Pick and Pack Services for Cross-Border Sellers

“Pick and pack” is the core warehouse workflow that turns an order into a ready-to-ship parcel—items are located, scanned, verified, protected, labeled, and manifested. Nail this, and you win on speed, accuracy, and cost per order; miss it, and you pay through reships, bad reviews, and bloated postage. This guide shows how pick and pack really works, what it costs, which KPIs matter, and how to make it cross-border ready.

 

Forest Shipping is a China-based international freight forwarder (est. 2010) focused on cross-border e-commerce. We move goods from China to destination countries (US/UK/EU/CA and more) and support marketplace-ready workflows such as FBA prep, labeling, and 3PL warehousing. We are also a verified member of WCA eCommerce (ID: 87503), giving clients a dependable partner network across regions. 

 

1.What Pick & Pack Covers—And Why It Matters

Scope. Receiving/put-away → slotting → picking → verification → packing → labeling/manifesting → carrier handoff. “Pick & pack” is a subset of end-to-end fulfillment (which also includes storage, freight admin, and returns).

When it’s time to formalize: order volume grows, marketplaces add prep rules, return rate climbs, or international expansion demands compliant documentation and labels.

Marketplace must-knows. If Amazon FBA is a channel, follow the official packaging & prep rules for poly-bag warnings, bubble-wrap, boxed units, and sets—codify these rules in your SOPs and WMS. 

 

2.A 10-Point Quick-Start (Use Before Any 3PL RFP)

1. Clean your SKU master; every sellable unit has a unique scannable barcode.

2. Decide kit policy (pre-kitted vs on-demand).

3. Choose a picking method (single, batch, zone, wave) that matches your order mix.

4. Define cut-off times per carrier.

5. Set accuracy goals and exception TAT (see KPIs below).

6. Capture pack rules per SKU (fragile, inserts, suffocation label, over-boxing).

7. Turn on cartonization in your WMS to cut DIM weight.

8. Map integrations (Shopify, Amazon, eBay, Walmart, WooCommerce).

9. Run a 100-order pilot; measure time-to-label, damage rate, exceptions.

10. Pre-build a returns flow (RMA, grading, restock rules).

 

3.How It Works on the Floor (Step-by-Step)

• Receiving & put-away. Use ASN, hit a dock-to-stock target, and capture lot/expiry if needed.
• Slotting. Place A-velocity SKUs in golden zones to reduce travel.
• Picking.

 

Single-order: simple workflows, lower volume.

Batch: efficient for shared SKUs across many orders.

Zone: pickers specialize by area; orders consolidate downstream.

Wave: time-boxed releases that line up to carrier cut-offs.

• Verification. Scan to confirm SKU and qty; use count-backs for high-risk items.
• Packing. Right-size into mailers/cartons; add inserts and protection; seal for abuse in linehaul.
• Labeling & handoff. Print labels, pouch documents, and manifest for pickups.

 

Pro tip: Kits/bundles change throughput and fees—document whether kits are pre-built as a single SKU or assembled during pick & pack.

 

4.Tech You Actually Need

• WMS/OMS. Drives locations, pick paths, scan gates, cartonization, and exception capture.
• Data capture. Barcode scanning is table stakes; RFID is a niche fit for high velocity/regulated lines.
• Integrations. API/connectors to carts and marketplaces for order import/status write-back.
• Multi-carrier logic. Map services to promises and rate-shop to protect margins.

 

5.Value-Added Services That Change Unit Economics

• Kitting/light assembly (gift sets, subscription drops).
• FBA/Walmart prep (FNSKU labels, polybags, suffocation warnings, carton limits).
• Relabeling/reboxing and corrective packing.
• Branding touches (notes, inserts).
• Reverse logistics (RMA creation, A/B/C grading, refurbishment).

Where Forest Shipping fits: beyond freight, we provide FBA prep & labeling and 3PL warehousing, so China-origin goods can be inspected, labeled, or consolidated before export—or processed at destination with marketplace-compliant standards. 

