Most brand owners start looking up average third-party logistics (3PL) costs after a fulfillment invoice that doesn't add up. The answer depends on much more than a rate card. Order volume, SKU count, pallet positions, the mix of DTC and B2B orders, and where inventory sits all move the monthly total. Fold them into one average and you lose the differences that decide what a brand actually pays. A brand shipping 50 orders a month and a brand shipping 2,000 can face the same monthly minimum and still pay very different effective rates.
We compiled 3PL fee benchmarks from six external sources published between August 2025 and August 2026. They include The Fulfillment Advisor’s 2026 pricing survey of 500 warehousing and fulfillment providers, US Bureau of Labor Statistics industry data, and industrial market research from Cushman & Wakefield and CBRE. For budgeting, the most useful 2026 averages are a $3.21 single-item B2C pick and pack fee per order, $19.37 per pallet per month for storage, $8.75 to receive a pallet, and a $752.08 average monthly minimum among providers that set one. These are averages across warehouses of different sizes and service bundles, so treat them as benchmarks, not a quote. We flag every figure that rests on a single source.
Average 3PL Costs by Fee: 2026
The following table shows the average fee 3PL providers reported for each common charge in the 2026 survey, next to the 2025 survey's published average.
The Average 3PL Costs by Fee — 2026
| Fee | Billing basis | 2026 average | 2025 average | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Setup and onboarding | One-time | $373.06 | $333 | +12.0% |
| Shopping-cart integration | One-time, per integration | $316.56 | $275 | +15.1% |
| Receiving | Per pallet | $8.75 | $10.52 | −16.8% |
| Receiving | Per carton | $2.25 | $2.25 | 0.0% |
| Receiving | Per SKU | $3.00 | $2.75 | +9.1% |
| Receiving | Per hour | $41.25 | $45.67 | −9.7% |
| Container receiving | Per container (size and handling not specified) | $500 | $500 | 0.0% |
| Pallet storage | Per pallet per month | $19.37 | $20.17 | −4.0% |
| Bin storage | Per bin per month | $3.03 | $3.08 | −1.6% |
| Square-foot storage | Per sq. ft. per month | $1.26 | $1.73 | −27.2% |
| Cubic-foot storage | Per cu. ft. per month | $0.45 | $0.46 | −2.2% |
| Single-item DTC (B2C) pick and pack | Per order, one item included | $3.21 | $3.20 | +0.3% |
| Single-item B2B pick and pack | Per order | $4.86 | $4.80 | +1.3% |
| Returns processing | Per return | $3.56 | $4.06 | −12.3% |
| Routine account management | Generally monthly | $253.33 | $102.88 | +146.2% |
| Monthly minimum | Per month | $752.08 | $517 | +45.5% |
Sources: The Fulfillment Advisor, 2026 Warehousing and Fulfillment Costs & Pricing Survey, August 17, 2026; 2025 vs. 2024 Warehousing Costs & Pricing, August 28, 2025.
Each average describes the providers that answered that question, and neither report gives a respondent count per fee. The 2025 edition covered more than 600 warehouses and the 2026 edition 500 providers, so the change column compares published averages from two different groups rather than tracking one set of prices. The 2026 minimum covers providers that reported a specific minimum, while the 2025 report pairs its $517 average with a 47.2% share of warehouses that require one.
The $3.21 pick-and-pack figure is a provider-survey average. The 2026 survey also reports a $2.73 base order charge and $0.48 for each additional item. The Fulfillment Advisor's pricing guide gives a typical first-item pick range of $2.00 to $3.00, and published rate cards can run lower: in a June 2026 check of public pricing pages, Fulfill.com found HermesLines listing $0.99 to $1.57 per order and Fulfillment San Diego about $1.50 to $2.00. Published rate cards may exclude packaging, account management, storage, or other charges, so compare what each rate covers before comparing the rate itself.
