Warehousing · June 22, 2026
A 3PL quote has more lines than a storage rate. Here's what each one is — and which ones you control.
When shippers compare 3PL providers, they usually look at the storage rate and stop there. That's where the surprises come from. Warehousing is priced across several activities, and the storage line is often the smallest of them. Knowing the full picture lets you compare quotes honestly and keep the total down.
The cost to take freight in — unload the container or trailer, count, inspect and put it away. Usually billed per pallet, per carton or per hour. Clean, palletized inbound receives faster (and cheaper) than floor-loaded freight that has to be built to pallets.
What most people picture — billed per pallet, per square foot or per cubic foot, by the week or month. The lever here is how well your inventory is slotted and how fast it turns. Slow-moving stock parked on prime racking costs more than it should.
The cost to fulfill orders — typically per order plus per line or per unit, plus packaging. For B2B and retail, add any routing-guide compliance work. This scales with order volume, so it's the line that grows as you do.
The extras: kitting and assembly, returns processing, special labeling, rework, and overflow handling. Most are optional services you can dial up or down. The trap is not knowing they exist until they're on the invoice — so ask up front.
Send clean, palletized inbound where you can; keep fast and slow movers slotted sensibly; and use flexible storage instead of a fixed lease so you only pay for the space you use. When you need to flex up for peak, we add overflow capacity through our partner Long Road Warehouse rather than making you commit to year-round space. And keeping the drayage and the warehouse under one team means the inbound receives the day it lands — no demurrage waiting on a separate carrier.
Across several activities: receiving (per pallet/carton/hour), storage (per pallet/sq ft/month), pick & pack (per order plus per line/unit), and accessorials like kitting, returns and labeling.
Because receiving, fulfillment and accessorials are billed separately — and together they often exceed the storage line. Compare quotes on all activities, not just storage.
Palletize inbound, slot inventory by turn speed, use flexible storage instead of a fixed lease, and consolidate drayage and warehousing under one team to avoid handoff fees and demurrage.
Yes — short- or long-term, scaling up for peak (including overflow via our partner network) so you only pay for the space you actually use.