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Published on February 2, 2026 Written By Rachel Hand
Published on February 2, 2026 Written By Rachel Hand
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When evaluating fulfillment partners, pricing transparency sits at the heart of every merchant’s decision-making process. You need to know exactly what you’re paying for, when you’ll be charged, and how those costs impact your bottom line.
At ShipBob, we’ve built our pricing structure and billing systems to give you complete visibility into your fulfillment costs, because surprises in your invoice shouldn’t be part of your monthly routine.
Why some merchants used to perceive ShipBob as having “pricing transparency issues”
Some merchants initially worry about pricing transparency when considering ShipBob, often based on past experiences with other fulfillment providers. The objection typically sounds like: “I can’t get clear pricing information upfront” or “I don’t understand what I’m being charged for.”
This concern usually stems from four core assumptions:
- Some fulfillment providers hide fees or add unexpected charges after onboarding,
- Complex pricing structures mean you won’t know your actual costs until the invoice arrives.
- Line-item billing details aren’t available or are difficult to access (and instead get a lump sum at the end of the month).
- Pricing information requires lengthy sales conversations to uncover.
These concerns make sense given how many fulfillment providers operate, but ShipBob has taken a fundamentally different approach to pricing transparency.
ShipBob customizes each pricing plan for each merchant, from how batchable their products are to factoring in their average units per order, to provide pricing that is most favorable for them.
ShipBob’s steps to enhance billing and pricing transparency
ShipBob has updated its billing and pricing systems over the years to provide merchants with detailed, line-by-line breakdowns of every charge through exportable reports and a dedicated Billing Overview page. Unlike fulfillment providers with manual, complicated billing that causes disputes, ShipBob publishes all fees online by region and provides cost estimation tools in the dashboard.
The simplified all-in fulfillment cost structure combines shipping, packing materials, and labor into a single predictable fee, making it easier to forecast expenses without surprise charges for individual services.
4 ways ShipBob improved pricing clarity and billing transparency
Let’s explore exactly how ShipBob delivers on its promise of transparent, predictable pricing that helps you run your business with confidence.
1. Every charge appears as a detailed line item in your dashboard
ShipBob provides complete visibility into your billing through detailed, exportable reports that break down every single charge.
What this means in practice
When you log in to your ShipBob dashboard, you can access the Billing Overview page that displays your billed balance, unbilled balance, and total balances with all contributing invoices. Each invoice can be viewed in detail and downloaded in your preferred format.
The Analytics and Reporting section provides a Billing Summary page, showing total invoice amounts by fee category and month, with sub-reports that let you drill down into specific charge types and view percentage breakdowns of your total monthly costs.
What changed
Over the past few years, ShipBob has invested heavily in building robust billing transparency tools. While many fulfillment providers still send basic Excel spreadsheets or single-total invoices at month’s end, ShipBob moved to real-time billing visibility, where merchants can see costs in nearly real time.
Why it matters to merchants
- View daily cost breakdowns instead of waiting for monthly invoices.
- Export detailed reports for accounting and inventory management (across locations).
- Compare expected versus actual charges in real time.
- Eliminate guesswork about billing accuracy.
- Access billing data that integrates seamlessly with your technology stack.
Detailed billing in action: Our Place
Ali Shahid, COO of Our Place, explains how ShipBob’s transparency changed their fulfillment experience:
“Few merchants feel entirely at ease with the bills they receive from their fulfillment partners. With ShipBob, billing becomes straightforward and transparent.
All billing data seamlessly integrates into our own technology stack, allowing us to automatically calculate the expected charges for each parcel. We can easily compare these calculated amounts with the actual charges, eliminating any guesswork.
After transitioning to ShipBob, I receive a consolidated bill encompassing all picking, packing, and outbound freight charges. There’s no ambiguity regarding the bill’s accuracy since it’s purely mathematical.”
2. All standardized fees are published online with no hidden costs
ShipBob lists every fee structure online for each region, ensuring you know exactly what you’ll pay before you even start. The only thing you can’t access is the specific rate card, as that is unique to each merchant based on many factors.
What this means in practice
You can access complete pricing information for all ShipBob regions (the US, UK, Australia, EU, and Canada) directly online. Each region has detailed B2C pricing and additional services pricing clearly outlined.
The ShipBob dashboard includes a Pricing page and cost estimation tools, where you can input specific order details to generate precise pricing estimates. For international operations, you can even set up individual dashboards for each country in localized currency.
What changed
While you still need to talk to the ShipBob sales team to get your customized pricing, once you have that, you can calculate cost so you’ll know exactly how much you’ll spend on fulfillment before you begin.
Why it matters to merchants
- Calculate fulfillment costs before committing to a partnership.
- Access pricing information directly from your dashboard.
- Generate accurate quotes for retail partners quickly.
- Plan cash flow with predictable, published rates.
Standardized fees in action: Dossier & IZIMINI
Sergio Tache, Founder and CEO of Dossier, shares his experience:
“We did some market research, and I knew some other brands that used ShipBob. I think the first thing that really came through with ShipBob was that the pricing structure was very easy to understand. The pricing was competitive, but most importantly, the services were excellent.”
