3PL Pricing 2026: Every Fee Explained, With a Real Cost Example
Quick answer: 3PL pricing is a stack of small fees: setup, receiving, storage, pick and pack, packaging, extra services, shipping and, since 2025, US duty on every parcel from China. The number that decides your margin is the total cost per order, so ask each 3PL for its complete fee list and run your own order mix through it. On PackQuay's published rates, picking and packing a single-item order costs $1.00 to $2.00 depending on your daily volume, with no monthly fee and free storage while your stock keeps moving.
Three ways a 3PL builds its price
| Model | How it works | Suits | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Itemized | A separate charge for each activity: receiving, storage per pallet or bin, picking per item, materials, account fees | Large, steady volumes where every line can be negotiated | Monthly minimums and fees that only appear on the first invoice |
| Flat per order | One fee per order covers picking, packing and standard materials | Simple catalogs with similar-sized products | Paying for materials or labor your small orders don't use |
| Volume tiers, no subscription | A per-order rate that falls as daily orders grow; extras priced separately | Growing stores with uneven daily volume | Make sure the tiers and extras are published, not "on request" |
No model is cheaper by default. A price only looks cheap or expensive once your own orders run through it.
Every fee you might see, line by line
| Fee | Usually charged | Ask | At PackQuay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Setup or onboarding | One-time | Is the store integration included? | None; connecting Shopify or WooCommerce is free |
| Account fee or monthly minimum | Monthly | What do I pay in a slow month? | None; no subscription |
| Receiving | Per hour, carton or pallet | Are counting and inspection included? | Goods counted on arrival; 20% of each batch inspected free |
| Storage | Per pallet, bin or volume, monthly | Is there a long-term surcharge? | Free for the first 2 months and while you have orders; long-term storage per CBM |
| Pick and pack | Per order, plus extra items | How are multi-item orders priced? | $2.00 down to $1.00 per order by daily volume, plus extra SKU and unit fees |
| Packaging | Per piece, or bundled in | Are mailers part of the pick fee? | Mailers, padded mailers and custom boxes quoted by design and quantity |
| Labeling, kitting, assembly | Per piece or per hour | How is labor time recorded? | $7 per person per hour |
| Extra inspection | Per hour or per unit | Will I see photos? | $7 per person per hour beyond the free 20% |
| Shipping | Per parcel, often marked up | Is this carrier cost or a resale price? | At cost, across 30+ lines |
| Duties and taxes | Per parcel, prepaid or billed to the buyer | Can you ship duties paid? | Included in a landed-cost quote |
| Returns | Per return, plus return postage | Where do returns end up? | Our warehouse or a partner warehouse overseas |
| Payment fees | Often hidden in a markup | Are card and PayPal fees passed through? | Passed through at cost |
| Sourcing (China-based 3PLs) | Percentage of goods value | Does the rate fall as orders grow? | 10% down to 4% by order value; +2.5% for private label |
How tiered pick and pack is actually billed
PackQuay's pick and pack rate depends on how many paid orders you have that day, counted on Beijing time. It works like tax brackets: each order is billed at the rate of the tier it lands in, so busy days get cheaper as they go.
| Order number in the day | Base fee per order | Each extra SKU | Each extra unit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1–19 | $2.00 | $1.00 | $0.50 |
| 20–49 | $1.70 | $0.85 | $0.43 |
| 50–99 | $1.50 | $0.75 | $0.38 |
| 100–148 | $1.20 | $0.60 | $0.30 |
| 149+ | $1.00 | $0.50 | $0.25 |
Two example days, all single-item orders:
- 60 orders: 19 × $2.00 + 30 × $1.70 + 11 × $1.50 = $105.50, or about $1.76 per order.
- 150 orders: 19 × $2.00 + 30 × $1.70 + 50 × $1.50 + 49 × $1.20 + 2 × $1.00 = $224.80, or about $1.50 per order.
Multi-item orders add the extra fees. In the 20–49 tier, two different SKUs cost $1.70 + $0.85 = $2.55, and two units of the same SKU cost $1.70 + $0.43 = $2.13. Either way it is still one parcel, which keeps shipping and customs costs down.
