Fulfilment fee calculator: size tier, fulfilment and storage fees
This fulfilment fee calculator estimates what a warehouse fulfilment programme — a marketplace’s own fulfilment network or a third-party logistics (3PL) warehouse — will charge you per unit. It reads the packaged product’s dimensions and weight, picks the size tier the same way fee tables do (longest, median and shortest side, length plus girth, and weight), works out the shipping weight with dimensional weight where the tier uses it, and applies the fulfilment fee, monthly storage fee and referral fee to give you the net profit per unit.
Fee tables differ between programmes and change at least once a year, so the tiers and fees here are an editable grid with two illustrative examples — a US-style table in inches, pounds and dollars and an India-style one in centimetres, kilograms and rupees. Copy the current table from your programme, date it, and every estimate follows it.
How to use the Fulfilment Fee Calculator (Size Tier & Storage)
- Choose an example fee table to start from, or edit the grid directly. Set the currency and units.
- Enter the packaged length, width, height, unit weight and packaging weight, and the dimensional divisor your programme uses.
- Enter the selling price, referral or commission %, product cost and inbound shipping per unit.
- Enter the storage rates for standard and peak months, choose the season and the average months a unit sits in storage.
- Read the size tier, fulfilment fee, storage and total fees per unit with the net profit, and copy the breakdown.
Fulfilment Fee Calculator (Size Tier & Storage) features
Size tier from real rules
Sides are sorted into longest, median and shortest before checking limits, length + girth is checked where a tier sets it, and the first tier that fits is used.
Dimensional weight per tier
Tiers flagged “Dim weight” bill the greater of unit + packaging weight and dimensional weight; others use the unit weight.
Stepped fees
Each tier charges a fee up to a first weight plus a fee for each further step — enough to copy most published weight bands.
Storage by volume and season
Monthly storage per cubic foot or cubic metre, with separate standard and peak-season rates.
Profit per unit
Referral fee, fulfilment, storage, inbound shipping and product cost come off the price to show the net profit and margin.
How the size tier and fee are worked out
- Sort the sides: 10 × 8 × 4 in becomes longest 10, median 8, shortest 4. Length + girth = 10 + 2 × (8 + 4) = 34 in.
- Shipping weight = unit weight + packaging = 1.7 lb; dimensional weight = 320 in³ ÷ 139 = 2.30 lb. A tier that uses dimensional weight bills the greater, 2.30 lb.
- Find the tier: the first example tier allows a shortest side of 0.75 in, so this item moves on to the second (18 × 14 × 8 in, 20 lb), where it fits.
- Fee = $3.90 for the first 0.5 lb + 8 steps of 0.25 lb × $0.30 = $6.30.
- Storage = 320 ÷ 1,728 = 0.185 ft³ × $0.78 × 2 months = $0.29.
- Profit = $29.99 − 15% referral ($4.50) − $6.30 − $0.29 − $0.50 inbound − $7 cost = $11.40, a 38% margin.
Reading a fee table
Some programmes publish a separate fee for every weight band instead of a step. Pick a step that matches the bands near your product’s weight, or add the same tier twice with different weight limits.
| Column | What to copy |
|---|---|
| Longest / median / shortest ≤ | The tier’s maximum dimensions, in the order the table lists them |
| Length + girth ≤ | Only if the tier sets one (longest side + 2 × (median + shortest)) |
| Weight ≤ | The maximum unit or shipping weight for the tier |
| Dim weight | Tick if the programme bills dimensional weight for this tier |
| Fee / covers up to | The fee for the lightest weight band and the weight it covers |
| + per step / step | The extra fee for each further weight increment (e.g. per 0.25 lb, per 0.5 kg) |
Ways to lower fulfilment fees
- A few millimetres off the shortest side can drop a product into a cheaper tier — check the limit just below your size.
- Lighter, tighter packaging cuts dimensional weight; see the volumetric weight calculator.
- Peak-season storage rates are often several times the standard rate, so send less stock before peak months.
- Compare with shipping orders yourself using the shipping cost calculator, and price the whole order with the marketplace fee calculator.
Fulfilment Fee Calculator (Size Tier & Storage) FAQ
How do I calculate fulfilment fees?
Find the product’s size tier from its packaged dimensions and weight, work out the shipping weight (including dimensional weight where it applies), and read the fee for that tier and weight from the programme’s fee table. This fulfilment fee calculator does all three from an editable table.
What decides the size tier?
The longest, median and shortest sides of the packaged product, sometimes length plus girth, and its weight. The product goes into the smallest tier whose every limit it meets.
Why is my shipping weight higher than the product weight?
Packaging adds weight, and in many tiers the fee uses dimensional weight — the box volume ÷ a divisor such as 139 in³/lb — when it is greater than the actual weight.
Are the example fees real?
No. They are illustrative numbers in the shape of common fee tables. Fulfilment programmes change fees often; copy the current table from your seller account and note its date.
How is monthly storage charged?
Usually per cubic foot (or cubic metre) of the packaged unit per month, with a higher rate in peak months. Multiply by the months a unit stays in storage on average.
Does this include returns or inbound placement fees?
Not separately. Add any per-unit inbound or placement fee to “Inbound shipping per unit”, and allow for returns in your margin.