Transparent 2026 pricing guide — storage, pick-and-pack, outbound handling, and real cost examples for South African e-commerce merchants.
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South African 3PL fulfilment typically costs R8–R25 per order for pick-and-pack, plus priced per month on request for storage. A merchant dispatching 300 orders/month from a 2-pallet footprint can expect to pay R4,500–R8,500/month in total fulfilment costs before courier charges.
Most providers don’t publish these numbers. We do — because transparent pricing is better for everyone. Read on for the full breakdown, or contact JLog for a quote tailored to your exact volumes.
Third-party logistics (3PL) fulfilment means an external warehouse stores your stock, picks individual items when an order comes in, packs them, and hands them to a courier. You never touch a parcel.
The four core components that make up your total fulfilment bill are:
1. Storage — the space your stock occupies, charged per pallet, per cubic metre, or per shelf position per month.
2. Pick-and-pack — the labour to locate your item in the warehouse, package it appropriately, apply labels, and ready it for collection.
3. Inbound receiving — processing your stock when it arrives at the warehouse (counting, scanning, labelling, put-away).
4. Outbound/dispatch handling — handing over to the courier, generating manifests, managing collections.
Courier charges are typically a pass-through — the 3PL adds them to your invoice at the same rate they pay (or with a small margin). At JLog, we have direct accounts with FedEx, DHL, and 11 domestic carriers via Bob Go, which means our clients get rates that smaller merchants couldn’t negotiate independently.
Storage is usually the most predictable part of your bill. The three most common pricing models are:
| Storage Unit | Typical SA Range (2026) | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Per pallet per month | On request | Bulk stock, furniture, large items |
| Per shelf position per month | On request | Small SKUs, accessories, apparel |
| Per cubic metre per month | On request | Mixed or irregular stock |
| Per square metre (floor area) | R120 – R250 | Large dedicated bays, high-value goods |
Location is the biggest variable. Cape Town warehousing commands a 15–25% premium over Johannesburg equivalents, reflecting property rates in the Western Cape. Woodstock and Observatory — where JLog operates — sit in Cape Town’s logistics corridor, with direct access to the N2 and N1.
Temperature control, security classification (alarmed vault, cage storage, CCTV), and goods-in-transit insurance coverage all add cost. For high-value or fragile goods, these are non-negotiable.
Our facility at 10 Railway Street, Woodstock, is 8 minutes from the Cape Town port and 12 minutes from the airport — which matters when you’re shipping internationally or coordinating last-mile delivery across the Cape Peninsula.
Pick-and-pack is where most of the variation sits. It is almost always charged per order (not per item), with additional per-item fees for orders containing multiple SKUs.
| Order Type | Typical SA Range (2026) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Standard single-item order | R8 – R14 | One SKU, standard poly bag or box |
| Multi-item order (per additional item) | On request | Added to base rate per extra SKU |
| Branded/custom packaging | R12 – R22 | Tissue paper, inserts, branded boxes |
| Fragile or high-value goods | R18 – R40 | Bubble wrap, double-boxing, condition report |
| Kitting / assembly | R15 – R45 | Quoted per project based on complexity |
The R8–R14 base rate assumes your products are well-organised, clearly labelled with barcodes, and arrive at the warehouse ready to store. If your stock requires re-labelling, reorganising, or special handling instructions, expect higher rates.
A 3PL offering R5/order pick-and-pack is almost certainly cutting corners — on packing quality, accuracy rates, or handling standards. For fragile, high-value, or branded goods, a damaged or sloppily packed order costs far more in returns, replacements, and customer trust than the saving on pick fees.
Some 3PLs charge a separate outbound dispatch fee. Others bundle it into the pick rate. Always clarify which model applies.
| Service | Cape Town to JHB (0–5kg) | Cape Town to Durban (0–5kg) |
|---|---|---|
| Economy (2–4 days) | R75 – R120 | R80 – R130 |
| Express (next day) | R130 – R210 | R140 – R220 |
| Overnight (AM delivery) | R200 – R280 | On request |
Rates above are indicative and based on negotiated account pricing available through aggregators like Bob Go. Volume discounts apply significantly — a merchant dispatching 500+ parcels/month can save 15–30% versus rates available to smaller shippers.
