3PL Billing and Per-Brand Rates | ShipWave Help Center

The four rate categories

ShipWave's 3PL billing supports four rate types you can set independently per Brand:

Storage – charged monthly, typically per pallet, shelf, or cubic foot of inventory held.
Receiving – charged when inbound shipments arrive (per pallet, per carton, or per hour).
Pick / pack – charged per order shipped (often tiered: first item, additional items).
Shipping markup – the spread you charge above the carrier label cost (percentage or fixed).

Set defaults at the Organization level, then override per Brand. Brands with higher volume often get lower per-pick rates—the override table handles that without ceremony.

Where to configure rates

Go to Admin → Billing → Rate Cards. The default card applies to every Brand unless overridden. Click New Brand override to set custom rates for a specific Brand: pick the Brand, fill in any rate you want to override, and save. Empty fields fall back to the org default. You can change rates at any time; new rates apply to all activity from the day you save them (historical events keep their original prices).

How invoices are generated

On the 1st of every month at 4 AM (your Org timezone), ShipWave aggregates the previous month's billable activity per Brand and generates a draft invoice. Storage charges use end-of-month inventory snapshots. Receiving, pick, and shipping markup are summed from the activity logs. The draft includes a line-by-line breakdown so the brand owner can audit every charge. You receive an email when drafts are ready: "Your monthly 3PL invoices are ready to review."

Reviewing drafts before Stripe finalize

Open Admin → Billing → Invoices to see the draft list. Each draft shows the Brand, total, line items, and a Review button. Inside the draft you can adjust quantities, add manual line items (e.g., a one-time custom packaging fee), or remove charges entirely—every edit is logged. When the draft is correct, click Send to Stripe to finalize. The invoice is created in Stripe under the brand owner's customer record and emailed to them automatically. Stripe handles payment collection per your terms (net 15, autocharge card, etc.).

The 60-day manual finalize safety net

Drafts that aren't finalized within 60 days of generation get flagged in red on the invoices page. This is a safety net against forgotten reviews—your billing data doesn't silently vanish. After 60 days you must explicitly choose: finalize (send to Stripe), void (discard), or extend (push the deadline another 30 days). Drafts cannot auto-finalize—a human always approves the charge to Stripe. This protects you against bad data accidentally hitting a client's card.

FAQs

Can I bill in advance instead of in arrears?

Storage charges are billed in arrears by default (you charge for last month's storage). To bill in advance, switch the rate card to <strong>Prepaid storage</strong>, which generates an invoice on the 1st for the upcoming month based on current inventory.

What if a brand owner disputes a charge?

Open the invoice draft (if still in draft) and edit the line item. If the invoice has already been sent to Stripe, void it from Stripe and generate a corrected one—ShipWave handles the regeneration when you click <strong>Re-create invoice</strong> on the voided record.

Does ShipWave take a cut of my 3PL invoicing?

No. The 3PL billing module is a tool you run; the invoices go from your business to your clients via your Stripe account. ShipWave doesn't touch the money. ShipWave bills you separately for your subscription.

3PL billing: setting per-brand rates and reviewing monthly invoices