3PL vs. In-House Fulfilment: Which Is Right for Your Australian eCommerce Brand?

It's one of the most common questions growing eCommerce brands face: keep fulfilment in-house, or hand it to a 3PL?

The case for in-house

Full control over packaging and presentation. No minimum volume requirements. Works well at low order volumes with a small SKU count. Direct visibility over every order going out.

The hidden costs of in-house

Lease or storage costs. Staff wages, super, and leave cover. Carrier account negotiations. Packing materials procurement. The time and mental load of managing it all — time that could go toward marketing, product, or customer experience.

The case for 3PL

Fixed, predictable costs. No warehouse lease. Access to carrier rates you can't negotiate at lower volumes. A team dedicated to accuracy and speed. Scalability during peak periods without emergency hiring. Freedom to focus on what only you can do.

The real question

What is an hour of your time worth? If you're a founder spending 3 hours a day on packing, that's 3 hours not spent acquiring customers or building product.

Our honest take

For brands under 50 orders a month, in-house often makes sense. For brands doing 50–200+ orders a month, the maths almost always favour a 3PL. Flow 3PL is accessible for growing brands — no lock-in contracts and transparent pricing from day one.