DTC and B2C describe the same order type: a single parcel shipped to a consumer, the core of e-commerce fulfillment. B2B orders go to retailers or businesses and average $4.86 per order plus $0.98 per item.
The 3PL Billing Practices — 2026
The following table shows how common each fee and pricing model is among 2026 survey respondents.
| Billing practice | Share of providers |
|---|---|
| Offer pallet-based storage pricing | 94% |
| Charge return fees | 87% |
| Offer discounted pick-and-pack pricing | 75% |
| Use cost-plus shipping pricing | 71% |
| Charge separately for cartons | 57% |
| Charge setup fees | 55% |
| Offer discounted storage rates | 52% |
| Allow customers to use their own freight accounts | 45% |
| Charge long-term storage fees | 41% |
| Offer bin-based storage pricing | 40% |
| Charge account management fees | 37% |
| Offer square-foot storage pricing | 31% |
| Offer discounts off published carrier rates | 23% |
| Offer cubic-foot storage pricing | 21% |
Source: The Fulfillment Advisor, 2026 Warehousing and Fulfillment Costs & Pricing Survey, August 17, 2026.
Reported ranges add context to the averages above. Pallet storage ran from about $6 to $40 per pallet per month, return fees from $0.65 to $8.25 (most between $2.00 and $5.00), account management from $50 to $500, and monthly minimums from $150 to more than $1,500. Providers that bill cartons separately charge an average of $1.46 per carton.
Average 3PL Costs by Region — 2026
The same survey breaks out average rates for five markets. Pallet storage runs from $16.00 a month in Texas to $30.50 in New Jersey, where the average is 90.6% higher.
| Market | B2C fulfillment, per order | B2C fulfillment, per item | B2B fulfillment, per order | Pallet storage per month | Bin storage per month |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | $2.61 | $0.57 | $7.63 | $19.29 | $2.58 |
| Florida | $2.88 | $0.44 | $3.50 | $17.50 | $1.87 |
| New Jersey | $2.63 | $0.44 | $2.50 | $30.50 | $1.80 |
| Northeast | $2.55 | $0.49 | $6.67 | $25.25 | $2.15 |
| Texas | $2.42 | $0.46 | $5.89 | $16.00 | $0.96 |
Source: The Fulfillment Advisor, 2026 Warehousing and Fulfillment Costs & Pricing Survey, "2026 Regional Warehouse Cost Analysis."
Regional averages come from the respondents in each market, so they won't line up exactly with the national figures. The survey reports California with the highest labor and occupancy costs and Texas respondents mostly representing large multi-state networks.
How Pallet Height, Bin Size, and Container Size Change a Rate
Three rates in the fee table depend on a unit the survey doesn't define. Check each one before you compare quotes.
Pallet storage. The $19.37 average is billed per pallet position, and the survey doesn't state a pallet footprint or height. As a planning reference, Fulfill.com's pallet calculator uses a 48″ × 40″ footprint and a 60″ default maximum load height including the pallet, and notes that many warehouse programs cap loads between 48″ and 72″. That reference isn't an industry-average height, but it shows why height matters: on a 48″ × 40″ footprint, a 48″ load takes up about 53 cubic feet, a 60″ load about 67 cubic feet, and a 72″ load about 80 cubic feet. In our experience, most inbound pallets run 48″ to 52″, because 52″ is about the tallest load that still double-stacks in a standard trailer. Ask each provider for its assumed footprint, maximum load height, weight limit, stackability rules, and overheight pricing.
Bin storage. Bin sizes vary by provider, and the survey doesn't define one, so there is no published industry-wide bin volume. Per-bin pricing charges for the number of bins used, while cubic-foot pricing charges for the volume goods occupy, so the $3.03 per-bin average can't be converted reliably to a cubic-foot rate. Ask each provider for the bin's billable dimensions and whether the fee covers a fixed bin, a shelf location, a tote, or another storage unit.
