Warehouse guide · CENTRAL
Poznań as an EU 3PL hub: pricing, capacity, fit
Poland's Poznań hub for SME importers fulfilling Asia-sourced inventory across the EU. Storage at €12/pallet/month list, pick & pack from €1.2/order base, sea freight from Asia: 35–42 days via Gdańsk or rail to Małaszewicze.
€12
Storage · pallet/mo
€1.2
Pick base · order
€9
Inbound · pallet
€600
One-off setup
Where Poznań excels
- Cheapest EU 3PL labour and storage
- China-Europe rail terminus at Małaszewicze 200km away
- Strong onward DACH reach within 1-2 days
Where to push back
- Slower transit to Iberia / Italy / Nordic vs Central hubs
- Less English-language ops in smaller providers
Sample monthly cost · 1,500 orders to Poland
For a typical SME shipper running 1,500 orders/month, 1.5 average units/order, 50 pallets held, average parcel 2 kg, primary destination Poland:
| Component | Monthly cost |
|---|---|
| Storage (€12/pallet/month × 50 pallets) | €600 |
| Inbound receipt (€9/pallet × ~8 pallets/month) | €72 |
| Pick & pack (€1.2 base + €0.3/line × 1.2 + €0.08/unit × 1.5 + €0.75 materials, × 1,500 orders) | €3,645 |
| Outbound shipping to CENTRAL (€4.5 base + €0.35/kg × 2kg, × 1,500 orders) | €7,800 |
| Setup fee amortised (€600 ÷ 12 months) | €50 |
| Total monthly | €12,167 |
| Cost per order | €8.11 |
For this profile, Poznań is the lowest-cost hub of the six benchmarked.
Poznań vs all 6 EU hubs
Same shipper profile (1,500 orders/month to Poland), all 6 hubs side by side:
| Hub | Region | Total monthly | Cost per order |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poznań (this guide) | CENTRAL | €12,167 | €8.11 |
| Prague [guide →] | CENTRAL | €12,438 | €8.29 |
| Hamburg [guide →] | CENTRAL | €13,653 | €9.1 |
| Frankfurt [guide →] | CENTRAL | €13,801 | €9.2 |
| Rotterdam [guide →] | CENTRAL | €13,996 | €9.33 |
| Barcelona [guide →] | IBERIAN | €19,059 | €12.71 |
What's not in the cost
- Value-added services — QC inspection, labelling, kitting, photography, returns processing, gift wrapping (each €0.15–€4.20 per unit/return).
- Last-mile shipping — included in pick & pack but rate varies by destination region (within-region cheaper than cross-region).
- Returns handling — counts only if you opt into the returns VAS line.
- 3PL contract terms — rates here are mid-market list. Above 3,000 orders/month negotiate 10–15% off; above 10,000 orders/month, 20–25%.