Fulfillment costs are all the fees a fulfillment provider charges for storage, order picking, packing, shipping and returns. In Germany the blended cost in 2026 is typically €2.80 to €5.50 per parcel excluding postage; postage adds €3.99 to €6.50 per domestic parcel. These are German market ranges, not converted figures.
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What are fulfillment costs?
Fulfillment costs are the sum of all fees that a fulfillment provider charges for receiving, storing, picking, packing and shipping your goods and for processing returns. They replace the costs you would otherwise carry yourself: warehouse rent, staff, packaging material, carrier contracts and software.
The term is often confused with shipping costs, but postage is only one of five components and frequently not even the largest. When comparing offers, read the whole price list, not just the parcel rates. All figures in this article are German market ranges in euros. They are not converted into pounds or dollars, because German providers quote and invoice in euros.
The five cost blocks in fulfillment
Almost every German price list comes down to the same five blocks; the names vary, the logic does not:
| Cost block | Billed per | German market price 2026 | Price drivers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goods receipt | pallet, carton or item | €4–15 per pallet | advance notice, labelling, counting effort |
| Storage | occupied space and month | €8–25 per pallet space | number of SKUs, turnover, climate requirements |
| Pick and pack | order and line | €0.90–2.20 first pick, €0.15–0.40 per further line | lines per order, bundles, special packaging |
| Shipping | parcel | €3.99–6.50 net domestic (DHL), plus packaging material | weight, destination country, peak surcharges |
| Returns | item | €1.50–3.80 incl. quality control | return rate, depth of inspection, refurbishment |
Some providers add base fees (a monthly flat rate for software, client portal and account management), a setup fee at the start, and surcharges for special services such as kitting, inserts or dangerous goods.
How fulfillment prices come about in practice
A provider's price list allocates its own costs: rent and energy to storage fees, staff to pick and handling fees, software and support to base fees. Prices therefore respond to three variables from your business:
- Order structure: a single-item shop pays almost only first picks; a shop with four lines per order pays noticeably more per parcel.
- Breadth of range: many SKUs with little revenue occupy storage locations, lengthen pick routes and make stocktakes more expensive. The ratio of SKU count to order volume is the most important lever in storage costs.
- Volume: from a few hundred parcels a month, unit costs fall noticeably, because fixed elements such as the base fee and minimum storage are spread over more shipments. At 500 parcels a month, the fixed share is often still 15 to 25 % of the cost per parcel; at 2,000 parcels it is only in the single-digit percentage range.
Send every provider the same data: parcels per month, average lines per order, number of SKUs, pallets occupied, return rate and weight classes. Ask for a sample calculation per parcel on that basis. Only then can price lists with different structures be compared.
Why fulfillment costs are decisive for online sellers
With an average basket of €45 to €70, logistics costs including postage quickly amount to 12 to 20 % of revenue. That makes them the third-largest cost block in e-commerce after cost of goods and marketing. A difference of €0.80 per parcel equals €19,200 a year at 2,000 parcels a month.
Just as important is the structure of the costs. Variable costs per parcel grow with revenue and can be priced into the margin. Fixed elements such as minimum turnover, a minimum contract term or high base fees bind you regardless of how the shop performs. For growing brands, and particularly for international sellers testing the German market, low fixed costs and fair unit prices almost always beat the cheapest first pick.
Sellers from outside the EU should also budget for two items that appear on no fulfillment price list: freight, duties and import VAT for bringing stock into Germany, and German VAT compliance. See cross-border fulfillment.
Look out for items missing from the sample calculation: packaging material per carton, minimum storage charges, surcharges for orders with more than five lines, peak surcharges in Q4, fees for stocktakes or for removing your goods at the end of the contract.
Reducing fulfillment costs: the most effective levers
- Clean up the range: delist or sell off SKUs with no revenue instead of storing them.
- Plan stock: store only as much as will sell in six to eight weeks; a high stock turnover lowers storage cost per parcel.
- Standardise packaging: three to four carton sizes instead of twelve save material and dimensional weight, and multi-carrier shipping matches each size with the right service.
- Prepare inbound deliveries: pre-advised, single-SKU, labelled pallets cost less than mixed cartons without a delivery note.
- Reduce returns: every avoided return saves return postage, inspection and restocking, see returns management.
Whether outsourcing pays off at your volume is calculated in the guide When to outsource fulfillment.
How LogYou handles it
LogYou works with transparent price components rather than nested price lists: plans from €99 per month (Start), Growth from €199.99 and Premium from €299.99, each with no minimum contract term. The model becomes economical from around 10 parcels per day. All components are listed on the pricing page; the scope of services is described under e-commerce fulfillment.
Frequently asked questions about Fulfillment costs
What does fulfillment cost per parcel in Germany?
Which components make up fulfillment costs?
Why do fulfillment offers differ so much?
Questions about Fulfillment costs for your shop?
We have been shipping parcels for e-commerce brands every day since 2014. Tell us your parcels per day and shop system — we reply with a concrete assessment.