How U.S. 3PL pricing works

How 3PL pricing is structured

Most U.S. third-party logistics (3PL) warehouses price by activity. Instead of one monthly fee, you pay for each thing the warehouse does with your goods: unloading them, storing them, picking orders, packing, shipping and handling exceptions. The list of these charges is the rate card, and the quote is the rate card applied to your volumes.

The difficulty is that every warehouse uses its own units. One prices receiving per pallet, another per carton, another per labor hour. One charges storage per pallet, another per cubic foot. One pick and pack fee includes the box, another does not. Two quotes can look similar and produce very different invoices.

A useful way to read any quote is to sort its lines into three groups:

• Inbound: setup, receiving, and anything done to stock when it arrives (palletizing, labeling, inspection).
• Holding: storage, and any minimum that applies whether or not goods move.
• Outbound: pick and pack, packaging, kitting, postage and freight, returns, and accessorial charges.

The sections below take each group in turn. If you are still deciding whether a 3PL is the right kind of U.S. warehouse at all, start with our guide to warehouse options in the USA for foreign companies.

Setup fees and account minimums

Before any goods arrive, some 3PLs charge one-time or recurring account fees:

• Onboarding or setup fee: a one-time charge for opening the account, creating SKUs in the warehouse management system and training staff on your products.
• Integration fee: for connecting your store, marketplace or ERP to the warehouse system. Some charge once, some charge monthly.
• Technology or account management fee: a fixed monthly charge for portal access, reporting or a named account manager.
• Account minimum: the least you will be billed in a month. If your actual fees come to less, you pay the minimum.

Minimums matter most in your first months, when volume is low and uneven. Ask whether the minimum is measured on all charges or only on fulfillment fees, whether it starts on day one or after a ramp-up period, and whether storage counts toward it. A minimum that never applies at your forecast volume can still apply in a slow month.

Receiving fees: by container, pallet, carton or hour

Receiving is the work of unloading your goods, checking them against the packing list or advance shipping notice, and putting them away. It is billed in one of four ways:

A floor-loaded container (cartons stacked directly on the container floor) takes far more labor than the same goods on pallets, which is why container unloading is priced separately. Many warehouses also charge to palletize the cartons after unloading so they can be stored in racks.

Non-compliant receiving

The most common receiving surprise is a surcharge for freight that does not match the warehouse's inbound rules: no advance notice, mixed SKUs in one carton, missing carton labels, cartons that do not match the packing list, damaged or unstable pallets. These are usually billed per hour or as a flat penalty per shipment. Ask for the inbound requirements in writing and send them to your supplier before the goods leave the factory. Our guide on box and pallet requirements for shipments from overseas covers how to pack at origin so cartons arrive in a condition warehouses and Amazon accept.

Storage fees: per pallet, bin or cubic foot

Storage is usually the line that grows quietly. It is billed in one of three units:

• Per pallet per month: common for bulk inventory kept in racking. Check the maximum pallet height, because an oversized pallet may count as one and a half or two pallet positions.
• Per bin, shelf or carton: common for small quantities of many SKUs that do not fill a pallet.
• Per cubic foot: the most precise unit. You pay for the volume your goods actually occupy, which suits a mix of pallets, cartons and loose units.

When and how storage is counted

The same rate can produce different bills depending on how it is measured. Ask whether storage is counted on one day of the month (a snapshot), on several days, or as a daily average. A snapshot on the first of the month can bill you for a full month on a container that arrived on the 30th and left on the 2nd. Ask too whether part of a month is prorated, and whether empty locations reserved for you are charged.

Long-term and seasonal storage

Some 3PLs charge a higher rate for inventory that has not moved for a set period, or for space during the October to December peak. Amazon's own pricing shows how large the seasonal difference can be: as of October 2026, Amazon's Supply Chain page lists FBA storage for standard-size items at $0.78 per cubic foot per month from January to September and $2.40 from October to December, and bulk storage in Amazon Warehousing and Distribution at $0.48 per cubic foot per month. Those are Amazon's fees, not a 3PL's, but they explain why many sellers keep reserve stock in a separate warehouse and send it to Amazon in smaller batches.

