2025 Warehousing and Fulfillment Costs & Pricing Survey Results

The 2025 Warehousing and Fulfillment Costs & Pricing Survey gathers data from over 600 warehouses annually, with 62 questions on costs, pricing, and performance. Our annual survey results provide transparency into shifting warehousing expenses, giving 3PL providers, retailers using fulfillment services, and companies managing their own warehousing a clear view of how warehousing costs change year over year.

All Survey Findings from 2017-2025:

Warehousing Services Costs, Pricing, Rates and Fees

What The 2025 Survey Results Mean for Warehouse Customers (summary):

• Higher minimum monthly spend requirements: 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.
• Long-Term Storage Fees Are Becoming the Norm: 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.
• Some Storage Costs Are Down, But Not Across the Board: 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.
• Fulfillment Costs Are Fluctuating: 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).
• More Warehouses Allow Customers to Use Their Own Freight Accounts: 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.
• Returns Are More Expensive, and More Warehouses Charge for Them: 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.

What The 2025 Survey Results Mean for Warehouse Owners (summary):

• Shrinkage Rates Have More Than Doubled: 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.
• More Warehouses Are Paying for Their Own Errors: 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.
• Labor Productivity Has Increased Significantly: 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.
• Customer Retention Has Improved: 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.
• Pricing Increases Are Smaller, but More Frequent: The average annual price increase dropped from 4.23% to 3.57%, but more warehouses (77%) now report increasing their prices regularly.
• Contract Terms Are Shifting: 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.

2025 Survey Results (details)

For our survey, we’ve segmented questions and answers into four categories:

• Performance Results: Tracks how warehouses measure their performance, like order accuracy and inventory loss, with a focus on what’s changed.
• Agreement Term Results: Looks at how flexible contracts are, how often prices go up, and the trend of setting minimum spend requirements.
• Warehousing Costs for 3PLs: Breaks down the costs for warehouse space, staff wages, management pay, and how profit margins are shifting.
• Warehousing Costs and Discounts for Customers: Covers pricing changes for services like pick-and-pack, storage, shipping deals, and new fees popping up.

2025 Warehousing Performance Results

2025 Warehousing Contract Term Results

2025 Warehousing Costs for Customers

2025 Warehousing Costs for Owners

Warehouse Pricing Survey Results: 2017 to 2024

• 2017 Warehousing Services Costs, Pricing, Rates and Fees Survey
• 2018-2019 Warehousing Services Costs, Pricing, Rates and Fees Survey
• 2020 Warehousing Services Costs, Pricing, Rates and Fees Survey
• 2021 Warehousing Services Costs, Pricing, Rates and Fees Survey
• 2022 Warehousing Services Costs, Pricing, Rates and Fees Survey
• 2023 Warehousing Services Costs, Pricing, Rates and Fees Survey
• 2024 Warehousing Services Costs, Pricing, Rates and Fees Survey

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