US fulfillment costs $0.99 to $2.86 per order in pick-and-pack fees for orders up to 22 lbs, plus $13.01 to $15.99 per pallet per month for storage and a platform fee from $14 a month while you’re shipping. Carrier postage is separate. A typical three-item DTC order at Hermeslines costs $1.87 to pick and pack.
Most 3PLs won’t give you that number without a discovery call first. Not because the number is complicated, but because fulfillment is easier to sell when the buyer can’t compare. So here is the whole cost structure, using the real rates from our published rate card, plus the arithmetic for what a full month actually costs.
US fulfillment isn’t one fee. It’s six, and any quote that gives you only the first one is incomplete:
- Pick and pack, charged per order and priced by package weight
- Storage, charged per pallet per month
- Receiving, charged when inventory arrives at the warehouse
- Returns, charged per returned package, plus restocking
- Platform access, a flat monthly software fee from $14, charged only in months you’re fulfilling orders
- Carrier postage, the shipping label itself, billed separately
Everything below covers the first five. The sixth depends on your carrier, service level and destination, so no 3PL can quote it as a flat number honestly.
What does pick and pack cost per order?
Between $0.99 and $10.53 per order, depending on weight and who supplies the packaging. Pre-packed items, meaning products that arrive ready to ship and only need a label, are cheapest because there’s no packing labor. Here is the full table.
← Swipe table to see all columns →
| Weight (kg) | Weight (lbs) | Pre-packed | Your packaging | Our packaging |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Up to 0.5 kg | Up to 1.1 lbs | $0.99 | $1.45 | $1.57 |
| 0.51 to 1 kg | 1.11 to 2.2 lbs | $1.05 | $1.55 | $1.67 |
| 1.01 to 2 kg | 2.21 to 4.4 lbs | $1.15 | $1.65 | $1.78 |
| 2.01 to 5 kg | 4.41 to 11 lbs | $1.57 | $2.01 | $2.11 |
| 5.01 to 10 kg | 11.01 to 22 lbs | $2.11 | $2.71 | $2.86 |
| 10.01 to 15 kg | 22.01 to 33 lbs | $3.95 | $4.55 | $6.97 |
| 15.01 to 30 kg | 33.01 to 66 lbs | $6.95 | $7.55 | $10.53 |
Orders over 30 kg (66 lbs) are quoted individually, because handling gets physical and the cost stops scaling in a straight line.
What about orders with more than one item?
The rate above covers the first item. Each additional item in the same order adds a picking fee based on the average item weight, which is total package weight divided by number of items:
| Average item weight | Fee per additional item |
|---|---|
| Up to 0.5 kg (1.1 lbs) | $0.10 |
| 0.51 to 1 kg (1.11 to 2.2 lbs) | $0.14 |
| 1.01 to 2 kg (2.21 to 4.4 lbs) | $0.21 |
| 2.01 to 5 kg (4.41 to 11 lbs) | $0.31 |
| 5.01 to 10 kg (11.01 to 22 lbs) | $0.64 |
Marketing inserts (thank-you cards, flyers, stickers) are $0.17 each, and they don’t count toward the average item weight calculation.
How much does warehouse storage cost per month?
Between $13.01 and $15.99 per pallet per month, with the rate dropping as you take more space:
| Pallets stored | Monthly fee per pallet |
|---|---|
| 1 | $15.99 |
| 2 | $15.44 |
| 3 to 6 | $14.96 |
| 7 to 8 | $14.65 |
| 9 to 14 | $14.11 |
| 15+ | $13.01 |
A standard pallet position is 120 x 100 x 160 cm (47.2 x 39.4 x 63.0 in), which works out to roughly 67.8 cubic feet. At the 15+ pallet tier that’s about $0.19 per cubic foot per month. At a single pallet it’s about $0.24.
Two things worth knowing before you model this. There’s a minimum monthly storage fee equal to one pallet, so holding half a pallet of stock still costs $15.99. And inventory exceeding a pallet’s dimensions is charged as a second full pallet, with no pro-rata billing for partial overage. Both are stated in the rate card rather than discovered on an invoice, which is the point.
What does it cost to get inventory into the warehouse?
$10 per incoming pallet. If you’re sending loose cartons rather than palletized freight, receiving is charged by carton weight instead:
| Carton weight | Fee per carton |
|---|---|
| Up to 5 kg (11 lbs) | $0.99 |
| 5.01 to 10 kg (11.01 to 22 lbs) | $2.05 |
| 10.01 to 15 kg (22.01 to 33 lbs) | $3.95 |
| 15.01 to 30 kg (33.01 to 66 lbs) | $6.95 |
Send a packing list with the shipment, and label master cartons with at least the SKU and brand name. Receiving without either gets billed as labor at $60/hr, because someone has to work out what arrived. Asking for a full manual piece-count on receipt is also $60/hr, with a one hour minimum.
