Bigblue storage pricing: cubic metres, pallets and prorated fees

Bigblue storage pricing key takeaways

Storage is charged by volume in cubic meters (m³), based on the real space your products take up, not by a fixed pallet slot. When your stock arrives, we measure each product (length x width x height). Your stored volume is that figure multiplied by the number of units you hold.

This matters for e-commerce. A pallet-based model makes you pay for a full pallet even when it is half empty. The volume model bills only the space your stock fills, so brands with many small products are not charged for air.

We check how much space your stock takes up every day, so you only pay for the space you fill and the days you fill it.

You can see your stored m³ live in the Bigblue App, and it is billed the same way across all 10 warehouses (6 France, 2 Spain, 1 UK, 1 Germany).

How Bigblue calculates storage volume in cubic metres

The calculation is deliberately simple to verify:

1. Measure each product when it arrives. When your stock arrives, we measure each product (length x width x height), so your volume is based on its real size, not an estimate.
2. Multiply by quantity. Volume per unit times the number of units on hand gives the total m³ for that product.
3. Apply the rate. We multiply that volume by the per-m³ price, which rises the longer the stock has been stored.

Worked example: take a product measuring 21 x 30 x 4 cm. One unit is tiny, but 1,000 units together fill about 2.5 m³, roughly a large wardrobe. That 2.5 m³ is multiplied by the per-m³ rate to give your monthly cost.

Exact per-m³ rates are set per contract. The logic is always the same: you pay for the volume you fill, times a rate that rises the longer stock stays in the warehouse.

Bigblue volume billing vs pallet billing for ecommerce brands

With volume billing you pay for the space your stock actually fills. And because the rate rises with age, your bill flags slow-moving stock before it gets expensive. Because you see your stored m³ live in the Bigblue App, you can cut storage costs early, before they pile up.

The same volume-based calculation runs across all 10 Bigblue warehouses (6 in France, 2 in Spain, 1 in the UK, 1 in Germany), linked by one inventory system. So your storage is billed the same way whether you sell in one country or several.

This bites hardest in fashion, where stock sits through a full season. Slow seasonal stock leaves pallets half empty, and pallet billing charges you for that empty half. Volume billing charges only the m³ you fill, which is exactly the cost that erodes fashion margins.

How this plays out for brands at scale:

• Cabaïa runs its online, retail, and wholesale orders from one shared stock pool. Because it pays for the m³ that pool fills, it never pays pallet minimums on stock split across channels.
• It works the same for very different product sizes: AIGLE outerwear, SVR cosmetics, and Tupperware homeware all pay for the m³ their range actually fills.

Bigblue storage pricing FAQ

Is Bigblue storage charged per pallet?

No. By default you pay for the volume you fill in m³, so you are never charged for a whole pallet slot you have not filled.

How does Bigblue measure product volume?

When your stock arrives, we measure each product (length x width x height) and multiply by how many units you hold.

Does Bigblue storage pricing change over time?

Yes. The per-m³ rate rises as stock ages, which encourages rotation and flags slow-moving inventory early.

Are partial storage months billed for the full month?

No. We count your stock daily, so you pay only for the space you held and the exact days you held it, never a flat monthly fee.

Where to track Bigblue storage costs and stored volume?

In the Bigblue App, where your stored volume by product and age is visible in real time across all warehouses.