order volume can require very different storage, picking, packaging and carrier arrangements.

Most fulfilment providers will request much of the information below, although the exact requirements and pricing structure vary by provider.

Monthly order volume shows the scale of an operation, but not its full shipping profile. Two webshops can each ship 1,000 orders per month and still require different quotations when one sends most parcels to one or two countries and the other distributes them across many markets.

The most reliable country split comes from historic shipment data. A carrier invoice or shipping report can also provide useful evidence. A realistic current-sales or launch forecast can support an initial assessment, but it must be identified as a forecast rather than historic demand.

A useful quotation profile should therefore record the evidence basis for the destination split:

Seasonal peaks should be shown alongside the normal monthly figure, not used as a substitute for it.

A quotation should use the parcel as it actually leaves the warehouse: packed, protected, labelled and ready for the carrier. Packaging adds size and weight. Carriers may also use dimensional weight, so product dimensions alone can produce a misleading shipping assumption.

Exact packed-parcel data is best. A realistic estimate is still useful for an initial assessment. If the figure is unknown, it should be marked as unknown and followed up before a final quotation is prepared.

These terms describe different aspects of the operation:

A total SKU count mainly affects storage and pick-location complexity. Items and order lines per order more directly influence the work required for an individual shipment. A catalogue with many SKUs and mostly single-item orders is a different operation from a smaller catalogue with multi-item orders.

An order count alone therefore does not show the full workload.

Storage density varies significantly by product. A pallet of large products may hold only a few units, while a pallet of compact products may hold many thousands. The same stock count can therefore require a very different physical footprint.

A useful first assessment may use:

The ecommerce platform shapes the integration path between the webshop and the fulfilment operation. The quotation also benefits from knowing what the webshop values most, such as transparent pricing, carrier choice, delivery speed, returns, customer support, flexibility, integrations or international reach.

Shopify integration is available. Amazon FBM fulfilment is available. Specific integration, onboarding and operational requirements are confirmed during qualification.

An initial assessment can often begin with estimates for:

Before a final quotation can be relied upon, the provider may need more accurate information about:

Every value should be labelled exact, estimate or unknown. A forecast-based assessment should show the assumptions used.

This does not mean a pre-launch brand has no route forward. A start-up or new-market profile can be assessed using a realistic forecast, provided the quotation or price indication clearly states its assumptions and explains how actual volumes may affect the final setup.

Composite anonymised example. It does not describe an identifiable current or former Vareya customer.

A Shopify webshop supplied a broad monthly order range and basic contact information. Product type, business country, country split, packed dimensions and weights, SKU count, items per order, storage requirement, returns needs, timing and selection priorities were missing.

Lesson: a platform and order-volume range may be enough to register an enquiry, but not enough for a meaningful fulfilment quotation.

Composite anonymised example. Details and figures have been generalised to reduce identifiability.

An international apparel brand supplied a much fuller profile: approximately 100–200 SKUs, significant monthly UK and EU order volumes, a low average number of items per order, a recognised ecommerce platform and several important European markets. It also asked relevant questions about warehouse software, account structure, SLAs, returns, integrations and coordination with another warehouse.

Important details still required clarification, including destination percentages, packed-parcel data, return volumes, storage method, seasonal peaks, packaging requirements and the exact multi-location operating assumptions.

Lesson: a strong operational profile supports a meaningful first assessment, but a final quotation may still require specific shipping, storage, returns and implementation data.

A final quotation may not yet be reliable when:

The appropriate first response is then an initial fit assessment with visible assumptions and a clear list of missing information—not a final quotation presented as complete.

Before comparing prices, check whether the quotations were built on comparable information:

Vareya's fulfilment rates are fixed and all-in per agreement — no hidden costs beyond what the agreement sets out. The agreement and quotation should make the included scope, assumptions and exclusions clear.

Mark each item exact, estimate or unknown:

Unknown values are valid. They simply show which questions require follow-up before a final quotation can be prepared.

Vareya is generally best suited to brands shipping 500 or more orders per month.

Each submission is reviewed individually. The assessment considers data completeness, product and parcel fit, destination mix, operational complexity, platform, storage and service requirements. Product fit is confirmed during qualification.

Profiles based mainly on forecasts, products requiring specialist handling, high-value products or complex operating requirements may require manual review. The assessment does not automatically accept or reject a business.

Brands below the preferred volume may still submit the Free Rate Scan using their actual figures or a clearly labelled forecast. Vareya can then confirm by email whether an initial assessment or another quotation route is appropriate.

The Free Rate Scan helps build the operational profile needed for an initial fulfilment and shipping assessment. It records the available information, including whether important figures are exact, estimated or unknown.

Completing the scan does not display an automatic price and does not guarantee acceptance or a final quotation. Vareya reviews the submission and explains by email what is sufficiently clear, what remains open and what the next step should be.

This article combines approved Vareya claims, source research and operational input supplied by Raymond and Jos on 17 August 2026. The examples are composite and anonymised. Identifiable lead information is not included.