What do returns cost?
Returns are priced on the weight of the package coming back, regardless of how many items are inside: $0.99 up to 5 kg, $2.05 for 5.01 to 10 kg, $3.95 for 10.01 to 15 kg, and $6.95 for 15.01 to 30 kg. That fee covers receiving the package, opening and visually inspecting it, and logging the condition. If the item goes back into sellable inventory, restocking is $0.20 per item.
For a brand running a 5% return rate, that’s a rounding error on the monthly bill. For apparel at 30%, it isn’t, and it’s worth modeling before you pick a fulfillment partner rather than after.
What does a single order cost, end to end?
It depends mostly on who supplies the packaging. Three real scenarios, calculated from the tables above:
All three exclude carrier postage. Pre-packed is cheapest to fulfill, but only because you’ve already paid for retail-ready packaging upstream, so it’s worth comparing on total landed cost rather than on the fulfillment line alone.
What does a full month cost?
Rate tables are abstract, so here is a complete month for a small DTC brand, every line traceable to the tables above.
No account management fee, no monthly order minimum, no peak-season surcharge. The platform fee is what gets you into the software that runs orders and inventory, so it only applies while you’re actually using it. Store inventory with us without shipping, or pause over a quiet season, and it isn’t charged. Everything else on the bill is the sum of what was physically done to your stock.
What isn’t included in these rates?
Carrier postage, first of all. It’s the largest single line in most fulfillment bills and it moves with package weight, dimensions, destination zone and service level. Anyone quoting you a flat all-in per-order number that includes shipping is either averaging across assumptions that won’t match your catalog, or building in margin they haven’t shown you. You can ship on your own negotiated carrier rates or on ours, and which works out cheaper depends entirely on your package profile and volume, so it’s worth pricing both against real order data.
Then there’s work you specifically ask for. Kitting and assembly, relabeling, repackaging, inventory audits, product photography, custom packaging setup, and FBA or retail prep are all billed at $60 per hour, prorated to the minute for administrative or minor tasks. So a four minute relabeling job costs about $4, not a one hour minimum. The exception is a requested manual piece-count on inbound, which carries a one hour minimum. New pallets are $10 and stretch wrap is $5 when prep needs them.
Where the numbers come from
Every rate on this page is from the Hermeslines 2026 US rate card, fulfilled out of our Cleveland, Ohio facility, which sits within a single day’s ground drive of more than half the US population. You can read the full rate card on the pricing page without filling anything out, or see what we handle on the services page. If you’re weighing us against a larger 3PL, we’ve also written up what it takes to compare us with ShipBob, whose rates aren’t published anywhere, which is exactly the problem.
Frequently asked questions
Is fulfillment priced per order or per item?
Per order. The pick-and-pack rate covers the whole order including the first item, and each additional item in the same order adds a picking fee of $0.10 to $0.64 depending on average item weight. A three-item order weighing 1.5 lbs packed in our materials costs $1.87 total: $1.67 for the order, plus two additional picks at $0.10.
Do fulfillment rates include shipping?
No. Pick-and-pack, storage, receiving and returns are fulfillment fees. Carrier postage is billed separately because it varies by package weight, dimensions, destination zone and service level. A flat all-in per-order price that claims to include shipping is an average built on someone else’s assumptions, not a quote for your catalog.
Can I use my own carrier rates with a 3PL?
Yes. If you already have negotiated rates with a carrier, we can print labels on your account. If you’d rather ship on our rates, that works too. Which is cheaper depends on your package profile and volume, so it’s worth comparing both against your real order data before deciding.
What does US fulfillment cost for a seller shipping 200 orders a month?
About $451 per month, or $2.25 per order, before carrier postage. That covers 200 three-item orders at 1.5 lbs packed in our materials, two pallets of storage, one inbound shipment of two pallets, a 5% return rate with restocking, and the $14 platform fee.
What extra fees should I expect on a fulfillment invoice?
At Hermeslines there are no peak-season surcharges, account management fees or monthly order minimums. Charges beyond the standard rates are triggered by things you request or by missing paperwork, and they’re all billed at $60 per hour, prorated to the minute for small tasks. That covers kitting, relabeling, inventory audits and similar work, plus receiving without a packing list. Restocking a returned item is $0.20, and a requested manual piece-count on inbound carries a one hour minimum.
Is there a minimum to use a 3PL?
Not at Hermeslines. There are no monthly order minimums and no minimum invoice. The one floor is storage, billed at a minimum of one pallet per month at $15.99 even if you use less. The platform fee from $14 a month applies on top of that, but only in months you’re fulfilling orders.
Do I pay the platform fee if I only use warehouse storage?
No. The platform fee covers access to the software that runs order and inventory management, so it’s only charged in months you’re fulfilling. If you’re storing inventory without shipping from it, or you pause during a quiet season, you pay storage and nothing else.