Enter four numbers. See your monthly cost under both pricing models 3PLs use, and where the two diverge.
What the label costs before any 3PL handling. Most parcels under 3 lb run $8 to $11 at commercial rates.
| Line item | Itemized pricing | Bundled pricing |
|---|---|---|
| Pick & pack | -- | -- |
| Packaging | -- | included |
| Storage & receiving | -- | -- |
| Returns processing | -- | included |
| Account management | -- | $0 |
| Shipping | --incl. $900 typical markup | --at carrier cost |
| Monthly total | -- | -- |
Itemized column: published industry mid-range rates, plus a typical 10% shipping markup. Bundled column: Simple Distribution's published 2026 rates, used here as a worked example. Swap in any quote you receive.
Almost the entire spread between these columns is one line. Shipping markups of 5% to 15% over carrier cost are common, and they don't appear on the invoice. Here a 10% markup adds $900 a month. Neither model is cheaper by nature. Ask any provider the same question: is shipping passed through at actual carrier cost?
This is an estimate. A real quote takes a 10-minute call about your SKUs, volumes, and carriers.
3PL pricing comes in two shapes. Itemized pricing bills each activity on its own line: pick fees, packaging, storage, receiving, returns, account fees, and shipping. Bundled pricing rolls most of those into two or three flat rates. The same warehouse work gets paid for either way. The two models distribute the cost differently.
The itemized column uses mid-range rates from published 3PL pricing guides: $2.75 base pick fee, $0.50 per additional item, $0.75 packaging per order, $22 per pallet per month storage, $10 per pallet receiving, $4 per return at a 3% return rate, a $150 monthly account fee, and a 10% shipping markup. The bundled column uses Simple Distribution's published 2026 rates: $3.00 per order plus $0.50 per unique SKU plus $1.00 per box, and $11.67 per pallet per month covering storage, receiving, inspection, and returns. Ours are public, which makes them usable as an example. Some of those lines land higher than the itemized column, as the table shows.
Shipping deserves the most scrutiny on any quote. Markups of 5% to 15% over carrier cost are widely described as an industry default, and at typical parcel volumes they can outweigh every visible difference in pick and pack rates. Some providers state their margin openly. Some pass carrier rates through at cost. To find out which, ask for sample carrier invoices, the markup percentage in writing, or pass-through language in the contract.
Every line item on a 3PL invoice, rate ranges by order volume, and the in-house comparison behind these assumptions.
