In Germany, outsourcing fulfillment usually pays off from 10 to 20 parcels per day. Above that threshold the variable costs of a fulfillment provider (3PL) are lower than rent, staff, packaging and a carrier contract of your own, and your time goes back into product and sales. For sellers abroad, the comparison is with shipping each order across the border.
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Every growing online seller eventually asks the same question: keep packing in-house or hand over to a 3PL? The answer is a calculation, supplemented by a few signs that often show up before the numbers do. This guide provides the scheme, the typical German thresholds for 2026 (all euro figures are German market values) and the cases in which in-house remains the better choice.
The starting point: what in-house logistics really costs
In-house logistics does not cost "only" cartons and postage. It has the same cost blocks as a provider, spread across rent, salaries and your own time instead of one invoice:
- Space: storage room, packing station, shelving.
- Staff: a packer including on-costs and cover; for founders, their own hours at a realistic rate.
- Material: cartons, padding, tape and labels cost 20–40 % more in small quantities than a provider pays.
- Postage: individual carrier contracts at small volumes are mostly €1–2 above the rates a 3PL obtains through its total volume.
- Systems: shipping software and stock management, or the errors that arise without them.
- Returns: each return takes 10–20 minutes for receipt, inspection and restocking.
The comparison: in-house vs. 3PL
Example: a D2C brand with 30 parcels per day (around 650 a month), 1.5 lines per order, 150 SKUs on about 10 pallets and an 8 % return rate. The 3PL values are typical German market prices for 2026; the in-house values describe a small operation in rented premises.
| Cost block (monthly) | In-house | Fulfillment provider |
|---|---|---|
| Space (approx. 60 m² storage + packing station) | €600 | included in storage price |
| Storage fees (10 pallets at €15) | – | €150 |
| Staff (0.75 packer position incl. on-costs) | €2,400 | – |
| Pick and pack (650 × approx. €2.20) | – | €1,430 |
| Packaging material (650 × €0.90 vs. €0.60) | €585 | €390 |
| Postage (650 × €5.80 vs. €4.60) | €3,770 | €2,990 |
| Returns (52 × 15 min vs. 52 × €2.50) | €260 (13 hrs) | €130 |
| Software, insurance, shelving (allocated) | €250 | base fee €200 |
| Goods receipt (4 pallets at €10) | own time | €40 |
| Total | €7,865 | €5,330 |
| Cost per parcel | €12.10 | €8.20 |
In this example the provider saves around €2,500 a month. More important is the scheme: insert your own rent, hourly rate and actual postage rates. The provider's price components are explained under fulfillment costs.
Include your own working time at a realistic hourly rate. A founder who packs for two hours every day works 40 hours a month below their value.
The thresholds: when does the calculation tip?
- Under 10 parcels per day: in-house is mostly cheaper, because a provider's fixed elements are spread across too few parcels.
- 10 to 20 parcels per day: the grey zone. With high-value goods, many returns or a strong Q4 peak, the calculation tips towards a 3PL earlier.
- Over 20 parcels per day: outsourcing is almost always cheaper and, above all, scalable.
If you are selling into Germany from abroad
For sellers outside the EU the alternative to a German provider is a cross-border parcel for every order: international postage, customs handling, longer transit and returns that travel back across the border. Local stock replaces that with one bulk import and domestic parcels, so the threshold can be reached at lower volumes than the German rule of thumb suggests. The building blocks are listed under cross-border fulfillment.
Seven signs that it is time to outsource
- Orders received by 2 pm no longer leave the same day: the cut-off time slips.
- Mis-shipments pile up: without scan-based picking, the error rate of manual processes typically stays at 1–3 %.
- Stock and shop do not match: overselling because stock lives in a spreadsheet.
- Returns pile up uninspected and tie up capital.
- Peak becomes a problem: Q4 or a campaign triples the parcels.
- New channels fail because of logistics: nobody can run the processes for Amazon, eBay or B2B.
- The founders pack themselves while product and marketing wait.
If three or more points apply, the calculation has usually tipped already.
Products that are individually made, engraved or configured before dispatch; goods produced fresh every day; ranges with fewer than five parcels a day and no growth prospects.
How LogYou handles it
LogYou takes on e-commerce fulfillment from around 10 parcels per day with no minimum contract term, which keeps the risk low in the grey zone; the Start plan from €99 per month is designed for this size (see pricing). The LogShip platform connects shop and marketplaces natively and shows stock and shipments live; returns are available again within 48 hours.
Conclusion
Outsourcing pays off as soon as the fully calculated cost of in-house logistics exceeds a provider's price per parcel. In Germany that is typically the case from 10 to 20 parcels per day, and earlier with high-value goods, many returns or strong seasonality. Run the scheme with your own numbers and take the seven signs seriously. Next come a structured choice of fulfillment provider, a clear service level agreement and a well-planned onboarding.
Frequently asked questions about When to outsource fulfillment
From how many parcels per day is a fulfillment provider worthwhile?
What does in-house logistics really cost?
How long does the move from in-house logistics to a provider take?
Questions about When to outsource fulfillment for your shop?
We have been shipping parcels for e-commerce brands every day since 2014. Tell us your parcels per day and shop system — we reply with a concrete assessment.