3PL RFQ Template and Checklist for Supplement Brands

Start with the services you need

3PL pricing is service-by-service, so your RFQ should open by naming which services you actually need. For each one you include, add a sentence about how you expect it to run. Vague service definitions come back as vague quotes.

• Direct-to-consumer order fulfillment. Orders from your website and marketplaces that the 3PL picks, packs, and stages for carrier pickup. Name every sales channel that will route orders to them.
• Marketplace inventory prep. Preparing cases for programs like Amazon FBA or Walmart WFS: applying shipment labels, building cartons to spec, and staging for carrier pickup. If you replenish weekly, say so; cadence drives cost.
• Order returns processing. Receiving, inspecting, and dispositioning returns. Agree what gets restocked versus destroyed before the first return arrives.
• Marketplace returns and removals. If you sell through marketplace fulfillment programs, someone has to receive removal shipments, inspect them, and record the outcome.
• Kitting and bundling projects. Packing single units into multi-packs or gift bundles. Describe the pack sizes and who supplies the packaging.
• Product disposal. Destroying expired or damaged inventory with a disposal record you can keep on file.
• Pallet receiving and storage. Receiving purchase orders from your manufacturer, putting stock away accurately, and storing your safety stock.

Describe your operation

The second half of the packet is your own operating profile. Two habits from experienced teams: share estimates in ranges rather than exact figures, and keep the numbers current when you reuse the packet months later. Stale volumes produce quotes you cannot trust.

• Brands and billing. If you operate more than one brand, say so, and ask whether the provider can bill each brand separately without an extra charge. Some providers price by anticipated volume per brand, so this changes the quote.
• Order profile. SKU count, average monthly orders, and average units per order, per channel.
• Product profile. Dimensions and weights of your best-selling and your largest products, and anything fragile, such as glass bottles that must ship boxed.
• Packaging expectations. Who supplies packaging, which orders use a mailer versus a box, and any inserts.
• Barcodes. Whether units carry scannable barcodes or marketplace labels; scan-based receiving depends on it.
• Storage footprint. Pallets received and stored per month, and how much safety stock you keep.

The fee schedule to request

Ask for every line below in writing. The point is not to negotiate each one to zero; it is to see the whole cost structure so the comparison across providers is honest. Typical market ranges for the big lines are covered in the 3PL vetting guide.

• Receiving, per pallet or per shipment
• Storage, per pallet or bin per month, with any long-term storage step-up
• Pick and pack, per order and per additional unit
• Packaging materials, and whether your supplied packaging changes the rate
• Marketplace prep (labeling, carton forwarding) per unit or per carton
• Returns processing, per unit, including inspection
• Disposal of expired or damaged inventory, with a disposal record
• Account support or platform fees, monthly
• Monthly minimums, and what happens in a slow month
• Rush-order and special-project labor rates
• Kitting and bundling project rates
• Shipping: pass-through at cost or marked up, and whose carrier account
• Onboarding or integration fees

Also ask about insurance on both sides: the provider's general liability coverage, and how your inventory is valued and covered while it sits in their warehouse. Then model one typical month of your real orders through each candidate's schedule. The landed monthly figure, not the headline rate, is the number you compare.

Systems and integrations to confirm

• Warehouse management system. Real-time inventory accuracy, a dashboard you can log into, receiving and order tracking, and returns and disposal records.
• Expiration and lot tracking. The supplement essentials: expiration dates tracked at the inventory level, first-expired-first-outFEFO (First Expired, First Out)An inventory rotation method where products with the earliest expiration dates ship first. rotation, and lot traceabilityLot TraceabilityThe ability to trace an ingredient from raw material source through every processing step to the finished product batch. from receipt to shipped order.
• Channel integrations. Native connections to your storefront and marketplaces, and how inventory levels sync back.
• Cycle counting. How often they count, and whether counts or holidays create blackout periods when orders pause.
• Support model. A named account contact, expected response times, and the escalation path when a shipment goes wrong.

Minimum requirements and red flags

Decide your dealbreakers before quotes arrive, and put the reference checks on your own calendar. A few signals that matter in practice:

• References you actually call. Ask for several references, ideally brands with expiration-dated products, and call them.
• Supplement experience. A provider that has never handled expiration-dated inventory will learn on your stock.
• A trial shipment. Where possible, run a small trial before moving your full inventory.
• Unbundled services. Can you buy marketplace prep alone, or fulfillment alone, if your needs change?
• Red flags: a bundled lump-sum quote with no line items, no dashboard access, no expiration tracking, vague insurance answers, and no marketplace prep when marketplace sales matter to you.

Fulfillment sits between your manufacturer and your consumer, so time this sourcing round with the rest of the chain. The inventory management guide covers what happens after the 3PL is live, and the freight forwarder guide covers the pallets that move in between.

Frequently Asked Questions

Concepts Covered