Fulfilment costs in Europe: how to build a benchmark you can check
How to benchmark fulfilment costs in Europe without guesswork: the six cost components, a comparison worksheet you can fill with your own quotes, and what we do not promise to publish.
Why fulfilment quotes are hard to compare
All-in fulfilment quotes look easy to compare — until you read them. Two providers can quote the same headline figure and mean two different things: one includes storage, the other does not; one charges per item picked, the other per order; one treats returns as a fixed fee, the other as a project. A benchmark is only useful when it compares the same components in the same units.
This report is a method, not a measured market benchmark: it shows you the components that matter, explains how to build a like-for-like comparison, and gives you a worksheet you can fill in with your own quotes. It does not publish a set of market rates, and we will explain why.
The six cost components
- 1. Pick and pack. The core handling fee per order, plus any per-additional-item charge. The unit is usually 'per order' and the variable is items per order. Ask whether a pick, a pack and a label are one fee or three.
- 2. Storage. Usually charged per pallet per day or per bin per day. The number that matters for you is not the unit rate — it is the storage type your stock actually needs and how much space it occupies between replenishments.
- 3. Goods-in and inbound handling. Charged per pallet, per carton or per unit when your stock arrives. Ask what is included: counting, checking, quality control, labelling, photographing.
- 4. Shipping materials. Boxes, mailers, filler, tape, labels. Some providers include these in the pick-and-pack fee; others list them separately. Ask which model applies to you — and for the price list of the materials you will actually use.
- 5. Returns handling. What does a return cost to receive, check and put back into stock? Ask what happens when a product cannot be resold, and who decides.
- 6. Shipping rates. The carrier cost per parcel. These depend on weight, packed size, destination and service level. Always quote the packed parcel, not the unpacked product — packaging changes both weight and dimensions.
How to compare quotes
- 1. Set one unit per component. Per order, per item, per parcel, per pallet, per return. Write the unit next to every figure.
- 2. Ask what 'all-in' means. Vareya's fulfilment rates are fixed and all-in per agreement — no hidden costs beyond what the agreement sets out. The scope of any agreement is exactly what that agreement says, so read the exclusions line by line and ask about anything unclear.
- 3. Separate fulfilment costs from shipping costs. They behave differently: fulfilment costs scale with your operation, shipping costs scale with your parcels.
- 4. Use the same assumptions everywhere. Order volume, items per order, average packed weight, average packed dimensions, destinations, return rate.
- 5. Re-quote when your profile changes. A new product line, a heavier average parcel or a new destination can move any of the six components.
The worksheet
For each component, record: what is included · unit · your assumption · your quote · source · date. No row is complete without a source and a date. This discipline is what separates a benchmark from a brochure. Here is the full worksheet structure — copy it into your own spreadsheet and fill it with your own quotes:
| Component | What is included | Unit | Your assumption | Your quote | Source | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Pick and pack | Core handling fee + any per-additional-item charge | per order (+ per extra item) | items per order | |||
| 2. Storage | The storage type your stock actually needs | per pallet per day / per bin per day | storage type and space between replenishments | |||
| 3. Goods-in / inbound handling | Counting, checking, quality control, labelling, photographing | per pallet / per carton / per unit | inbound frequency and units per delivery | |||
| 4. Shipping materials | Boxes, mailers, filler, tape, labels | per material unit | the materials you actually use | |||
| 5. Returns handling | Receive, check and restock; what happens when a product cannot be resold | per return | return rate | |||
| 6. Shipping rates | Carrier cost for the packed parcel | per parcel | packed weight, packed size, destination, service level |
A note on the missing figures
This version of the report is a methodology, not a measured benchmark: it does not include a current, comparable set of published market rates. Tariff data changes quickly, and we do not publish our own rates — Vareya provides rates in quotes, for your specific operation. Rather than fill a table with numbers we cannot verify, we give you the method and the worksheet. Fill it with comparable quotes for your own order profile.
Prefer to work from a file? Download the fulfilment cost comparison worksheet (CSV): columns for the six components, the units and assumption prompts — with the quote, source and date fields deliberately empty until you have a real figure to put in them. An empty field is more honest than an estimate.
If you want context for the components themselves, start with our article on fulfilment cost drivers, then use our guide to the information a fulfilment provider needs before quoting.
Why small, light and boxable products tend to compare well
Carriers price parcels in weight and size bands. When your products are small, light and boxable, parcels can sit in lower bands: less volumetric weight, fewer oversized surcharges, more parcels per pallet, more units per shelf. Compare the handling charge for your actual order mix; a smaller product does not by itself prove faster packing. These are structural differences in how costs are built up — not a savings figure. We do not publish one, because it would depend on your products and your quotes.
What we will not promise
- We do not publish a 'market average'. Averages hide exactly the differences this report teaches you to find.
- We do not publish our own rates. Vareya's fulfilment rates are fixed and all-in per agreement — no hidden costs beyond what the agreement sets out. You receive your rates in a quote for your operation.
- We do not present expired tariffs as current. If a source has no valid date, it does not belong in your benchmark.
Where does Vareya fit?
Vareya is generally best suited to brands shipping 500 or more orders per month. Profile A (Boxable Brievenbuspakket): complete packed dimensions up to 38 × 26.5 × 3.2 cm and packed weight up to 2 kg. Profile B (Non-Boxable parcel): outside Profile A, with L + W + H up to 900 mm, a longest side up to 600 mm and packed weight up to 2 kg. These are Vareya classification profiles, not universal carrier or shipping guarantees. Carrier, service, destination, handling, capacity, operational suitability and commercial viability require separate checks. Product fit is confirmed during qualification.
If that sounds like your profile, the simplest way to get your own benchmark rows filled is to start with our free fulfilment scan: you share your volume, products and destinations. Vareya will review your answers and send an initial fit response by email. You can also request a fulfilment quote directly, or compare the questions to ask any provider with our article on comparing fulfilment partners.