Independent 2026 reference ranges for common US 3PL fees, including pick and pack, pallet storage, receiving, returns, setup, account management, and monthly minimums.
For a typical US outsourced-fulfillment quote, the largest recurring line items are usually pick and pack, storage, receiving, returns, shipping, and account minimums. The 2025 industry survey used for this benchmark reports average one-item B2C pick and pack at $3.20, B2B at $4.80, pallet storage at about $20.17 per month, receiving at $10.52 per pallet or $45.67 per hour, returns at $4.06, and average monthly minimums at $517. These are market reference points, not LogiMatcher rate quotes.
| Fee / metric | Benchmark | What buyers should normalize |
|---|---|---|
| B2C pick & pack — one-item order | $3.20 average | Normalize whether packaging and additional-item picks are included before comparing quotes. |
| B2B pick & pack — one-item order | $4.80 average | Case, carton and retail-compliance work can move B2B pricing materially. |
| Pallet storage | $20.17 / pallet / month average | The same survey reports a common market band around $18–$25 for standard dry pallet storage. |
| Cubic-foot storage | $0.46 / cu ft / month average | Useful when inventory is not efficiently palletized or providers bill by occupied cube. |
| Receiving | $10.52 / pallet or $45.67 / hour average | Ask whether container unload, sorting, counts and exception work are billed separately. |
| Container receiving / unload | $500 average | Container type, floor-load complexity, SKU count and labor can change the actual charge. |
| Returns processing | $4.06 average | Inspection, refurbishment, photos, disposal and restocking can create additional steps. |
| Account management fee | $102.88 average among chargers | The survey reports 35% of respondents charging an account-management fee. |
| Monthly minimum | $517 average | For lower-volume brands, the minimum can matter more than the headline pick fee. |
| Annual price increase | 3.57% average | Contract escalation language should be compared alongside the starting rate. |
The survey reports an average monthly minimum of $517, up materially from the prior year. A low pick fee does not necessarily produce a low monthly bill when minimums, account fees and storage floors apply.
Receiving may be billed by pallet, hour, carton, SKU or container. Ask every shortlisted 3PL to price the same inbound scenario so a low receiving line does not hide a separate unload, count or project charge.
Pallet, bin, cubic-foot and square-foot pricing are not directly interchangeable. Buyers should model their own average inventory profile instead of comparing the posted storage unit alone.
Location, labor, order complexity, packaging, integrations, service levels, seasonality and shipping economics can move a real proposal above or below these figures. Use the numbers to challenge assumptions and normalize quotes, not to predict an exact final bill.