Budgeting for support and fulfilment after launch: rates

Build the post-launch budget from forecast orders, item counts, storage, paid packing and support hours, and a separate allowance for returns and delivery exceptions. Price variable lines as forecast quantity × unit cost, then add fixed commitments.

Keep customer shipping charges separate from delivery expenses, and count payment-processing charges once in the wider margin model. Label estimates and state whether figures include or exclude GST.

Map the work and its costs

Map each order from confirmation through picking, packing, dispatch and tracking to delivery or product help. Give each step an owner and backup, and identify what your team handles and what a partner provides.

Ask fulfilment partners for an itemised quote based on order volume, product mix and storage needs. Common charges include pick-and-pack per order or item; storage by pallet, shelf, bin or cubic space; receiving by carton, pallet or labour time; returns processing per return; packaging; and shipping.

TLC Enterprise’s 10 January 2026 pricing lists A$1.50–A$3 per order plus A$0.30–A$0.50 per item.

For a one-item order, TLC Enterprise’s rates work out to A$1.80–A$3.50 before other charges.

Storage is another recurring cost: TLC Enterprise lists A$2.50–A$10 per pallet per week. Ask whether a quote bills by pallet, shelf, bin or cubic space, then multiply the units stored by the billing periods.

Pik Pak Logistics’ 25 January 2026 pricing guide lists onboarding fees of A$250–A$1,500 and receiving fees of A$40–A$60 per pallet or A$5–A$10 per carton. For one pallet, onboarding plus receiving totals A$290–A$1,560, before pick-and-pack, storage, packaging, shipping or other charges.

Pik Pak’s guide gives an all-in calculation of A$2,025 ÷ 500 orders = A$4.05 per order. Use your total fulfilment costs and order count for the same calculation, including fixed or recurring charges allocated across those orders.

Request delivery quotes from Australia Post or other delivery services for your parcel sizes, weights and destinations. Compare timing, parcel suitability, terms and compensation for lost or damaged parcels; rates depend on carrier, location, parcel size and weight.

Keep customer shipping charges separate from delivery expenses. A customer charge example is A$10 on orders of A$99 or less, with free shipping above A$99; that charge is not a parcel rate.

Enter payment-processing charges from the processor’s terms as a separate cost line. Use the charge in the terms you actually use.

Fulfilment Partner Pricing Comparison: TLC Enterprise vs Pik Pak Logistics

Estimate hours and peak capacity

Calculate packing hours as forecast orders × packing minutes per order ÷ 60. Calculate support hours separately as orders × contacts per order × minutes per contact ÷ 60, then allow for exceptions, supervision and breaks.

For the illustrative assumption set, 150 orders at four minutes each need 10 hours of packing. At 0.4 contacts per order and eight minutes per contact, support adds eight hours, for 18 productive hours before difficult cases, rework, breaks or a concentrated launch-day rush.

From the first full pay period starting on or after 1 July 2026, the national minimum wage is A$26.44 per hour. Use it as an illustrative base-wage benchmark only: award minimums may be higher, so confirm the applicable rate with the Fair Work Ombudsman’s Pay and Conditions Tool.

At A$26.44 per hour, the example’s 10 packing hours cost A$264.40 in base wages and its eight support hours cost A$211.52, totalling A$475.92. This is not an all-in labour cost: applicable casual loading, superannuation, penalties and allowances may add to it.

MyGig’s labour-cost breakdown gives a common 25% casual loading under Modern Awards and 12% superannuation on ordinary time earnings. Apply the loadings and on-costs relevant to your workers and roster.

For the 150 one-item orders, TLC Enterprise’s pick-and-pack range comes to A$270–A$525. Adding the A$475.92 base-wage benchmark gives a known-cost subtotal of A$745.92–A$1,000.92, or A$4.97–A$6.67 per order, before delivery, storage, receiving, packaging, returns and applicable labour on-costs.

Compare low and high order and contact assumptions against available staff hours. Check the busiest day against the dispatch promise, not only the launch-week total. If capacity falls short, limit opening orders, extend the stated dispatch window or add confirmed capacity.

Post-Launch Cost Benchmarks (150 Orders, One Item Each)

Budget for problems and remedies

Budget separately for lost or damaged parcels, replacements, return handling and refunds, using actual records and relevant quotes. A refund reverses revenue; return freight and an unsaleable unit can add costs, so keep those effects distinct.

Returns processing is commonly charged per return handled. Multiply the expected number of returned items by your quoted rate, then add any quoted return freight, staff time and other remedy costs separately.

Ask a fulfilment partner how it charges for returns processing, which may be priced per return. Allow staff time to assess remedy requests and coordinate an appropriate response.

The ACCC educates businesses about consumer-law rights and responsibilities. It does not resolve individual disputes or give legal advice about repair, replacement or refund rights.

Make delivery charges, expected timing and a contact route clear to buyers. When a known delay affects paid orders, update those customers directly and allocate staff time for that work.

Set an operating limit

Keep a weekly budget covering forecast orders, variable fulfilment costs, scheduled support hours, partner minimums and an exception allowance. Use the low case to test fixed commitments and the high case to test whether staff and partners can deliver the promised service.

Carry expected payments into your cash-flow forecast and label estimates clearly. State whether figures include or exclude GST, then update the budget after launch with actual handling time, enquiry reasons, dispatch times and remedy costs.

Check capacity before setting the dispatch promise. Use the supported timing on the product page and in sales content.