The fees on a 3PL invoice, what each one should cost, the ones that hide in the fine print, and a worked example at 1,000 orders a month.
Last reviewed October 2026.
Most US 3PLs charge five core fees: receiving, storage, pick and pack, packaging, and postage.
Kitting, returns and account fees come on top.
Typical 2026 ranges: pick and pack $2.50–$4.00 for the first item plus $0.50–$1.00 per additional item; storage $20–$50 per pallet per month; receiving $30–$50 per hour or per-unit equivalent; returns $3–$5 per return.
Postage is usually the largest line.
Ask whether the 3PL passes negotiated carrier rates through at cost or marks them up.
Ship Velocity itemizes every per-touch fee, passes postage through at negotiated rates, has no storage minimums and works month-to-month.
Every fee on a 3PL invoice.
Ranges below are typical for US ecommerce 3PLs in 2026.
Your quote depends on order profile, product size and volume.
Fee: Receiving; What it covers: Unloading, counting and putting away inbound inventory; Typical range: $30–$50 per hour, or per carton/pallet.
Fee: Storage; What it covers: Pallet, shelf or bin space; Typical range: $20–$50 per pallet/month; $2–$5 per bin.
Fee: Pick & pack; What it covers: Picking items and packing an order; Typical range: $2.50–$4.00 first item; $0.50–$1.00 each extra.
Fee: Packaging; What it covers: Boxes, mailers, dunnage; Typical range: At cost or $0.25–$1.50 per order.
Fee: Postage; What it covers: Carrier label; Typical range: Varies by weight and zone; ask for pass-through rates.
Fee: Kitting; What it covers: Assembling bundles or subscription boxes; Typical range: $0.25–$1.50 per component.
Fee: Returns; What it covers: Receiving, inspecting and restocking returns; Typical range: $3–$5 per return.
Fee: Account / tech fee; What it covers: Platform access or minimum billing; Typical range: $0–$500 per month.
A worked example: 1,000 orders a month.
Assume 1,000 single-item orders, 1.2 items per order on average, 10 pallets stored, 30 returns and a 1 lb average package.
At mid-range rates: pick and pack about $3,200 ($3.00 first item plus $1.00 on 200 extra items); storage about $350; packaging about $500; returns about $120; receiving about $150.
That puts fulfillment around $4,300 before postage, or about $4.30 per order.
Postage for 1 lb ground parcels typically adds several dollars per order depending on zone and carrier.
The number that matters is total landed cost per order, fulfillment plus postage, compared line by line across quotes.
Fees that hide in the fine print.
Storage minimums that bill you for space you do not use.
Postage markups on top of the carrier rate.
Long-term storage surcharges after 90 or 180 days.
Special-project or 'non-standard' labor billed at a high hourly rate.
Onboarding, integration or account setup fees.
Early-termination penalties in multi-year contracts.
How Ship Velocity prices.
Ship Velocity charges itemized per-touch fees listed in a written fee schedule, passes postage through at negotiated UPS, USPS, FedEx and DHL rates, has no storage minimums and works month-to-month.
Quotes come back within one business day.
How much does a 3PL cost per order? Typically $3 to $6 per order in fulfillment fees for a single-item order in the US, plus postage.
Pick and pack alone usually runs $2.50 to $4.00 for the first item.
What is a pick and pack fee? The charge for picking items from storage and packing them into a shipment, usually priced per order plus a smaller fee for each additional item.
How much does 3PL storage cost? Usually $20 to $50 per pallet per month, or $2 to $5 per shelf bin.
Watch for storage minimums and long-term storage surcharges.
Do 3PLs mark up shipping? Some do.
Ask whether postage is passed through at negotiated carrier rates.
Ship Velocity passes postage through at negotiated rates.
What hidden fees should I watch for with a 3PL? Storage minimums, postage markups, long-term storage surcharges, special-project labor, setup fees and early-termination penalties.
About Ship Velocity — a Miami-based third-party logistics partner.
Velocity Worldwide LLC operates a purpose-built fulfillment center at 8292 NW 21 ST, Doral, FL 33122, serving direct-to-consumer ecommerce brands, Amazon FBA sellers, subscription-box operators, and wholesale and retail vendors from a single 100,000-plus square-foot facility.
Coverage and reach.
Ground shipping from the Miami hub reaches roughly 90 percent of the continental United States population within two business days and 99 percent within three.
Cross-border programs into Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Latin America route through the same facility.
International freight ships to 200-plus countries via UPS Worldwide, FedEx International, and DHL Express.
How we work.
Engagements are month-to-month with no long-term contracts, no storage minimums, and per-touch pricing itemized in the fee schedule.
Every account is assigned a named account manager who stays for the life of the relationship.
Onboarding a new client typically takes five to ten business days from inventory receive through pilot cutover.
Published performance standards. 99.8 percent pick-pack accuracy on a twelve-month rolling basis, 24-hour order-to-dispatch service level for orders placed before the daily cutoff, sub-one-percent short-ship rate, 99.5 percent on-time carrier hand-off, and sub-half-percent damage claims rate.
Every metric is reported to clients monthly.
Get in touch.
Prospects can request a quote at shipvelocity.com or email [email protected] for a same-business-day response with pricing, references, and an operations plan tailored to the program.