Order processing is the catch-all category for any per-order variable cost that is not shipping or payment processing. This includes 3PL handling fees, shipping insurance, transaction fees from subscription apps, and custom charges unique to your business.
What belongs here
Cost type | Example |
3PL handling | Pick and pack fee that is charged per order (not per unit). |
Shipping insurance | Route, Corso, or similar protection fees charged per order. |
Subscription app fees | Transaction fee on every Recharge / Loop / Stay AI order. |
Return labels | Prepaid return label cost baked into every outbound order. |
Custom packaging materials | Dunnage, void fill, or other per-order consumables. |
Other per-order fees | Any variable cost that hits on every order and is not captured elsewhere. |
Creating an order processing cost
Go to Costs Setup → Order processing.
Click Add cost.
Enter a clear name (e.g. "3PL pick-pack", "Route insurance").
Choose the calculation type:
Fixed per order — a flat amount.
Percentage of net revenue — scales with order value.
Fixed per order item — scales with units in the order.
Percentage per order item — scales with both units and price.
Set the amount and the effective date.
Optionally add targeting conditions to apply this cost only to specific orders (see Targeting costs with conditions).
Fixed per order item vs per order
If your 3PL charges $0.50 per item picked, use fixed per order item. A three-item order will incur $1.50.
If the same 3PL charges $1.00 per order regardless of size, use fixed per order. A three-item order will incur $1.00.
Stacking multiple costs
You can add as many order processing costs as you need. Each one is calculated independently and added up to produce the total Order Processing line in the P&L waterfall. Shipping and Payments are also part of this total even though they are configured on separate pages.
Time-windowed entries
Each order processing cost can have an effective from and effective to date. Use this when:
Your 3PL rates change after renegotiation.
An insurance partner is replaced mid-year.
You run a temporary promotion where the cost applies only during a specific window.