Multi-Item Apparel Orders

The pick and pack fee covers the labor and technology to collect items, choose the right package, pack, seal and label. Most quotes split it into a per-order fee, for the work every order needs, and a per-item fee, for each additional unit. Packaging materials are often billed separately, so confirm what your quote includes.

The pattern: order-level costs are shared across more items, item-level costs grow with each item, and shipping per unit usually falls. Ask your 3PL to show you this on a sample invoice using your own order mix. See pick and pack fees explained.

• Free shipping threshold: set it where the typical order needs a second item, and check the threshold pays for itself with fully loaded costs. See free shipping thresholds.
• Bundles and outfits: price them knowing the pick and packing work, and whether you build them ahead or to order. See apparel kitting.
• Gift with purchase: an added item is an added pick. Decide whether it is worth it at your margin.
• Bracketing: customers who order two sizes to try one will return one. Count that in the cost of the order. See what apparel returns cost.

The only reliable way to see the real numbers is line-item billing. Add every fulfillment charge for a period and divide by orders shipped to get a fully loaded cost per order. See apparel cost per order.

More items means more chances to get the presentation wrong. Write packing instructions that cover multi-item orders: the order items go in, how each is folded, whether items share a bag, and which mailer or box size fits which item count.

Right-size the package. A mailer that fits two items costs less to ship than a box with air in it, and carriers can charge by size as well as weight. See poly mailer or box and dimensional weight.

A multi-item order is only right if every item is right. Every style is slotted by size and color, so a picker reaching for a medium in black is not digging through a bin of mixed sizes. A new collection is slotted and ready to ship within one business day of receipt. Every unit is scanned before it is packed, which catches a size mix-up before it reaches the customer.

If a size is short when the order is picked, agree in advance what happens: hold the order, ship what is available and send the rest later, or contact the customer. Write the rule down with your account manager. All client requests are acknowledged within two hours, and support is never outsourced.

Buy-more-save-more offers, bundles and gifts with purchase all raise items per order. That is usually good for margin on shipping and bad for packing time, so plan for it. Tell your account manager before the promotion starts, with the offer, the expected order volume and any gift items, so labor and packaging are ready.