3PL Pricing Guide 2026: Every Fulfillment Fee Explained

How 3PL pricing works: the three billing models

Every 3PL bills one of three ways: a blended per-unit rate that rolls everything into one number, an itemized menu that charges separately for every touch, or a custom quote you only see after a sales call.

None of the three is automatically dishonest. But after seven years running fulfillment for 180+ ecommerce sellers, we have watched one pattern repeat: the lowest headline quote usually earns its margin back later — on storage, special handling, and the fees that first appear on invoice three. Judge the invoice, not the quote.

One disclosure up front: this guide is published by KAK Sourcing & Fulfillment, a 3PL operating in Houston since 2024, running a 32,000 sqft climate-controlled warehouse at 6117 Long Dr in Houston. Our rate card is the worked example throughout. If we tell you to demand transparent pricing everywhere, we go first.

Every fee on a 3PL invoice, explained

Here is each fee: what it pays for, what fair looks like, where the trap hides, and what we charge.

Receiving

Receiving covers unloading your inbound freight, counting it, and putting it away. A fair receiving fee is flat, per pallet, and quoted before your first shipment lands. The trap version charges per unit on top of per-unit prep, or adds vague dock and handling lines. We charge $20 per pallet ($5 per carton). Inventory that arrives before our 2pm CT cutoff, Monday through Saturday, is processed the same day.

Storage

Storage should bill for the space you use, for the time you use it. We charge $25 per pallet, billed monthly — so you pay for the fraction of the month you actually used, not a full month for a pallet that shipped out on the 3rd. The whole building is climate-controlled. The trap version: rates that quietly ratchet up as inventory ages, or cube-based billing nobody can audit. More detail on our storage page.

Pick and pack

For an FBM order with two or more items, add $0.25 multiplied by the total item count. A three-item order under 5 lb is $2.75 full-service handling before materials and postage. Kitting is $0.40 per unit assembled when requested.

Packaging materials

Packaging materials are billed at cost — standard mailers from $0.25, polybags $0.20, never marked up. On the FBA side, FNSKU labeling and prep labor are inside the $0.75 per unit; polybags and bubble wrap are $0.20 each when used, billed at cost. The trap version charges a materials fee per order plus a separate price per box. Branded packaging, custom inserts, and thank-you cards are the honest exception: custom-quoted — specs in, number back in 24 hours.

Postage

Postage is usually the biggest line on a DTC invoice, which makes it the easiest place to hide margin. Fair means discounted carrier rates passed through at cost. That is what we do: discounted USPS, UPS, and FedEx rates, no markup. The trap version buries a percentage inside a shipping-and-handling line. And carriers bill on dimensional weight, not just scale weight — any 3PL quoting postage without asking your box dimensions is guessing with your money.

Returns processing

A fair returns fee is flat and includes inspection. We charge $1.50 per return, inspection included. The trap version bills inspection, restocking, and disposal as three separate lines on top of the base fee.

Software and account fees

Many 3PLs charge a monthly platform or account-management fee that costs the same at ten orders as at ten thousand. The KAK WMS real-time inventory dashboard is included with your account, and our published rate card has no software or account-management line. Lot-number and expiration-date tracking are available for brands that need them.

Setup and onboarding

Many 3PLs charge a one-time setup or integration fee, often waived only for large accounts. We charge $0 to start, and onboarding can begin with a single unit if that is all you have.

Minimums and contracts

A monthly minimum is an inactivity fine: miss the threshold, pay anyway. We have no minimum order volume, no minimum spend, no minimum SKU count, and no contract — everything is month-to-month, so there is no agreement to bury a termination penalty in.

Peak-season surcharges

Seasonal surcharges on picks, storage, or receiving are common across the industry in Q4. We add none, and our published rates are locked through Q1 2027. Carriers set their own seasonal fees; those pass through at cost like the rest of your postage.

Our published rate card, locked through Q1 2027

These are the same numbers on our pricing page and printable price list — our full published rate card, in one table.

Works with Shopify, TikTok Shop, Walmart, eBay, BigCommerce, WooCommerce, Etsy, Magento, and Amazon FBM. Container devanning, LTL freight, and white-glove options are quoted per shipment at negotiated carrier cost.

