Is a 3PL Cheaper Than Amazon FBA?

It depends on which orders you mean.

Order or cost	Usually cheaper	Why
Amazon marketplace orders	FBA	Fee includes delivery; Prime eligibility
Shopify / DTC orders	3PL (often)	MCF fees are higher than FBA fees, and packaging is unbranded
Long-term or bulk storage	3PL	Survey average $0.46 per cu ft vs FBA's $0.78 (and $2.40 in Q4)
Wholesale / retail (B2B)	3PL	FBA doesn't ship retail purchase orders
Slow-moving SKUs	3PL	FBA's storage and aged-inventory costs grow with time

The survey figures are from The Fulfillment Advisor's 2025 report on 600+ warehouses.

Amazon raised FBA fulfillment fees by an average of $0.08 per unit on Jan. 15, 2026, and now publishes fees in three price bands (under $10, $10–$50, over $50). WarehousingCosts.com's table for the $10–$50 band shows these small-standard fees:

Shipping weight	FBA fee (per unit)
2 oz or less	$3.32
2+ to 4 oz	$3.42
4+ to 6 oz	$3.45
6+ to 8 oz	$3.54
8+ to 10 oz	$3.68
10+ to 12 oz	$3.78
12+ to 14 oz	$3.91
14+ to 16 oz	$3.96

It lists large-standard fees from $3.73 (4 oz or less) to $6.97 plus $0.08 per 4 oz above 3 lb. A 3.5% fuel and logistics surcharge applies on top of the fee. Amazon's MCF rate card confirms the same 3.5% surcharge on U.S. MCF fees. Confirm your exact fees in Seller Central's fee preview.

Referral fees (8%, 12% or 15% of the sale price in most categories, per Amazon) apply whether or not you use FBA, so they don't change the FBA vs 3PL decision for Amazon orders.

Illustrative example: an 8 oz product priced $25, sold on Amazon. The 3PL rates are survey averages or illustrative placeholders.

Cost per order	FBA	3PL (merchant-fulfilled)
Fulfillment fee	$3.54	$3.20 pick and pack (survey average)
Fuel and logistics surcharge (3.5%)	$0.12	n/a
Packaging	Included	$0.50 (illustrative)
Shipping label	Included	$6.00 (illustrative residential ground label)
Total	$3.66	$9.70

FBA wins by about $6 per order here, before counting Prime eligibility. A 3PL can only compete on Amazon orders if its shipping rates are very low or the product is heavy or oversized, where FBA's fees climb quickly.

Yes, per cubic foot, and much more in Q4.

Storage	Jan–Sep	Oct–Dec
FBA standard-size	$0.78 per cu ft/month	$2.40 per cu ft/month
FBA oversize (small bulky, large bulky, extra large)	$0.56	$1.40
3PL survey average	$0.46 per cu ft/month	Usually the same all year
3PL survey average, pallet	$20.17 per pallet/month

FBA figures are from Amazon's MCF rate card, which says MCF storage is charged at FBA rates. Illustrative example: 500 cubic feet of standard-size inventory costs $390 a month in FBA from January to September and $1,200 a month from October to December. At the $0.46 survey average it would cost about $230 a month at a 3PL. That gap is why many brands keep bulk stock at a 3PL and send FBA only a few weeks of cover.

Off-Amazon orders from FBA inventory go through Multi-Channel Fulfillment, which costs more than FBA. Amazon's rate card (as of June 1, 2026), for a single unit at standard speed (3 business days):

Size tier	MCF fee, 1-unit order
Small standard, 4+ to 8 oz	$7.51
Small standard, 12+ to 16 oz	$8.66
Large standard, 1+ to 2 lb	$10.64
Large standard, 2+ to 3 lb	$11.75

Add 3.5% for the fuel and logistics surcharge. These fees include delivery, so compare them with a 3PL's all-in cost per order. For reference, Simpl publishes all-in rates from $7 per order and Fulfyld from $7.74 at 501–1,000 orders a month, both including postage. Full detail is in Amazon MCF fees.

The common hybrid setup:

• A 3PL holds bulk inventory at pallet or cubic-foot rates.
• The 3PL ships DTC and wholesale orders in your own packaging.
• The 3PL sends FBA replenishment shipments on a schedule, keeping only a few weeks of stock in Amazon's network, especially before October's storage increase.

The cost of this setup is the 3PL's outbound FBA prep and freight, which you should get quoted as line items.