3PL pricing explained: what you'll actually pay per order
Most 3PL quotes list a dozen line items. Here's what each one means, a worked example for a typical month, and the fees that don't show up until your first invoice.
Global Prep Service · November 9, 2026 · 5 min read
A 3PL quote can look simple until you try to work out what a single order actually costs you. Fees are charged at different moments: when inventory arrives, while it sits on a shelf, when an order ships and when it comes back. Here's how to read them.
The five fees on almost every quote
1. Receiving
Charged when your inventory arrives. Usually priced per carton, per pallet or per hour, with container unloading priced separately. Receiving should include counting units and putting them on shelves by SKU.
2. Storage
Charged monthly for the space your inventory takes up. Small items are usually billed per cubic foot or per bin, and bulk stock per pallet. Ask whether storage is measured once a month or averaged, and whether there's a long-term storage surcharge.
3. Pick and pack
The main per-order fee. It's usually split into a charge for the first item and a smaller charge for each additional item in the same order. Check whether the mailer or box is included or billed on top.
4. Packaging
Poly mailers, boxes, dunnage and inserts. Some 3PLs include a basic mailer. Others charge for every piece of packing material.
5. Postage
The carrier label itself. This depends on weight, size and destination, which is why where the warehouse sits matters as much as the 3PL's own fees.
A worked example
Take a Shopify brand shipping 1,000 orders a month with an average of 1.5 items per order, storing about 400 cubic feet of inventory and processing 20 returns. At our published rates:
| Line item | Calculation | Monthly cost |
|---|---|---|
| Pick and pack | 1,000 × ($1.75 + 0.5 × $0.40) | $1,950.00 |
| Storage | 400 cu ft × $0.46 | $184.00 |
| Returns | 20 × $3.00 | $60.00 |
| Total | About $2.19 per order | $2,194.00 |
That's before postage, boxes and 6% Virginia sales tax. Poly mailers are already included in our pick and pack fee, and storage is free for a new client's first month. You can run your own numbers with the cost estimator on our pricing page.
Fees that surprise people
Ask every 3PL you're comparing about these before you sign:
- Monthly minimums and shortfall fees. What happens if you have a slow month?
- Account setup or onboarding fees. Some charge to connect your store.
- Technology or software fees. A monthly charge for the client portal or integrations.
- Long-term storage surcharges on slow-moving SKUs.
- Peak-season surcharges in November and December.
- Per-SKU fees for every product you store, whether or not it sells.
- Price changes mid-contract. Can the 3PL raise rates before your term ends?
How we price
We publish our standard rates and write your final rates into your contract, and they don't change for its full term. Our minimum is 500 orders a month, averaged over each quarter, so a slow month doesn't trigger a fee as long as the quarterly average holds.
If you're comparing 3PLs, send us your current invoice or your volumes and we'll show you what the same month would cost with us.
Get a quote from Global Prep Service
3PL fulfillment and Amazon FBA prep from Lorton, Virginia. Same-day shipping on orders in by 1 PM ET.