Key Takeaways
- A typical 3PL invoice has six categories: receiving, storage, pick-and-pack, shipping, returns, and account/value-add.
- For a 1,000 orders/month Shopify brand with single-SKU orders, expect $3.00–$4.50 per order in fulfillment fees (excluding postage).
- Storage is usually billed per pallet, per shelf, or per bin per month — clarify which before signing.
- Long-term storage surcharges (after 6 or 12 months) are where slow-moving SKUs get expensive fast.
Why is 3PL pricing so confusing?
Every 3PL invoices differently. Some bundle pick-and-pack into a flat per-order rate; others itemize every pick, every box, and every piece of dunnage. The total cost can look identical with two very different pricing structures — or wildly different with structures that look similar on the surface.
Below is a line-by-line walkthrough of the fees that show up on a typical 3PL invoice, with sample math for a Shopify brand shipping 1,000 orders per month at an average of 1.2 units per order.
Receiving fees
What you pay when inventory arrives at the warehouse. Charged per pallet, per carton, or per labor hour. Typical range: $25–$45 per pallet, or $35–$65 per labor hour. A 20-pallet inbound from your manufacturer usually lands between $500 and $900.
Storage fees
Charged monthly per pallet, per shelf, or per bin. Typical rates: $18–$30 per pallet/month, $8–$14 per shelf/month, $2–$4 per bin/month. For a brand storing 8 pallets, that's $144–$240/month.
Watch for long-term storage surcharges — many 3PLs add 50–100% to storage rates for SKUs that sit longer than 6–12 months.
Pick-and-pack fees
The per-order cost to retrieve items and pack the box. Common structures:
- Flat per order: $2.50–$3.75 for the first item, $0.30–$0.75 per additional item.
- Itemized: a separate fee for the pick ($0.30–$0.50), the pack labor ($1.00–$1.75), and the box/dunnage ($0.40–$1.20).
Shipping fees (postage)
Postage is a pass-through cost, but 3PLs negotiate carrier discounts you can't get on your own — typically 25–55% off published USPS, UPS, and FedEx rates. For a 0.5 lb package shipped ground zone 4, expect $5.50–$8.50 after the 3PL's negotiated discount.
Returns processing
Charged per returned order. Typical range: $3.00–$6.50, which covers receiving, inspection, photographing damaged units, and restocking. Heavy or complex inspection (e.g., apparel try-on inspection, electronics testing) can run higher.
Account management and value-add
Some 3PLs charge a monthly account fee ($150–$500). Value-add work — kitting, custom inserts, gift wrap, special projects — is usually quoted per labor hour at $45–$75/hour.
What does this add up to for a 1,000 orders/month brand?
Assumptions: 1,000 orders/month, 1.2 units/order, 8 pallets of storage, 1 inbound/month, 4% return rate.
- Receiving (1 × 20-pallet inbound): ~$600/month
- Storage (8 pallets): ~$200/month
- Pick-and-pack (1,000 orders, mostly single-item): ~$3,200/month
- Returns (40 returns × $4.50): ~$180/month
- Account management: ~$250/month
- Total fulfillment cost (ex-postage): ~$4,430/month, or ~$4.43/order
- Postage (1,000 × ~$6.50 avg): ~$6,500/month
How do you compare two 3PL quotes apples-to-apples?
Send both 3PLs the same scenario — orders/month, units/order, pallets stored, expected inbounds, return rate — and ask for a monthly all-in estimate broken down by line item. If a 3PL won't give you that breakdown, that's information too.
Want a quote on fulfillment for your brand?
Send us your order volume, SKU count, and shipping profile. We'll come back with a line-by-line estimate within one business day.
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