Pick and pack is the combination of order picking (taking the ordered items from their storage locations) and packing (checking, boxing, weighing and labelling). Fulfillment providers in Germany usually bill it as a fee per order plus a price for each additional order line.
On this page
What is pick and pack?
Pick and pack bundles the two steps that turn an online order into a ship-ready parcel. Picking is the order picking of the items from the warehouse shelves. Packing covers the control check, packaging, weighing and labelling at the packing station. The term comes from English-speaking logistics and is used unchanged in Germany, so you will find "Pick & Pack" as a line item on almost every German price list.
The boundaries are simple. Picking alone ends when the items arrive at the packing station. Pick and pack ends when the parcel is handed to the carrier. Wider variants such as "pick, pack and ship" include the carrier handover and postage explicitly. Within the whole fulfillment chain it sits between storage and shipping, and it is the part of the work a provider bills per order.
How pick and pack works in practice
A typical order passes through these stations in the warehouse of a fulfillment provider:
- Order import: The order arrives from your shop or ERP in the warehouse management system (WMS) through an integration, normally within minutes.
- Pick: The picker receives the order lines on a handheld scanner, walks the storage locations in an optimised sequence and scans each item.
- Check at the packing station: The packer scans the order, the system shows the expected lines, and every item is scanned a second time.
- Pack: The WMS suggests the right carton; the packer adds void fill, inserts and the delivery note.
- Weigh and label: The parcel is weighed, the weight is compared with the expected value, and the shipping label is printed and applied.
- Handover: A final scan reports the tracking number back to your shop, and your customer receives the tracking link.
In a well-organised warehouse a single-line order takes less than two minutes of pure working time, provided orders are picked in batches and the packing stations are laid out by carton size.
How pick and pack is billed in Germany
| Price component | What it covers | Typical German market price 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Order fee / first pick | creating the order, picking the first line, packing, labelling | €0.90 to €2.20 |
| Additional line | each further line in the same order | €0.15 to €0.40 |
| Packaging material | carton, void fill, tape | €0.20 to €1.50 depending on size |
| Extras | inserts, gift wrap, labelling | €0.05 to €0.50 per action |
| Postage | carrier rate, billed separately | e.g. DHL domestic parcel €3.99 to €6.50 net |
Including packaging but excluding postage, blended costs come to €2.80 to €5.50 per parcel. The full picture, including storage and inbound fees, is covered under fulfillment costs.
Never compare quotes on the first-pick price alone. A provider charging €1.20 for the first pick and €0.40 per additional line is more expensive for you than one charging €1.60 and €0.15 as soon as your orders average more than about 2.6 lines. Run the numbers with your real order structure.
Why pick and pack matters for online sellers
Pick and pack is the moment a provider keeps the promise your shop has made: the right item, undamaged, in the right carton, handed over before the cut-off time. Every error at this point is visible to the end customer straight away, as a wrong item, damaged goods or a late delivery. For sellers shipping into Germany from abroad this matters even more, because German consumers are used to fast, accurate delivery and leave reviews accordingly.
Pick and pack is also the largest variable cost block in fulfillment. For a shop with 3,000 orders a month, a difference of €0.30 per order adds up to €900 every month. Pick accuracy and the cost per order are therefore the first two figures to check when comparing providers, ideally backed by a service level agreement.
Look for items that are not included in the pick and pack fee: cartons, void fill, delivery-note printing, inserts, weight surcharges. With some providers these components double the price per order. Ask for a sample invoice based on your typical basket.
How LogYou handles it
At LogYou in Butzbach, central Germany, pick and pack runs on the company's own platform LogShip, which combines WMS, order processing and a client portal with live stock levels and live shipment status. Pick accuracy is 99.92 %, and orders received by 2 pm go out the same day via DHL, GLS, UPS or DPD, which makes same-day shipping the standard process. The price components are itemised transparently: see e-commerce fulfillment and the pricing page.
Frequently asked questions about Pick & Pack
What is pick and pack in fulfillment?
How much does pick and pack cost in Germany?
What is the difference between pick and pack and order picking?
Questions about Pick & Pack 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.