What a month actually costs: 50, 100, and 300 orders

At our rates, 100 orders a month with three pallets in storage costs $335 in fulfillment fees, plus postage at carrier cost. Assumptions: every order under 5 lb, one inbound delivery a month, and storage at $25 per pallet for the full month.

Returns are the only variable: six returns in that 300-order month add $9. On the Amazon side, a 1,000-unit FBA restock arriving on two pallets costs $750 in prep plus $40 receiving — $790 total, prepped the same day if it docks before 2pm CT.

Postage sits on top of these totals, at carrier cost with no markup. It depends on your zones, weights, and box dimensions, so we will not invent an average here — send us your SKUs and you will have real per-order postage within 24 hours.

Hidden 3PL fees that should make you walk

A trap fee is one you cannot see coming and cannot audit afterward. None of these appear in a sales deck.

• Long-term storage tiers. The friendly rate climbs as inventory ages — often right after Q4, when you can least absorb it. Ask for the full aging schedule in writing before you sign.
• Narrow blended quotes. The cheapest per-unit prep quote usually covers the narrowest definition of standard, then bills labeling, bagging, and inspection as separate lines. Ask exactly what the quoted number excludes.
• Per-touch stacking. A pick fee, plus an item fee, plus a materials fee, plus an order-processing fee — four lines for packing one box.
• Dimensional weight surprises. Carriers bill on package volume; a quote made without your box dimensions will not survive the invoice.
• Chargebacks passed through. Marketplace fines for bad labels or non-compliant cartons landing on your bill even when the warehouse caused the error. Our answer: we are fully liable for our own handling.
• Shrinkage write-offs. Lost units dismissed as normal shrinkage while storage keeps billing on inventory that no longer exists.
• Rush fees for standard speed. Same-day handling billed as a premium where it should be the default.
• Exit fees. Contracts that charge you to take your own inventory back when you leave. Read the termination clause before signing, not after.

The questions a good RFQ asks — answered line by line

Here is the itemized RFQ a skincare brand launching with 500 units puts in front of every 3PL. Any 3PL on your shortlist should answer it without a discovery call. Here are our answers.

• Do you take new brands with ~500 units? Yes. No minimum volume, spend, or SKU count — you can start with a single unit.
• Setup, onboarding, software, or account-management fees? No setup fee. The KAK WMS dashboard is included with your account, and our published rate card has no software or account-management line.
• Contract or cancellation penalty? Month-to-month. No contract, so no penalty to bury in one.
• Receiving cost and time to available? $20 per pallet ($5 per carton). Inbound before 2pm CT, Mon–Sat, is processed the same day.
• Storage billing basis and climate control? $25 per pallet billed monthly, in a climate-controlled building. Lot-number and expiration-date tracking available — relevant for skincare.
• Pick and pack for one-to-five-item orders? Priced by order weight: $2.00 per order under 5 lb, plus $0.25 × the item count when an order has two or more items.
• Bundle pricing rules — preassembly or pick on demand? Picked per order at the same flat rates, no forced preassembly. Kitting is available if you want it, custom-quoted.
• What packaging is included, and what do branded inserts cost? Standard boxes, mailers, and protective packaging are billed at cost — mailers from $0.25, boxes from $0.40. Inserts and thank-you cards are custom-quoted — specs in, number back within 24 hours.
• Carrier mix, markups, surcharges? Discounted USPS, UPS, and FedEx at cost. No markup, no peak surcharges of our own.
• Estimated total cost per order? See the worked table above; for your exact SKUs, use get a quote.
• Returns: fees, inspection, restocking? $1.50 per return, inspection included. Anything beyond that is custom-quoted in 24 hours.
• Integrations and inventory visibility? Shopify, TikTok Shop, Walmart, eBay, BigCommerce, WooCommerce, Etsy, Magento, Amazon FBM — with real-time inventory in the KAK WMS dashboard. Subscription-box assembly is available, custom-quoted.
• Turnaround, cutoffs, support? Same-day before 2pm CT, Mon–Sat. Call +1 832 759 1368, email sales@kaksourcing.com, or visit us — walk-ins welcome with 24 hours notice, Mon–Sat 9am–6pm CT.
• What happens when you make an error? We are fully liable for our own handling, with insurance coverage up to $500,000 per occurrence.

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