Worked example: the full cost of one order
PackQuay's fees below come straight from our price list. The product price is an example; packaging, shipping and duty depend on your product and destination, so those lines are left for your own quote.
The setup: you sell a product that costs $5.00 at the factory, buy a first batch of 500 units ($2,500 of goods) and a customer orders 2 units. It is your 30th paid order of the day.
| Line | How it's worked out | Per order |
|---|---|---|
| Product | 2 units × $5.00 (example factory price) | $10.00 |
| Sourcing fee | A $2,500 batch is tier 1 (10%): $250, or $0.50 per unit | $1.00 |
| Inspection | 20% of the batch checked free | $0.00 |
| Storage | Free for the first 2 months and while orders are flowing | $0.00 |
| Pick and pack | Tier 20–49: $1.70 base + $0.43 for the second unit | $2.13 |
| Subtotal | Before packaging, shipping and duty | $13.13 |
| Packaging | Standard mailer or your custom box, quoted by design and quantity | Your quote |
| Shipping | At cost for the line and destination you choose | Your quote |
| US duty | Declared value × the duty rate for your product, prepaid | Your quote |
Make it a private label product and the sourcing fee becomes 12.5% ($312.50 for the batch, $0.625 per unit), so the subtotal rises to $13.38. On a 150-order day, later orders fall into the $1.20 and $1.00 tiers and the pick and pack line falls with them.
Why duty now belongs in every 3PL quote
A low-value parcel from China used to enter the US duty-free under the $800 de minimis rule. That ended for China and Hong Kong in May 2025 and for every country in August 2025. US Customs made the suspension indefinite in June 2026, and the law repeals the exemption permanently from July 1, 2027. Three consequences for 3PL pricing:
- A quote without duty is incomplete for US orders. Ask for landed cost per order.
- Ship duties paid (DDP). Otherwise the carrier may bill your customer before delivery, and a refused parcel costs you twice.
- Consolidation pays. One parcel per order rather than one per supplier means a single customs entry, and bulk freight to a US warehouse covers hundreds of units in one entry.
Hidden-cost checklist
- A monthly minimum or account fee that bites in slow months.
- Long-term storage surcharges on slow-moving SKUs.
- Peak-season surcharges on picking or postage.
- Packaging materials billed on top of a "per order" fee.
- Penalties for inbound cartons without labels or with mixed SKUs.
- Card or PayPal fees marked up inside the invoice.
- Return postage and duty when returns travel back to China.
The final test: take last month's orders, split them into single-item and multi-item, and price that exact mix with every 3PL on your list. For everything that isn't price, use our 3PL scorecard, and if you are deciding whether to outsource at all, see when a 3PL starts to pay.
How PackQuay prices 3PL
No subscription, no setup fee and no monthly minimum. You pay for products and shipping at cost plus the fees above. Storage in our Xinxiang warehouse is free for 2 months and while you have orders to process; overseas warehouse fees depend on the location, so we quote them per destination. Full tables are on our pricing page. Send your product list and last month's order count on WhatsApp and we'll price your real order mix.
FAQ
How much does a 3PL cost per order?
Add pick and pack, packaging, extra-item fees, shipping and duty for a typical order. At PackQuay, pick and pack for a single-item order is $1.00 to $2.00 depending on daily volume, while packaging, shipping and duty depend on the product and destination.
Do 3PLs charge for storage?
Most charge monthly by pallet, bin or volume, often with a surcharge for stock that sits too long. PackQuay storage is free for your first 2 months and while you have orders to process, then priced per cubic meter for long-term stock.
What is a 3PL monthly minimum?
An amount you pay every month even if your orders don't reach it. It hurts new and seasonal stores most. PackQuay has no monthly minimum and no subscription.
Why do multi-item orders cost more to pick and pack?
Each extra SKU means another shelf location and each extra unit another pick. PackQuay adds a small fee per extra SKU and per extra unit, but the order still ships as one parcel, which saves on postage and customs.
Are US import duties part of 3PL pricing?
They are part of your cost per order. Low-value parcels from China no longer enter the US duty-free, so ask for a landed-cost quote with duty prepaid instead of comparing fulfillment fees alone.