For ecommerce brands, fulfillment operations can be a competitive advantage or an area of high costs and mismanagement. If you're currently considering outsourcing to a 3PL provider, understanding 3PL fulfillment pricing is often the first step towards choosing the right partner and keeping costs low.
In this blog, we'll break down the main pricing structures used by 3PLs, provide cost comparisons by business size and share strategies to help you better budget and plan for growth. Whether you're shipping 5,000 or 50,000 orders a month, we can help you make sense of what you're paying for and where you can make improvements to your current operations.
Fulfillment pricing varies between providers. However, most pricing structures will be determined by certain common factors.
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Some 3PLs will offer bundled rates. Others may use an à la carte pricing structure where each service is billed separately. It will be important to gather this information upfront and understand what model your provider uses so you can better predict your future costs.
For ecommerce brands with fluctuating order volumes, it’s also important to inquire about monthly minimums, surcharges or peak season pricing. These factors can have a big impact on your costs in the long run.
3PL fulfillment pricing will commonly scale with the volume of your monthly orders. 3PL providers frequently bundle services like receiving, storage, pick and pack and returns into volume-based packages.
If you’re managing a small ecommerce business that handles a few hundred orders per month, your costs may be lower and more predictable. However, when order volume increases, so will your costs. You’ll also likely need to pay for additional services and support.
Fulfillment pricing by service levels |
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| Level | Monthly volume | Est. monthly cost | Features |
| Starter ⭐ |
>1,000 | $3,500-$6,500 | Basic storage, standard pick & pack, returns and onboarding fee waiver option |
| Growth ⭐⭐ |
1,000-10,000 | $10,000–$35,000 | Priority SLAs, tech integrations, dynamic rate shipping and scalable storage |
| Enterprise ⭐⭐⭐ |
10,000+ | $60,000–$100,000 | Dedicated account support, custom workflows, advanced TMS routing and temp control services |
Higher shipping volumes don’t always mean lower per-unit costs. It will depend on the types of products you ship, for instance, if they require special handling or climate control. Further, your storage needs, return rates and required support will also factor into your monthly costs.
Remember that prices will ultimately vary based on location, your service level, carrier relationships and the provider’s tech capabilities.
Fulfillment fee breakdown |
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| Fee type | Typical range | |
| Onboarding/setup | $0–$3,000 one-time | |
| Tech & integrations | $600–$3,500 (one-time setup) | |
| Account management | $50–$300/month | |
| Storage | $0.75–$30 per pallet or cubic foot/month | |
| Receiving (inbound handling) | $10–$50 per pallet or $35–$50/hour | |
| Pick and pack | $1.80–$4.00 per order (first item) | |
| Additional pick/item | $0.25–$1.00 per extra item | |
| Returns processing | $2–$5 per return | |
| Special handling/temp control | $50–$200+/month depending on complexity | |
| Shipping (carrier cost only) | $1–$5 markup plus base shipping $8–$18 for small parcels | |
With a better understanding of 3PL fulfillment costs, you might still be on the fence about outsourcing your fulfillment services. In the meantime, there are processes you can optimize to keep your costs low.
To control and reduce costs, you can:
Evaluating 3PL fulfillment pricing will likely heavily influence your choice of the right 3PL provider. Whether you’re a new brand preparing for growth or a high-volume brand considering your options, optimizing your current fulfillment operations and considering the many benefits of working with an expert 3PL, like Cart.com, can help you keep costs low and make the best decisions for future success.
If you have questions about our 3PL fulfillment pricing guide or would like to speak with our expert fulfillment teams about how to scale more confidently, contact us today!