The IZIMINI team adds,
“Before ShipBob, I had no idea what I was paying my 3PL. I like that the ShipBob pricing structure is so simple and clear, including picking, packing and shipping in one fee.”
3. Simplified all-in pricing eliminates surprise charges
ShipBob’s intentionally simplified pricing structure gives you predictable fees without getting nickel-and-dimed.
What this means in practice
With ShipBob’s transparent, merchant-first pricing, we avoid industry standard “gotchas.” Rather than charging separately for items like:
- Boxes
- Pieces of dunnage
- Labels
- Fulfillment labor
ShipBob uses an all-in fulfillment cost as one easy-to-understand fee. ShipBob also fights, and often absorbs carrier correction rates to offer the lowest total cost of ownership. ShipBob also absorbs Delivery Area Surcharge (DAS) or extended DAS, most fuel surcharges, and fights and even often absorbs carrier correction fees
This approach means you won’t see unexpected charges for every little thing — it’s all included.
What changed
ShipBob developed this all-in pricing model specifically to address merchant frustrations with nickel-and-dime billing practices and make fulfillment costs easier to forecast. While other providers might add separate charges for each area, ShipBob bundles these into a single, predictable cost structure that makes budgeting straightforward.
Why it matters to merchants
- Forecast expenses accurately without too many variables.
- Avoid surprise charges.
- Simplify accounting with consolidated billing.
- Build accurate COGS models with predictable pricing.
All-in pricing in action: memobottle
Jonathan Byrt, Director & Co-founder at memobottle, experienced this firsthand:
“There have been obvious cost benefits in working with ShipBob — their cost structure is much more favorable than any 3PL we’ve worked with. With our multipick orders, we were getting slammed by pick fees all over the world.
Our 3PLs before ShipBob also were a total black box when it came to pricing — we’d just get one invoice with no line items, which made it impossible to work out what was what. With ShipBob, it’s very transparent billing and pricing, and now we know exactly what we’re being charged.”
4. Accurate cost visibility helps you manage expenses daily
ShipBob provides immediate access to fulfillment costs as they occur, not weeks later.
What this means in practice
Every single day, you can log in to your ShipBob dashboard and see what you were charged for each order. As soon as an order is labeled, you can click on it to see exactly how much it cost. This visibility even extends to comprehensive analytics that show shipping costs, fulfillment trends, and cost breakdowns by SKU, helping you understand your true cost per product.
What changed
ShipBob eliminated the traditional month-long wait to understand fulfillment costs. Instead of receiving a confusing invoice weeks after orders shipped — when it’s too late to address issues — ShipBob built systems that show costs immediately, allowing merchants to track, verify, and optimize their fulfillment expenses in real time.
Why it matters to merchants
- Review each line item as it happens in your dashboard.
- Identify cost optimization opportunities immediately.
- Verify charges while order details are fresh.
- Track daily spending against budgets.
- Make data-driven decisions about shipping options and fulfillment center locations to save more money.
Accurate cost visibility in action: Canvas
Stuart Jones, Co-Founder of Canvas, describes the difference:
“With our previous provider, there was no way to know how much we paid for a shipment to a customer for at least a month. If we had any questions about a charge, we had to remember to go back and check it on the next month’s invoice by digging into an Excel spreadsheet, finding the specific order, and looking at the price.
With ShipBob, it’s completely different. Every single day, we can look at what we were charged and review each line item in real time through our ShipBob dashboard.”
See ShipBob’s transparent pricing in action
Ready to experience fulfillment pricing that’s actually predictable? ShipBob’s transparent billing, published fee structures, and real-time cost visibility give you the financial clarity you need to scale confidently. Request your custom quote to see exactly how ShipBob’s pricing works for your specific business needs.
FAQs about how ShipBob supports pricing transparency
Here are answers to common questions merchants ask about ShipBob’s approach to pricing and billing transparency.
How quickly can I see what I’m being charged for an order?
As soon as an order is labeled in the ShipBob system, you can click on it in your dashboard to see the exact cost, giving you real-time visibility into your fulfillment expenses rather than waiting weeks for an invoice.
What’s included in ShipBob’s all-in fulfillment cost?
The all-in fulfillment cost combines your shipping label, packing materials (boxes and protective packaging like kraft paper), and labor into one predictable fee. This means you won’t see separate charges for individual services or materials.
Can I export billing data for my accounting team?
Yes, ShipBob provides detailed exportable reports through the Billing Overview page, where you can download invoices in your preferred format. The platform also includes comprehensive analytics showing breakdowns by fee category, fee type, and monthly trends.
How does ShipBob handle carrier rate increases?
Like all fulfillment providers, ShipBob passes along annual general rate increases (GRI) and seasonal peak surcharges from carriers, but is up front about these changes. ShipBob works to absorb some of these charges where possible to minimize the impact to merchants.
Can I compare costs across using different ShipBob fulfillment center locations in the US?
Yes, in the ShipBob dashboard, you can compare your current fulfillment center locations with alternative locations to see differences in shipping zones, transit times, and costs to help you understand how much you could save if you change your regional mix. This helps you continuously optimize your fulfillment strategy and reduce shipping expenses.
