For a typical small brand, fulfillment through Marcana costs a monthly plan of $89 to $349, plus $1.95 per order for pick, pack and a standard mailer, plus carrier shipping. Everything else is a published per-unit or per-box rate you only pay when it happens: prep from $0.70 to $1.25 per unit, $5 per inbound box beyond your plan, $35 per extra pallet per month, $4 per return. A 300-order brand with one item per order lands around $760 a month before postage.
The seven lines on a fulfillment invoice
| Line | What it covers | Marcana's published rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Monthly plan | Your Miami address and suite, the receiving allowance, 30 days of storage per received box, the platform (Marcana Flow, and ShipHero on Growth and Scale) | Essential $89 (10 boxes), Growth $179 (30 boxes, 1 pallet), Scale $349 (75 boxes, 3 pallets) |
| 2. Receiving | Counting, photographing and putting away inbound boxes or pallets | Included up to the plan allowance; $5 per extra box; $25 per pallet received |
| 3. Storage | Space beyond the included days and pallets | $35 per pallet per month |
| 4. Pick and pack | Picking the order, packing it in a standard mailer, handing it to the carrier | $1.95 per order up to 2 lb and 2 items; $0.35 per additional item; $0.50 per order over 2 lb; $0.15 per marketing insert |
| 5. Prep and labeling | FNSKU labels, poly-bag, bubble wrap for Amazon or Walmart inbound | Standard prep $1.25 to $0.70 per unit by volume; FNSKU label only $0.55 to $0.35; fragile prep $1.75 to $1.20 |
| 6. Special work | Kitting, bundles, inventory verification, B2B cartons, returns | Kitting $0.50 to $1 per unit, quoted; verification from $4 per box; B2B carton $3.50; returns from $4 per return |
| 7. Carrier shipping | The postage on every outbound parcel, billed at carrier rates per shipment | Separate from all of the above, plus carrier shipping rates |
The plans include a Miami address with your own suite after approval, receiving with photos, and logistics guidance from the day you pay. No plan includes prep units; they are billed as they happen.
Three brands, priced
A. Shopify skincare brand, 300 orders a month
1.2 items per order on average, mailer-size, 25 boxes received a month, one pallet on hand.
| Growth plan | $179 |
|---|---|
| 300 orders × $1.95 | $585 |
| 60 additional items × $0.35 | $21 |
| Receiving and storage | Included (30 boxes, 1 pallet) |
| Before carrier shipping | $785 a month, about $2.62 per order |
B. Amazon seller, prep only, 2,000 units a quarter
Two pallets received per quarter, FNSKU label plus poly-bag, forwarded to FBA. No DTC orders.
| Essential plan × 3 months | $89 × 3 = $267 |
|---|---|
| 2 pallets received × $25 | $50 |
| 2,000 units standard prep at the 2,000 to 5,000 tier, $0.85 | $1,700 |
| Storage while prepping, 1 extra pallet for 1 month | $35 |
| Per quarter, before freight to Amazon | $2,052, about $1.03 per unit all-in |
C. Multi-channel brand, 1,200 orders a month
Shopify, TikTok Shop and Amazon FBM. 1.5 items per order, 10% of orders over 2 lb, 70 boxes and 4 pallets received, 4 pallets stored.
| Scale plan | $349 |
|---|---|
| 1,200 orders × $1.95 | $2,340 |
| 600 additional items × $0.35 | $210 |
| 120 heavy orders × $0.50 | $60 |
| 4 pallets received × $25 | $100 |
| 1 extra pallet stored × $35 | $35 |
| Before carrier shipping | $3,094 a month, about $2.58 per order |
Notice the per-order number barely moves between 300 and 1,200 orders. That is the point of published flat rates: your cost per order is predictable, and the plan is the only fixed part.
The line that dominates: carrier shipping
For a 1 lb parcel going across the country, postage is usually several times the pick-and-pack fee. Two things move it: the weight and dimensions of your packed box, and where your customers are. Miami ships the Southeast fast and cheap; the West Coast is farther. Shipping from one location is right for most brands under a few thousand orders a month; splitting inventory only starts paying when volume and geography justify the second stock.
Whatever 3PL you use, ask how postage is billed. Marcana bills carrier shipping rates per shipment on the invoice, as a separate line from fulfillment work.
Fees that hide in other quotes
- Receiving by the hour. "$45 per hour, minimum one hour" turns a 5-box delivery into a $45 line. Look for per-box or per-pallet receiving.
- Storage minimums and cubic-foot math. Per-cubic-foot storage is nearly impossible to forecast. Per-pallet storage is not.
- Account, software and integration fees. A monthly "technology fee" or per-order software surcharge on top of pick and pack.
- Packaging markups. A standard mailer should be included in the pick-and-pack price. Boxes and custom packaging are extra everywhere; ask for the price list.
- Minimum monthly spend. Common with larger 3PLs and rarely mentioned until the contract.
Questions founders ask
Marcana charges $1.95 per order for pick, pack and a standard mailer, up to 2 lb and 2 items, then $0.35 per additional item. Quotes in the market run from about $2 to $4 per order plus per-item fees; the difference is usually what is included.
No, and it is not included in any 3PL's price. Carrier postage is billed per shipment on top of fulfillment fees. Ask how it is billed and whether there is a handling markup on top of the carrier's rate.
Marcana includes 30 days of storage per received box on every plan, plus 1 pallet on Growth and 3 on Scale. Beyond that it is $35 per pallet per month, flat.
Standard prep (FNSKU label plus poly-bag) is $1.25 per unit under 500 units, stepping down to $0.70 above 5,000. FNSKU label only is $0.55 to $0.35. Fragile prep with bubble wrap is $1.75 to $1.20.
Marcana has no setup fee, no order minimum and no minimum monthly spend beyond the plan. Prepaying 3 months saves 5% and 6 months saves 10%.
Containers, floor-loaded freight, oversized units and regulated products such as aerosols, alcohol, perfume and lithium batteries are quoted in writing after a quick review, not priced from the card.