 

6.Cost—What You’ll Actually Pay

Common components

• Receiving: per pallet/carton/ASN.
• Storage: per bin/shelf/pallet.
• Pick & pack: base per order (often covers 1st item) + per extra pick.
• Materials: mailer/carton, dunnage, inserts.
• Parcel postage: driven by billable weight (actual vs DIM).
• Account management/projects: exceptions, rework, or special handling.

Industry guides show combined pick-and-pack fees commonly in the low single-digit dollars per order (country, complexity, and volume change the range). Expect per-item add-ons for additional picks and VAS.

 

Sample order cost breakdown:

Line	Item	Rate	Qty	Subtotal
1	Base pick & pack (includes 1st item)	$2.75	1	$2.75
2	Additional picks	$0.40	2	$0.80
3	Branded insert	$0.25	1	$0.25
4	Packaging upgrade (mailer → carton)	$0.30	1	$0.30
	Fulfillment subtotal			$4.10
5	Parcel postage (by billable/DIM weight)	—	—	+ (varies)

DIM changes to watch. Carriers compute dimensional weight and bill the greater of actual vs DIM. In 2025, FedEx and UPS announced rounding all fractional inches up for DIM calculations effective Aug 18, 2025—a subtle change that can raise billable weight for borderline cartons. Optimize cartonization and right-sizing now. 

 

7.KPIs, Benchmarks, and SLAs

Track: order accuracy, pick accuracy, on-time ship rate, dock-to-stock, inventory accuracy, damage rate, and return-related defects. A practical standard is ≈98%+ for order/picking accuracy, with best-in-class pushing closer to 99%+. Set cut-offs (e.g., 2–5 p.m. local), define same-day ship % targets, and require fast exception handling. 

Suggested SLA targets

• Order accuracy ≥ 98.5%
• Same-day ship (before cut-off) ≥ 98%
• Dock-to-stock ≤ 48 hours
• Inventory variance ≤ 0.2% (cycle counts)
• Exception TAT ≤ 2 business hours

Tie chronic misses to credits and a CAPA loop.

 

8.Packaging & Sustainability

• Right-size everything. Use cartonization rules so the WMS suggests the smallest viable mailer/carton—this is your #1 lever against DIM.
• Eco doesn’t mean flimsy. Recycled/recyclable mailers and FSC cartons are fine—validate with drop tests for fragile SKUs.
• Brand vs. cost. Stickers or inserts de-risk low volumes; printed cartons make sense after demand stabilizes.

 

9.Cross-Border: Docs, Duties, and Returns (China → US/UK/EU/CA)

• Commercial invoice accuracy drives clearance: HS code, description, value, and COO must match the goods.
• DDP vs DAP. Decide if you’ll prepay duties/taxes (DDP) for a “landed price” checkout, or bill the receiver (DAP).
• EU IOSS. For B2C parcels ≤ €150, the EU’s Import One-Stop Shop (IOSS) lets you collect VAT at checkout and file a single return across member states; note that the old €22 VAT de-minimis was removed. 
• UK VAT/IOSS guidance. Review HMRC guidance if shipping to GB; rules differ by channel, basket value, and who’s the deemed supplier. 
• Labels & restrictions. Batteries, cosmetics, liquids may require special markings and paperwork; align pack rules with carrier guidance. 

Where Forest Shipping helps: we connect China origin production/consolidation to destination markets via sea/air/express and 3PL warehousing, with marketplace-compliant FBA prep/labeling. Our WCA eCommerce membership extends partner coverage for returns, regional warehousing, and last-mile coordination. 

 

10.Choosing a Provider

Capabilities to verify

• Locations near ports/air hubs or your customer clusters.
• Vertical fit (apparel, electronics, cosmetics, supplements).
• WMS maturity (scan logic, cartonization, exception analytics).
• Marketplace compliance (Amazon/Walmart prep). 
• Peak labor model, weekend ops, cut-off windows.
• Security/insurance: camera coverage, high-value cages, shrink controls.

