Will Schneider
The 2025 Warehousing and Fulfillment Costs & Pricing Survey gathers data from over 600 warehouses each year, covering 62 questions on costs, pricing, and performance. The results track how warehousing expenses change year over year for 3PL customers and warehouses running their own facilities.
CUSTOMER COSTS: How customer-facing costs change year over year for services such as pick-and-pack, shipping, storage, and account management.
OWNER COSTS: How owner expenses change year over year, including staff wages and management pay.
CONTRACTS: How contract terms change year over year, including the frequency of price increases and minimum spend requirements.
PERFORMANCE: How performance criteria are measured year over year, including order accuracy, inventory loss, and other benchmarks.
The reported minimum has jumped from $337.50 in 2024 to $517 in 2025. This means businesses with lower order volumes may need to reassess whether their current warehouse partner is still cost-effective.
Nearly half of warehouses (48.6%) now charge long-term storage fees, up from just 23.33% in 2024. These fees can add $5-$10 per pallet per month, increasing costs for businesses holding slow-moving inventory.
The cost per cubic foot of storage dropped from $0.55 to $0.46, which is good news for businesses with high-density inventory. However, bin storage costs increased ($2.67 to $3.08), and square-foot storage costs rose from $1.22 to $1.73, meaning costs will vary depending on your storage type.
Receiving costs per pallet dropped ($12.91 to $10.52), but per container costs rose significantly ($350 to $500). If your business relies on container shipments, these higher costs could impact your bottom line. Pick and pack rates have remained stable, with only minor changes in pricing for B2C ($3.18 to $3.20) and B2B ($4.79 to $4.80).
96% of warehouses now allow customers to use their own freight accounts, up from 83% in 2024. If you have preferred carrier relationships, this gives you more control over your shipping costs.
92% of warehouses now charge for returns, up from 79.33% in 2024, with the average return fee rising from $3.95 to $4.06. If you operate in an industry with high return volumes, factoring in these extra costs is essential.
The reported inventory shrinkage rate increased from 1.24% to 2.68%. This could indicate higher theft, mismanagement, or reporting inconsistencies, all of which can impact profitability.
94.33% of warehouses now cover shipping, picking, and inventory errors when at fault, compared to 85% in 2024. While this improves customer trust, it also raises liability costs.
Picks per hour per staff member increased from 64.23 to 102.33. This suggests process optimizations, automation, or stricter performance benchmarks. If your warehouse hasn’t improved in this area, it may be worth evaluating how others achieve these gains.
Annual customer retention increased from 94.2% to 96.49%, suggesting that more warehouses satisfy their clients. Given rising costs, offering stability in pricing and service may help maintain long-term relationships.
The average annual price increase dropped from 4.23% to 3.57%, but more warehouses (77%) now report increasing their prices regularly.
Month-to-month agreements have become significantly less common (56.67% in 2024 to 30.23% in 2025), with fewer annual and multi-year agreements as well.
Customer Costs | 2025 | 2024 | YOY Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|
How much do pallet storage fees cost on average? | $20.17 | $20.37 | Small decrease of $0.20 in pallet storage fees. |
How much is the average storage cost per cubic foot? | $0.46 | $0.55 | Decreased by $0.09 per cubic foot. |
How much is the average storage cost per square foot? | $1.73 | $1.22 | Increased by $0.51 per square foot. |
How much is the average storage cost per bin? | $3.08 | $2.67 | Increased by $0.41 per bin. |
What percentage of warehouses charge long-term storage fees? | 48.6% of warehouses charge, 30-50% of standard fee | 23.33% of companies charge, 50-100% of standard fee | More companies have adopted long-term storage fees, aligning with Amazon’s approach. |
What percentage of warehouses charge an account management fee, and how much? | 35% ($102.88) | 33% ($236.67) | More warehouses charge account fees, but the reported average fee has dropped significantly. |
What percentage of warehouses charge setup fees, and what is the average setup fee? | 51% ($333) | 54% ($385) | Fewer companies charging setup fees, and the reported average fee has decreased. |
What is the average integration fee to connect with a shopping cart? | $275 | $268 | Small increase of $6.51 in integration fees. |
What is the average cost of receiving per SKU? | $2.75 | $2.50 | Increased by $0.25 per SKU. |
What is the average cost of receiving per pallet? | $10.52 | $12.91 | Decreased by $2.39 per pallet. |
What is the average cost of receiving per hour? | $45.67 | $40.79 | Increased by $4.88 per hour. |
What is the average cost of receiving per container? | $500 | $350 | Increased by $150 per container. |
What is the average cost of receiving per carton? | $2.25 | $2.75 | Decreased by $0.50 per carton. |
What is the average B2C pick and pack price for a one-item order? | $3.20 | $3.18 | Small increase of $0.02 per order. |
What is the average B2B pick and pack price for a one-item order? | $4.80 | $4.79 | No meaningful change. |
What are the average call center fees? | $1.29 per minute | $1.19 per minute | Increased by $0.10 per minute. |