Pick and pack, packaging and kitting

Pick and pack is the labor to pull items from storage, pack them and hand the package to a carrier. It is the line most buyers compare first, and the one most often defined differently:

• Per order: one fee per order, often covering the first item, with a smaller fee for each additional item.
• Per item or per pick: a fee for every unit picked, sometimes plus a separate per-order fee.
• Per carton or per pallet: for business-to-business orders, such as cartons to Amazon or a retailer, where full cartons leave unopened.

Packaging materials (boxes, mailers, void fill, tape, inserts) are either included in the pick and pack fee or billed per item. A low pick and pack rate with packaging charged separately can cost more than a higher rate that includes the box.

Kitting, bundling and prep

Assembling a gift set, a multipack or a subscription box is kitting, priced per kit or per hour. Labeling, poly bagging and other Amazon prep is priced per unit. These lines matter more for Amazon sellers since January 1, 2026, when Amazon stopped offering prep and item labeling for the U.S. FBA program and began expecting units to arrive ready (Amazon SP-API changelog). The 2026 Amazon FBA prep requirements explain what each product type needs, and our kitting and bundling page shows how that work is handled.

Outbound shipping: postage, freight and carrier surcharges

Postage and freight are usually billed separately from pick and pack. There are two models:

• Pass-through: you pay the warehouse's carrier rates at cost, sometimes plus a fixed label fee.
• Marked up: the warehouse bills carrier rates with a margin added. This is common and not necessarily a problem, as long as it is stated.

Parcel carriers bill on the greater of actual and dimensional weight, so box size changes the shipping cost. UPS, for example, calculates dimensional weight by multiplying length, width and height in inches and dividing by a divisor that depends on the rate type (UPS weight and size guide). Ask how the warehouse chooses box sizes, because a box one size too large is paid for on every order.

Carriers also add surcharges that change during the year, including peak season or demand surcharges, fuel surcharges, residential delivery and additional handling for heavy or irregular packages. Ask whether these are passed through at cost and shown as separate lines. For pallets and LTL (less than truckload) freight to Amazon, retailers or warehouses, the price depends on weight, distance, freight class and accessorials such as liftgate or appointment delivery.

Returns, accessorials and peak surcharges

Accessorials are charges for anything outside standard receiving, storage and fulfillment. They are where most invoice surprises come from, so ask for the full list:

• Returns processing: receiving, inspecting and restocking or setting aside a customer return, usually per return plus per item. Our guide to handling U.S. returns as an overseas brand covers how to set this up.
• Non-compliant receiving: see the receiving section above.
• Special projects: relabeling, repacking, sorting, cycle counts you request, photo requests, quality checks. Usually billed per hour or per unit.
• Inventory adjustments and counts: some warehouses include one annual count, others bill every count.
• Peak surcharges: a percentage or per-order surcharge on fulfillment from October to December, or higher storage rates for the same period.
• Disposal and removals: destroying or recycling unsellable goods, or building outbound shipments back to you.
• Account changes and exit fees: fees for closing the account or moving all stock out at once.

Contract terms that affect cost

Two legal terms in a U.S. warehouse agreement have a direct cost effect. First, a storage agreement can limit the warehouse's liability for loss or damage to an amount per item or per pound; under the Uniform Commercial Code, which U.S. states adopt into their own law, you can ask in writing, when you sign or within a reasonable time after you receive the warehouse receipt, for a higher liability limit on some or all of the goods, and the warehouse may charge a higher rate for it (UCC § 7-204). If the limit is far below your product's value, insure the stock yourself. Second, a warehouse has a lien on the goods it stores for unpaid storage, labor and related charges (UCC § 7-209), so a billing dispute can hold up your inventory. Clear payment terms protect both sides.