Container receiving. Port and freight data are usually quoted in TEU (twenty-foot equivalent units): a 20-foot container is one TEU, and a 40-foot or 40-foot high-cube container is two. The survey's $500 average doesn't say which size it covers, or whether cargo is floor-loaded or palletized. The Fulfillment Advisor's pricing guide puts unloading at $250 to $500 per container, with floor-loaded containers costing more. Its example of a floor-loaded 40-foot container with 1,000 mixed cartons comes to about $800: $400 to unload plus $0.40 per carton for receiving. Rates also differ by size on published rate cards; Fulfillment San Diego lists $299 for a 20-foot container and $499 for a 40-foot, according to Fulfill.com's June 2026 check. Confirm container length and type, floor-loaded versus palletized cargo, carton count, and whether receiving, inspection, labeling, and put-away are included.
Shipping Charges and Monthly Minimums
Shipping isn't a fixed fee. In the 2026 survey, respondents reported an average ground markup of 14.14% over cost and an average ground discount of 13.13% off published rates, with ground adjustments generally ranging from about 2% to 25%. Your shipping price depends on package weight, dimensions, zones, and the provider's carrier agreements.
Some industry guides put the carrier-rate advantage higher. Fulfilment.com, a fulfillment marketplace, says 3PLs operating at scale typically negotiate carrier rates 10% to 30% below what small shippers can get on their own, though it doesn't publish the data behind that range. The same article cites a 2025 Radial/Dynata survey of 200 retail decision-makers in which 58% of brands under $50 million in revenue named high base transportation costs. Treat the 10% to 30% range as directional; actual savings depend on volume, service level, zones, and any 3PL markup.
For monthly minimums, the 2026 report advises confirming which services count toward the minimum, whether storage and fulfillment are combined, and whether terms change during onboarding or peak seasons.
Before comparing quotes, review the questions to ask a prospective warehouse, including onboarding, inventory prep, and multi-location operations.
DTC Order Volumes and SKU Counts Among Brands Seeking a 3PL: 2024–2026
The following table shows how much brands searching for a 3PL ship and stock, based on Fulfill.com matchmaking intake data. Brands self-report these figures, and the sample sizes differ by question.
The DTC Order Volumes and SKU Counts of Brands Seeking a 3PL — 2024 to 2026
| Metric | Value | Sample and window |
|---|---|---|
| 25th percentile, monthly DTC orders | 50 | 3,831 brands, Dec 2024 to Jun 2026 |
| Median, monthly DTC orders | 200 | 3,831 brands, Dec 2024 to Jun 2026 |
| 75th percentile, monthly DTC orders | 700 | 3,831 brands, Dec 2024 to Jun 2026 |
| Share shipping fewer than 500 DTC orders a month | 67% | 3,831 brands, Dec 2024 to Jun 2026 |
| Share shipping 1,000 or more DTC orders a month | About 21% | 3,831 brands, Dec 2024 to Jun 2026 |
| Share shipping more than 5,000 DTC orders a month | About 5% | 3,831 brands, Dec 2024 to Jun 2026 |
| 25th percentile, SKU count | 3 | 7,253 brands, Dec 2024 to Jun 2026 |
| Median SKU count | 10 | 7,253 brands, Dec 2024 to Jun 2026 |
| 75th percentile, SKU count | 55 | 7,253 brands, Dec 2024 to Jun 2026 |
| Share selling B2B (channels overlap) | 33% | 4,035 brands, Dec 2024 to Jan 2026 |
| Share selling through Amazon FBA (channels overlap) | 23% | 4,035 brands, Dec 2024 to Jan 2026 |
Source: Fulfill.com, How Much Does a 3PL Cost in 2026?, updated June 10, 2026, "What Do Brands Like Mine Actually Ship?"
These figures describe brands using one matchmaking service, and Fulfill.com doesn't publish the underlying records. We don't assign pallet counts or monthly fees to them, because pallet counts depend on case dimensions, cases per layer, layers per pallet, load height, and weight. Fulfill.com's pallet calculator shows the same 500 cases filling 7 pallet positions at 80 cases per pallet and 11 positions at 48 cases per pallet. A brand selling bulky goods can fill a pallet with a handful of units, while a brand selling small items can hold dozens of SKUs in bins with no pallet storage at all.