What is the average kitting fee? | $43.30 per hour | $39 per hour | Hourly kitting fees have increased by $4.30. |
What is the average cost for inserts added to orders? | $0.17 | $0.25 | Decreased by $0.08 per insert. |
How do warehouses charge for shipping? | 62% cost-plus, 25% offer discounts off published rates | 65% cost-plus, 35% offer discounts off published rates | Fewer warehouses offering discounts off published rates. |
What is the average ground shipping discount? | 16.2% | 19.9% | Shipping discounts have decreased overall. |
What is the average express shipping discount? | 14.6% | 23% | Express shipping discounts have declined. |
What is the average international shipping discount? | 15.7% | 21.7% | Lower international shipping discounts compared to last year. |
What is the average LTL shipping discount? | 16% | 23% | LTL shipping discounts have also decreased. |
What percentage of respondents charge returns fees? | 92% | 79% | More companies are now charging returns fees. |
What is the average price per return? | $4.06 | $3.95 | Small increase of $0.11 per return. |
How much do warehouses charge for Amazon FBA orders and subscription box orders (per label)? | $0.37 | $0.45 | Reported per-label fees decreased by $0.08. |
How much do you charge for Amazon FBA orders and subscription box orders (per order)? | $2.50-$3.00 | $2.50-$3.20 | Reported per-order fees remain similar, with a slight reduction on the upper end. |
Owner Costs | 2025 | 2024 | YOY Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|
What is the yearly cost per square foot of warehouse space? | $9.30 | $8.31 | Increase of $0.99 per square foot from the previous year. |
What is the hourly rate of warehouse staff? | $17.15 | $16.95 | Hourly wages increased by $0.20. |
What is the annual pay for warehouse management staff? | $53,102 | $57,352 | Decrease of $4,250 in reported salaries for management staff. |
What percentage of total revenues is represented by occupancy costs? | 29.86% | 31.68% | Decrease of 1.82 percentage points. |
What percentage of total revenues is represented by labor costs? | 28.43% | 28.59% | Labor cost percentage not reported for 2025. |
What is the average corporate profit percentage? | 9.27% | 9.37% | Declined by 0.1 percentage points. |
Term Results | 2025 | 2024 | YOY Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|
What percentage of warehouses increase pricing on a regular basis? | 77% | 71.7% | Reported price adjustments are more common, increasing by 5.3 percentage points. |
What is the annual average price increase by percentage? | 3.57% | 4.23% | Reported average annual price increases are slightly lower than last year. |
What percentage of warehouses pay for shipping, picking, and inventory errors? | 94% | 85% | More warehouses reported covering costs for errors, an increase of 9.33 percentage points. |
What percentage of warehouses have a monthly minimum requirement? | 47.2% | 46.7% | Reported monthly minimums remain relatively stable. |
What is the average minimum monthly spend requirement? | $517 | $338 | Reported minimum spend requirements increased by $180. |
What percentage of warehouses offer discounted pick and pack rates? | 69% | 75% | Reported discounted pick and pack rates are less common, declining by 6+ percentage points. |
What percentage of warehouses offer month-to-month contracts? | 30% | 57% | Reported availability of month-to-month contracts dropped significantly. |
What percentage of warehouses offer annual contracts? | 36% | 48% | Reported availability of annual contracts declined. |
What percentage of warehouses offer multi-year contracts? | 17% | 33% | Fewer providers reported offering multi-year contracts. |
What percentage of warehouses offer no-term agreements? | 16% | NA | ***First year reporting this category. |
What percentage of warehouses offer discounted storage rates? | 42% | 45% | Reported discounted storage offerings declined slightly. |
For warehouses with multiple locations, what percentage of warehouses charged the same rates? | 51% | 67% | Reported decrease by 16 percentage points. |
What percentage of warehouses include carton fees in their pick-and-pack charges? | 26% | 31% | Reported inclusion of carton fees is less common. |
What percentage of warehouses allow customers to use their freight account? | 96% | 83% | More warehouses reported allowing customers to use their own freight accounts. |
What percentage of warehouses have Commercial Plus pricing with USPS? | 49% | 57% | Reported access to USPS Commercial Plus pricing decreased by 8 percentage points. |
Performance Results | 2025 | 2024 | YOY Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|
What percentage of warehouses measure their performance? | 89% | 85% | Reported performance tracking increased by 4 percentage points. |
What is the average number of orders picked per year? | 426,089 | 431,043 | Reported order volume remained relatively stable with a slight decrease. |
What is the average order-picking accuracy? | 99.42% | 99.15% | Reported picking accuracy improved slightly. |
What is the average inventory shrinkage? | 2.68% | 1.24% | Reported shrinkage more than doubled compared to last year. |
What is the average number of picks per hour per staff member? | 102 | 64 | Reported picks per hour increased significantly. |
What percentage of customers do warehouses retain annually? | 96.49% | 94.20% | Reported customer retention improved by 2.29 percentage points. |
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