How to run the RFP

• Share a 12-month data pack (orders/day, lines/order, units/line, SKU count/velocity, returns rate, seasonality, VAS).
• Shortlist 3–4 providers, visit sites, and test integrations.
• Run a 30-day pilot with pass/fail KPIs (accuracy, OTS, damage, customer complaints).

Pro tip: Ask to see live exception dashboards during the tour—if they can't surface misses in real time, they can’t control them.

 

11.Implementation in 30–45 Days

Design (Week 1–2): SKU master, barcodes, pack rules, cartonization tables, SOP/WI drafting.

Integrations & training (Week 3): end-to-end test orders; dry-run exceptions.

Parallel run → go-live (Week 4–5): limited live volume, validate KPIs, then full cutover with daily stand-ups.

 

12.Risk & Quality Control

• Error prevention: scan-to-pick, pick-to-light on problem SKUs, count-backs.
• Inventory control: ABC-based cycle counts; variance thresholds; root-cause reconciliation.
• Business continuity: surge playbooks, secondary sites, backup carriers.

 

13.Buyer's Toolkit

RFQ checklist

• 12-mo orders, lines/order, units/line, SKU count/velocity, returns rate.
• VAS (kitting, relabeling, prep), special handling (hazmat/temperature).
• SLA targets (accuracy, OTS, dock-to-stock, exception TAT).
• Channels (DTC site, Amazon/Walmart/eBay) and integrations.

SLA bullets

• ≥98.5% order accuracy; ≥98% same-day ship before cut-off; dock-to-stock ≤48h; variance ≤0.2%; exception TAT ≤2h. 

Onboarding checklist

• SKU master + barcodes, pack rules, cartonization table, label formats, ASN template, return addresses, exception taxonomy.

 

The 5 Most-Asked Questions 

1) What's the difference between “pick & pack” and “fulfillment”?
Pick & pack is the physical process of pulling, verifying, and packing items for shipment. Fulfillment is broader—it also covers receiving, storage, shipping admin, and often returns. Many 3PLs bundle everything; some shippers outsource only pick/pack and parcel. (Tie your contract scope to SLAs so you know which metrics each party owns.)

2) How much do pick & pack services cost?
Most providers charge a base per-order fee (covers the first item) plus per-item pick fees for additional lines, with add-ons for special materials or inserts. Public 3PL guides commonly show combined pick-and-pack fees in the low single-digit dollars per order; complexity, country, and volume tiers move the needle. Ask for a full rate card and run your order mix through a worked example.

3) Which picking method is “best”—single, batch, zone, or wave?
It depends on your order profile and facility layout. Single-order fits low volume/complex orders; batch shines with overlapping SKUs; zone reduces travel in large sites; wave releases work to meet cut-offs. Most mature operations mix methods throughout the day to hit SLAs.

4) What KPIs should I hold my provider to?
Start with order accuracy, pick accuracy, on-time ship, dock-to-stock, inventory accuracy, and damage rate. Pragmatically, shoot for ≈98%+ accuracy and lock same-day ship expectations to a published cut-off. Put credits on chronic misses and require CAPA on defect clusters. 

5) Can pick & pack include Amazon/Walmart prep and cross-border paperwork?
Yes. Many 3PLs handle FBA/Walmart prep (FNSKU labels, poly-bags with warnings, bubble-wrap, over-boxing, sets) and can generate commercial invoices/packing lists. For EU-bound B2C parcels ≤ €150, consider IOSS so VAT is collected at checkout and filed in one return; align labels to carrier packaging/DIM guidance. Forest Shipping can connect China origin consolidation with compliant prep/labeling and DDP/DAP options to the US/UK/EU/CA. 

 

Why Forest Shipping for Cross-Border Pick & Pack + Freight

Founded in 2010, Forest Shipping focuses on cross-border e-commerce, from FBA freight shipping, parcel, trucking, and warehousing to labeling and inspection. Our WCA eCommerce membership (ID 87503) gives you a vetted partner network for regional warehousing, returns, and last mile coordination—especially useful when your inventory is made or consolidated in China. 

 

Share your 12-month order profile and target SLAs. We’ll build a pilot plan and a costed proposal.