Warehouse Operating Costs Behind 3PL Pricing: 2026
The following table shows the labor and occupancy costs underneath 3PL rates, from federal wage data and from the providers' own survey responses.
The Warehouse Operating Costs Behind 3PL Pricing — 2026
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Average hourly earnings, all warehousing and storage employees (NAICS 493), July 2026 | $26.75 | BLS |
| Average hourly earnings, production and nonsupervisory employees, July 2026 | $26.00 | BLS |
| Average starting warehouse wage reported by 3PLs | $16.41 per hour | The Fulfillment Advisor |
| Average warehouse management salary | $58,529 per year | The Fulfillment Advisor |
| Average provider cost of warehouse space | $9.19 per sq. ft. per year | The Fulfillment Advisor |
| Labor costs as a share of provider revenue | 33.97% | The Fulfillment Advisor |
| Occupancy costs as a share of provider revenue | 27.89% | The Fulfillment Advisor |
| Average provider profit margin | 13.03% | The Fulfillment Advisor |
| Average annual price increase reported by providers | 3.68% | The Fulfillment Advisor |
Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Warehousing and Storage: NAICS 493; The Fulfillment Advisor, 2026 Warehousing and Fulfillment Costs & Pricing Survey.
The BLS figures cover all employees across the industry, while the survey's $16.41 is a starting wage reported by 3PL respondents, so they measure different things. Neither is a fully loaded employment cost or a cost per order.
Comparing a 3PL to in-house fulfillment means counting the same work on both sides:
- Space: billable pallets, bins, or cubic feet against rent, racking, equipment, and utilities.
- Labor: receiving, pick-and-pack, and returns fees against staffing, supervision, payroll costs, training, and overtime.
- Technology: integration and platform fees against software, implementation, and support.
- Shipping: carrier charges and disclosed markups against the same shipments under your own carrier agreements.
- Commitments: minimums and contract terms against lease obligations and other fixed costs.
None of these sources sets a universal order volume at which outsourcing becomes cheaper. You can send Warehouse Republic your shipment data for an account-specific assessment.
Industrial Rents and Vacancy in the Inland Empire: Q2 2026
The following table shows what landlords asked and signed for industrial space in Southern California's Inland Empire in Q2 2026, the real estate cost that storage fees sit on top of.
The Inland Empire Industrial Rents and Vacancy — Q2 2026
| CBRE submarket | Average asking rent (NNN, per sq. ft. per month) | Average taking rent (NNN, per sq. ft. per month) | Vacancy rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inland Empire West | $1.17 | $1.11 | 5.9% |
| Inland Empire East | $1.03 | $0.94 | 9.0% |
Source: CBRE, Inland Empire Industrial Figures, Q2 2026, July 9, 2026.
CBRE's survey covers industrial buildings of 10,000 square feet and larger, and CBRE redrew its Inland Empire submarket boundaries in Q1 2026 and updated its historical figures to match. Taking rents are the rates on signed leases. NNN (triple-net) rates leave out certain property expenses, so none of these figures is a full occupancy budget or a 3PL charge.
Warehouse Republic's Ontario, California fulfillment center sits in the Inland Empire West submarket.
Nationally, Cushman & Wakefield reported that U.S. industrial asking rents rose 2.9% year over year in Q2 2026 and 47% over five years, with national vacancy at 6.9%. Those are market-wide measures of asking rents, and they don't translate into the same change in pallet-storage fees or fulfillment invoices.
3PL Pricing Trends: 2017–2026
The following table shows the published storage and pick-and-pack averages from every edition of The Fulfillment Advisor's survey. Each edition surveyed a different group of providers, so read the changes as differences between published averages rather than a matched-sample price index.