How to compare 3PL quotes on a sample month

Per-unit rates cannot be compared directly when units differ. The reliable method is to describe one realistic month of your business, ask every warehouse to price exactly that month, and compare the totals.

Step 1: write your sample month

Include inbound shipments (containers, pallets or cartons, number of SKUs), average stock on hand (pallets, cartons or cubic feet), number of orders and units per order, order types (ecommerce parcels, cartons to Amazon, pallets to retailers), returns, and any kitting or prep. Use the same description for every warehouse.

Step 2: compare totals, not headline rates

Warehouse A has the lower pick and pack rate, but Warehouse B is cheaper for this month because its fee includes the box and it has no technology fee. Change the profile and the answer can change: with more multi-unit orders, A's lower additional-unit rate would matter more.

Step 3: test a slow month

Now price a quiet month with the same rates: no container, the same 20 pallets in storage, 600 orders (120 with two units) and 15 returns. Suppose Warehouse A has a $3,000 monthly minimum and Warehouse B a $1,000 minimum (again, assumed figures). A's activity charges come to about $2,695, so the minimum applies and you pay $3,000. B's charges come to about $2,555, above its minimum, so you pay for actual activity. Running a slow month shows what the minimum costs you in practice.

Step 4: add what the quote left out

Finally, add the costs neither quote showed: postage at each warehouse's carrier rates for your typical package, likely accessorials, peak surcharges if your sample month falls in the fourth quarter, and any setup fees spread over the first year.

Questions to ask before you sign

1. Which charges are not on this quote, and can you send the full accessorial list?
2. How is storage measured: pallet, bin or cubic foot, on which day or days, and is part of a month prorated?
3. What exactly does the pick and pack fee include: first item, additional items, box, void fill, label?
4. Is there a setup fee, technology fee or monthly minimum, and what counts toward the minimum?
5. What are your inbound requirements, and what do you charge for freight that does not meet them?
6. Are postage and freight billed at cost or with a markup, and are carrier surcharges passed through as separate lines?
7. Do rates or surcharges change from October to December?
8. What is your liability limit for loss or damage, and can it be increased?
9. How are returns, special projects and inventory counts billed?
10. What notice and fees apply if we move our inventory out?
11. For freight arriving from abroad: who handles customs clearance and the trip from the port, or does your work start at the dock door?

That last question matters because port costs can outweigh a month of warehouse fees. Our guides to drayage, demurrage and detention at Los Angeles and Long Beach and to transloading and cross-docking in Southern California explain the charges that arise before your goods reach a 3PL.

For a broader look at how warehouses differ in ways of working (communication, visibility, contract terms), read 10 problems with traditional U.S. 3PL companies.

How Abanro prices the same services

Abanro publishes starting prices for each service, with what each one includes and what is billed separately: pallet receiving from $15 per pallet, container unloading from $300 / $495 (20 ft / 40 ft), pallet storage from $49 per pallet per month, carton storage from $8 per carton per month, pick and pack from $4.50 per order through ecommerce fulfillment, and carton forwarding from $5 per carton. There is no monthly minimum and no setup fee. Postage and freight are quoted separately. The full list is on our pricing page.

Because Abanro's warehouse is in Orange County, California, near the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, and Abanro also handles pickup abroad, international shipping and U.S. customs clearance, a quote can cover the trip before the dock door as well as receiving, storage, Amazon FBA prep and outbound shipping.

This guide is general information. The worked example uses assumed rates for illustration, not market prices. Contract terms vary by warehouse and state, so read your agreement and take legal advice where needed.

Sources and further reading

1. UCC § 7-204: Duty of care; contractual limitation of warehouse's liability, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
2. UCC § 7-209: Lien of warehouse, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
3. Supply Chain by Amazon: storage and distribution, Amazon
4. US FBA prep and labeling services to end January 1, 2026, Amazon Selling Partner API
5. Package dimensions, size limits and weight guide, UPS

Sources checked on October 20, 2026