FBT vs self-ship: fulfillment by the numbers
Fulfilled by TikTok (FBT) stores, picks, packs and ships your inventory for a per-unit fee. Self-shipping means you (or your 3PL) bear the whole chain. The right answer is arithmetic, not vibes — and it changes per SKU with weight, size and order volume.
FBT tends to win when
- Your own pick-pack labour plus postage exceeds the quoted FBT per-unit fee.
- You want the shop’s fulfillment performance signals without running operations.
- Order volume is spiky (live-stream surges) and you cannot flex packing capacity.
Self-ship tends to win when
- Products are large, heavy or awkward — FBT surcharges scale badly with size.
- You already have cheap fulfillment (own warehouse, existing 3PL contract).
- Margins are thin and every fixed platform fee matters.
Compare them on your SKU
In the calculator, switch the FBT / SELF-SHIP tabs: the fulfillment line swaps between the FBT per-unit estimate (editable — enter your quoted rate) and your own shipping cost, and the net profit, margin and break-even price recompute instantly. FBT defaults are estimates — your Seller Center quote is the number that counts.
One more cost people forget either way: inbound freight to the FBT warehouse (or to your own shelf). It is an input line in the calculator, so it stays in the math for both modes.