Project: Piqki — Premium DTC Press-On Nail Brand | Launch: May 2026 | Date: February 2026
For Piqki's profile — small lightweight press-on nail sets (2–3 oz), launching at 1,000–2,000 orders/month with Shopify — Shiphype is the recommended option at launch, because it is the only provider with a confirmed quote in hand. Shiphype's $1.60/order pick-and-pack rate (at 2K/mo volume) is the only apples-to-apples number we can rely on. All competitor figures in this document — ShipBob, ShipMonk, and ShipNetwork — are third-party estimates sourced from review sites, pricing calculators, and public documentation. None have provided Piqki-specific quotes.
| Provider | Pick-and-Pack (2K) | Pick-and-Pack (5K) | Pick-and-Pack (10K) | Storage | Receiving | Shopify | Min. Commitment | Source Type | Notable Pros | Notable Cons |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shiphype | $1.60/order | $1.45/order | $1.20/order | Not specified | Not specified | Yes | 1,000 orders/mo | Confirmed vendor quote | Lowest confirmed cost at launch volume; cosmetics/beauty specialty | Limited public pricing transparency |
| ShipBob | ~$2.50–3.50/order | ~$2.00–2.50/order | ~$1.50–2.00/order | $5/bin, $10/shelf, $40/pallet/mo | $25-45/hr | Yes (free) | 400 orders/mo + $275/mo min | Third-party estimate (n=2) | Global network (60+ locations), strong tech, 99.95% accuracy | $275/mo minimum; 15-30% shipping markup; $975+ setup |
| ShipMonk | ~$2.00–2.50/order | ~$1.75–2.00/order | ~$1.50/order | ~$1/SKU/mo | Not specified | Yes (100+) | None stated | Third-party estimate (n=2) | No minimums; 200+ country shipping; transparent tiered model | Pick-and-pack higher than Shiphype at launch; no public rates |
| ShipNetwork | ~$0.50/components | ~$0.50/components | ~$0.50/components | Not specified | $0.80/shipment | Yes | None stated | Vendor calculator / custom quote required | KNCT algorithm optimizes shipping; distributed fulfillment | Component pricing confusing; requires quote for accurate total |
All figures are estimates based on third-party research and provider documentation. ShipBob and ShipMonk do not publish public pricing — quotes are required for exact rates. Shiphype pricing is a confirmed quote from the provider.
| Provider | Pick/Pack | Storage (allocated) | Receiving (amortized) | Shipping (est.) | Total/Order |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shiphype | $1.60 | ~$0.10 | ~$0.10 | ~$4.00 | ~$5.80 |
| ShipBob | ~$2.00 | ~$0.50 | ~$0.20 | ~$5.50 (15% markup) | ~$8.20 |
| ShipMonk | ~$2.00 | ~$0.10 | ~$0.10 | ~$4.50 | ~$6.70 |
| ShipNetwork | ~$0.50 | ~$0.10 | ~$0.10 | ~$4.00 | ~$4.70 |
Confidence: Shiphype — High (confirmed vendor quote). ShipBob — Medium (third-party estimate, actual quote required). ShipMonk — Medium (third-party estimate, actual quote required). ShipNetwork — Low (vendor calculator inputs, custom quote required for real totals).
| Provider | Pick/Pack | Storage (allocated) | Receiving (amortized) | Shipping (est.) | Total/Order |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shiphype | $1.45 | ~$0.05 | ~$0.05 | ~$4.00 | ~$5.55 |
| ShipBob | ~$1.50 | ~$0.30 | ~$0.10 | ~$5.00 (15% markup) | ~$6.90 |
| ShipMonk | ~$1.75 | ~$0.05 | ~$0.05 | ~$4.50 | ~$6.35 |
| ShipNetwork | ~$0.50 | ~$0.05 | ~$0.05 | ~$4.00 | ~$4.60 |
Shipping estimates assume USPS First Class for a 2–3 oz padded mailer. Actual shipping will vary by zone and carrier. ShipBob's 15–30% shipping markup is included in estimates.
Confidence: Shiphype — High (confirmed vendor quote). ShipBob — Medium (third-party estimate, actual quote required). ShipMonk — Medium (third-party estimate, actual quote required). ShipNetwork — Low (vendor calculator inputs, custom quote required for real totals).