The Average 3PL Storage and Pick-and-Pack Rates by Survey Edition — 2017 to 2026
| Survey edition | Pallet storage per month | Bin storage per month | Cubic-foot storage per month | Single-item B2C pick and pack |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $13.02 | $2.14 | $0.54 | $2.64 |
| 2018–2019 | $13.20 | $2.85 | $0.50 | $2.86 |
| 2020 | $14.58 | $3.30 | $0.45 | $2.96 |
| 2021 | $14.79 | $4.07 | $0.45 | $3.13 |
| 2022 | $16.21 | $3.18 | $0.50 | $3.13 |
| 2023 | $18.30 | $3.20 | $0.55 | $2.97 |
| 2024 | $20.37 | $2.67 | $0.55 | $3.18 |
| 2025 | $20.17 | $3.08 | $0.46 | $3.20 |
| 2026 | $19.37 | $3.03 | $0.45 | $3.21 |
Source: The Fulfillment Advisor, Warehousing Pricing, Warehousing Costs, Rates, and Fees (annual survey results, 2017–2026).
Average pallet storage is 48.8% higher than in the 2017 edition, and single-item pick and pack is 21.6% higher, while bin and cubic-foot rates have moved up and down without a clear direction. The published monthly minimum has risen in each edition that reported one: $195 in 2023, $337.50 in 2024, $517 in 2025, and $752.08 in 2026. The 2025 pick-and-pack figure is the 2025 report's published $3.20; the publisher's rates page lists $3.25 for the same year.
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Sources
1. Warehouse Republic Research Study. October 2026. This report's compilation of 3PL fee, billing-practice, regional, operating-cost, and trend benchmarks.
2. The Fulfillment Advisor. 2026 Warehousing and Fulfillment Costs & Pricing Survey. August 17, 2026. Responses from 500 providers to a 74-question survey, about 80% operating in the U.S. and 20% in Canada. https://www.thefulfillmentadvisor.com/2026-warehouse-costs-and-pricing-survey/
3. The Fulfillment Advisor. 2025 vs. 2024 Warehousing Costs & Pricing. August 28, 2025. 2025 survey report covering more than 600 warehouses. https://www.thefulfillmentadvisor.com/2025-warehousing-market-report/
4. The Fulfillment Advisor. Warehousing Pricing, Warehousing Costs, Rates, and Fees. Updated August 19, 2026. Annual survey results, 2017–2026. https://www.thefulfillmentadvisor.com/warehousing-services-costs-pricing-rates-and-fees/
5. The Fulfillment Advisor. 3PL Pricing and Rates: How Much Does 3PL Cost? January 11, 2026. First-item pick range and container-unload guidance. https://www.thefulfillmentadvisor.com/3pl-pricing-and-rates-how-much-does-3pl-cost/
6. Fulfill.com. How Much Does a 3PL Cost in 2026? Updated June 10, 2026. Self-reported matchmaking intake data and published rate cards verified June 2026. https://www.fulfill.com/3pl-pricing
7. Fulfill.com. Pallet Calculator. Pallet footprint, default load height, and cases-per-pallet example. https://www.fulfill.com/tools/pallet-calculator
8. Fulfilment.com. In-house vs 3PL Fulfillment. May 18, 2026. Carrier-rate estimate and its citation of the 2025 Radial/Dynata survey of 200 retail decision-makers. https://fulfilment.com/en/blog/in-house-vs-3pl-fulfilment
9. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Warehousing and Storage: NAICS 493. "Earnings and Hours," July 2026. https://www.bls.gov/iag/tgs/iag493.htm
10. CBRE. Inland Empire Industrial Figures, Q2 2026. July 9, 2026. https://www.cbre.com/insights/figures/inland-empire-industrial-figures-q2-2026
11. Cushman & Wakefield. U.S. Industrial MarketBeat, Q2 2026. https://www.cushmanwakefield.com/en/united-states/news/2026/07/us-industrial-marketbeat