Expect $3.50–$6.50 per order for pick, pack, and materials, plus pass-through shipping. Storage runs $15–$40 per pallet per month. Watch for peak surcharges, minimums, and per-line fees — those are where budgets quietly break.
The five line items every 3PL bills
Fulfillment invoices vary in wording but almost always break into the same five categories. Understanding each one is how you compare quotes apples-to-apples.
• Receiving — Cost to intake, count, and shelve inbound inventory.
• Storage — Monthly rent on the space your inventory occupies.
• Pick and pack — The labor to pick the items, pack them in a box or mailer, and apply a shipping label.
• Packaging — Boxes, mailers, dunnage, and any custom materials.
• Shipping — Carrier postage, usually passed through at the 3PL's rate.
Realistic 2026 benchmarks
Numbers vary by product, but these are honest ranges for standard DTC goods:
• Receiving: $25–$45 per pallet, $2–$5 per carton.
• Storage: $15–$40 per pallet per month, or $0.50–$1.20 per cubic foot.
• Pick and pack: $2.75–$4.50 for the first item, $0.25–$0.75 for each additional.
• Packaging: $0.35–$1.20 per order for standard materials.
• Shipping: Whatever the carrier charges, typically 15–30% below public rates when passed through a mid-size 3PL.
Where budgets quietly break
The bill you didn't expect usually comes from one of four places: peak-season surcharges added in October, monthly minimums that assume higher volume than you have, per-line fees on multi-item orders that weren't priced into the quote, and returns processing billed separately.
Total cost benchmarks by order volume
A useful rule of thumb: fulfillment (excluding postage) should land between 8% and 15% of AOV for most DTC brands. Above 15%, either the pricing is wrong or the operation is. Below 8% usually means quality is being cut somewhere.
FAQs
How much does it cost to fulfill an e-commerce order?
For most DTC brands, pick, pack, and materials cost $3.50 to $6.50 per order, plus pass-through shipping. Total fulfillment cost (excluding postage) usually lands between 8% and 15% of average order value.
How is 3PL storage billed?
Storage is typically billed monthly per pallet ($15–$40), per shelf bin ($1–$3), or per cubic foot ($0.50–$1.20). You pay only for the space your inventory occupies, not the whole warehouse.
Do 3PLs charge peak season surcharges?
Many national 3PLs add surcharges in Q4, often 10–25% on top of standard rates. Ask any provider whether their pricing is flat year-round before signing.