At JLog, your orders are automatically rated across 11 carriers at the time of dispatch, selecting the best combination of price and delivery speed per zone. This automated rate shopping typically saves a quoted amount compared with using a single carrier.
When stock arrives at the warehouse, it needs to be counted, checked against your purchase order, scanned, and put away. This is typically charged per unit or per carton.
| Receiving Service | Typical Range |
|---|---|
| Per unit receiving and put-away | R4.50 – R7.00 |
| Per carton receive (bulk) | R18 – R35 |
| Re-labelling / re-barcoding | R3.50 – R6.00 per unit |
| Condition check and photography (high-value) | R15 – R35 per unit |
Returns are an often underestimated cost. Every return requires inspection, a condition assessment, a decision on whether to return to stock or quarantine, and sometimes repackaging.
| Returns Service | Typical Range |
|---|---|
| Standard return processing | R55 – R90 per unit |
| Inspect, re-pack, return to stock | R90 – R140 per unit |
| Damaged goods processing and report | On request |
| Fee Type | Typical Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly account/management fee | On request | Covers system access, reporting, account management |
| Minimum monthly spend | R1,500 – R3,500 | Most SA 3PLs apply a minimum even at low volumes |
| Packaging materials (per unit) | On request | Poly bags, boxes, bubble wrap — often at cost |
| Special handling (per consignment) | On request | Oversized, extremely fragile, or hazardous items |
To make this concrete, here is what a typical mid-size South African e-commerce merchant with 300 orders/month and a 2-pallet storage footprint would pay.
Business profile: Lifestyle accessories brand. Average order = 1.5 items. 90% domestic dispatch. Stock arrives monthly in 2 bulk shipments. Return rate ~5%.
Courier costs on top of this would be R75–R160 per parcel depending on service level and destination — for a domestic economy service across South Africa, R22,500–R45,000/month on 300 orders.
Per-order fulfilment cost: roughly R21.70 excluding courier. For a business selling products at R250–R500, that represents 4–9% of revenue — comparable to most payment processing fees, and far cheaper than running your own warehouse when you factor in rent, staff, insurance, and equipment.
Pick-and-pack in South Africa typically costs a quoted amount depending on complexity, SKU count, and order volume. Standard single-item orders from an established 3PL run a quoted amount. Multi-item, branded, or fragile orders attract higher rates. Volume discounts apply above roughly 500 orders/month.
Pallet storage in Cape Town ranges from a quoted amount per month, depending on the facility, lease term, and whether temperature control or high-security storage is required. Shelf positions for smaller items typically run a quoted amount per month.
Most South African 3PLs work with merchants dispatching 50–200 orders per month as a minimum. Below that threshold, the unit economics typically favour in-house or hybrid fulfilment. JLog works with growing brands from 50 orders/month upward, with pricing structures designed to scale with you.
No. Courier charges are almost always quoted and billed separately, passed through at the carrier rate plus a margin (or at cost for high-volume clients). Your fulfilment invoice and your courier invoice are typically two separate line items.
Cape Town warehousing typically runs 15–25% higher than Johannesburg equivalents due to higher property rates in the Western Cape. However, for merchants whose customer base is concentrated in the Western Cape, Cape Town fulfilment offers meaningful courier savings and faster local delivery times that can more than offset the storage premium.
Setup or onboarding fees range from zero (some providers waive them to win business) to R8,000 for complex integrations. Typical range is R1,500–R4,500. Always ask whether this is refundable and at what volume threshold it is waived.
Tell us your order volumes, SKU count, and product type. We’ll give you a full breakdown within 24 hours — no vague ranges, no hidden fees revealed later.
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