Packaging for a 3PL has to be a document as well as a material. The specification - box ladder, protection standard per SKU group, closure, labelling and reorder points - travels with the stock, so that whoever packs your orders packs them the same way. Without it, you inherit whatever that provider's bench happens to do.
Outsourcing the packing does not outsource the specification
When fulfilment moves to a third party, packaging frequently moves with it as an assumption rather than a specification. The provider has materials, the orders go out, and nobody writes down what 'properly packed' means.
That works until it does not - a damage spike, a carriage bill that has crept up, or a customer complaint about packaging that does not match the brand. At that point there is no agreed standard to point at.
What the specification should contain
- Box ladder - which formats, with internal dimensions, and the SKU groups each serves.
- Protection standard per SKU group - which inner components, how applied, how many.
- Closure - tape construction and pattern, base method.
- Labelling - position, orientation, which labels on which channel.
- Branding rules - branded or plain by channel, which inserts go in.
- Reorder points and call-off - who triggers replenishment and at what level.
- Exceptions - named SKUs that deviate, and why.
That document is portable. If you change provider, the standard goes with you rather than being rebuilt from memory.
Who supplies the materials
| Model | Advantage | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| You buy, 3PL stores and uses | You control spec and price | Storage charges; you carry the stock risk |
| 3PL buys to your spec | Simpler; their buying power | Spec drift; check what is actually used |
| 3PL supplies and specifies | Least effort; bench-optimised | Make sure the spec is written and visible to you |
Three models, and what each is good and bad at.
All three work. What matters is that the specification exists and that somebody is accountable for it. Where the provider also supplies the packaging, the spec can be written from their bench outward, which usually produces a faster and cheaper result - see packaging for fulfilment.
Storage of packaging is a real cost line
A 3PL charges for space. Packaging is bulky and low value per cubic metre, so storing your run quantities in their racking can quietly become a significant charge.
Either agree a sensible holding arrangement up front or have the packaging held separately and called off - see packaging stockholding. The worst outcome is discovering it as a line on an invoice six months in.
Questions worth asking a 3PL about packaging
- How many box sizes do you hold for accounts like ours, and who decides which is used?
- Is there a written pack standard, and can we see it?
- How is packaging charged - per unit, per order, or within the pick and pack rate?
- Where is packaging stored and is that space charged to us?
- What happens if a format runs out mid-shift?
- Can you run branded and plain outers by channel?
- How do you measure and report damage?
The answers tell you a great deal about how the operation will actually run. See contract logistics.
Transitioning without losing the standard
- Write the specification before the move, not after.
- Agree who supplies, who stores and who pays for the space.
- Sample-pack a batch at the new site and inspect them yourself.
- Set a damage baseline in the first month so later changes are measurable.
- Review after a quarter against carriage, damage and pack cost per order.
fulfilment services and contract logistics cover the wider operation.
The short version
- Outsourcing the packing does not outsource the specification.
- Write the spec down so it travels with the stock.
- Agree who supplies, who stores and who pays for the space.
- Packaging storage can quietly become a significant 3PL charge.
- Set a damage baseline in the first month so later changes are measurable.
Frequently asked questions
Should our 3PL supply the packaging?
They can, and it often works well because the spec gets written from their bench outward. What matters is that the specification is written down and visible to you either way.
How is packaging usually charged by a 3PL?
Per unit used, within the pick and pack rate, or as a separate line - all are common. Ask which, and ask separately whether storage of the packaging is charged.
Can we keep our branded packaging with a 3PL?
Yes, and you should specify branded and plain by channel so marketplace orders are compliant - see custom printed packaging.
What if the 3PL packs differently from how we did?
That is what the written standard prevents. Without one, you inherit whatever their bench habitually does.
Who carries the risk if packaging runs out?
Agree it explicitly. Reorder points against real consumption plus held stock is what stops it happening - see packaging stockholding.