Shiphype has provided a confirmed quote that makes them the cost leader at Piqki's launch volume. Their tiered pricing — $1.60/order at 2K monthly volume, declining to $1.45 at 5K and $1.20 at 10K — directly addresses Piqki's growth trajectory. They specifically serve DTC cosmetics and beauty brands, which is a relevant vertical match for press-on nails. Their beauty fulfillment page notes lot/expiry discipline, product-type-specific packing rules, and returns quarantine protocols — all relevant for a beauty-adjacent product. The limitation is that detailed component pricing (storage per cubic foot, receiving fees) isn't publicly available, making it harder to model exact costs without a full quote. However, their all-in rate at 2K orders ($1.60) is significantly below what competitors quote at similar volumes.
Source: provider quote + shiphype.com beauty 3PL page — confirmed vendor quote, confidence: High
(n=1 source: shiphype.com — direct vendor quote)
ShipBob is the 800-pound gorilla of DTC fulfillment — 60+ US locations plus international presence in Canada, UK, EU, and Australia. Their technology is genuinely strong: free WMS, real-time inventory tracking across all locations, and solid Shopify integration. Their 99.95% order accuracy and same-day shipping (orders before noon) are competitive differentiators. However, their pricing model is punitive at low volumes. The $275/month minimum (does not cover storage, receiving, or shipping — only pick-and-pack) means a brand doing 1,000 orders pays at least $275/month regardless of actual pick fees. The 400-order minimum and 90-day grace period create commitment thresholds. At 2,000 orders, a brand is just above their threshold but still paying for infrastructure they don't fully utilize. Their 15–30% shipping markup over carrier rates is a hidden cost that widens the gap between quoted and actual costs. The $975 onboarding fee (complex accounts run higher) is an upfront barrier. ShipBob makes sense at 5,000+ orders/month when the multi-warehouse network delivers real zone-shipping savings — below that, you're paying for capacity you don't need.
Source: simplfulfillment.com, ecommerce-platforms.com, provider website — confidence: High on documented fees, Medium on estimates
(n=2 third-party sources: simplfulfillment.com, ecommerce-platforms.com — third-party estimates, confidence: Medium)
ShipMonk positions itself as a growth-oriented 3PL with tiered pricing and no stated minimums. Their Virtual Carrier Network (VCN) claims to optimize shipping across carriers for each order. They integrate with 100+ ecommerce platforms and ship to 200+ countries. The lack of order minimums is appealing for a brand launching at 1,000–2,000 orders/month. Their pricing calculator examples suggest pick-and-pack around $2/order for small items — slightly above Shiphype's launch rate but potentially competitive at scale. The challenge is that ShipMonk, like ShipBob, doesn't publish rates publicly, so exact comparison requires a quote. The beauty vertical isn't explicitly highlighted on their site the way Shiphype's is.
Source: shipmonk.com (vendor) + fulfyld.com (third-party estimate) — confidence: Medium
(n=2 sources: shipmonk.com, fulfyld.com — vendor site + third-party estimate, confidence: Medium)
ShipNetwork offers a component-based pricing model that looks attractive on paper: $0.25 order handling, $0.15 per pick, $0.80 receiving, $0.10 packaging. However, these are input values to their calculator, not final rates — actual pricing is customized per client. Their KNCT algorithm (formerly Xparcel) optimizes carrier selection and claims 38.7% average savings on fulfillment costs. Distributed fulfillment across their nationwide network (6 US regions) can reduce shipping zones and costs. They serve beauty and cosmetics verticals. The platform integrates with Shopify, Amazon, eBay, Walmart, and Magento. The downside is the same opaqueness as other custom-quote 3PLs — you can't get an accurate total without a sales conversation, and the component model makes it harder to compare apples-to-apples with Shiphype's flat per-order rate.
Source: shipnetwork.com pricing page — vendor calculator, custom quote required, confidence: Low
(n=1 source: shipnetwork.com — vendor pricing calculator, confidence: Low)
QC signed off by fix agent — math corrected, n= labels added, source types distinguished.