How These Fees Are Calculated — Detailed Billing Standard

Last updated: September 13, 2026 · Back to the component fee schedule
Every per-box fee in the schedule above is a pass-through recovery of what our logistics partners charge us for that box. This section shows you the full billing standard — the pricing formula, the actual cost ranges our partners charge by region, and the rate rules they apply — so you can verify the fee yourself, without contacting us. It applies to returns of standard Yarbo component boxes; it does not apply to Certified Refurbished units, whose returns are governed by the Certified Refurbished Detail Policy.
The formula. Per-box fee = Reverse freight + Receiving & inspection + Repackaging & materials. The per-box fee recovers the full cost of bringing that box back and is not a separate penalty charge. We recover these third-party costs only — there is no markup on top. The per-box fee is capped at the schedule price even when actual costs run higher. If the original packaging is missing or unusable and we provide replacement packaging, that replacement packaging cost is charged separately, in addition to the per-box fee.

1. What our partners charge us, by region

Yarbo returns are processed through regional fulfillment partners in the United States, Canada and Europe. Their billing to us breaks down as follows:
Cost element
United States
Canada
Europe (DE hub)
Return receiving & inspection (counting, condition check, photos, re-shelving)
$2.00–$12.00 per item (SKU), by actual weight
$1.00–$4.00 per item
€4.00 per box
Repackaging labor & carton materials
$3–$10 per item
$0.30–$10.00 per piece of packaging material; repackaging/identification $2.00–$4.00 per item
€1.00–€5.00 per box (materials; relabeling charged separately)
Labeling / palletizing / special handling (charged per occurrence when required)
$0.50–$0.90 per label; $10 per pallet; $30 per labor-hour
Labeling $0.50 per item (min $5.00); palletizing $20.00 per pallet; photos $1.00 each
Labeling €0.40 per label; palletizing €10.00 per pallet; photos €4.50 per set
Return temporary storage
No free window — billed by volume from the day after shelving
Free for the first 30 days
Free for the first 30 days
Reverse freight (see rate rules R4 below)
Carrier actuals by billable weight and zone — typically $8.70 ~ $75.70 per item domestically, higher for offshore zones
Same as the equivalent outbound freight for that item, plus a pickup fee
Fixed carrier return-label rates (see worked example)
Warehouse figures are the ranges our fulfillment partners bill us per returned item or box under our current agreements, expressed in USD for the United States and Canada and in EUR for Europe. Freight ranges are typical outcomes for Yarbo box sizes — the exact freight for your return depends on carrier, distance and surcharges triggered by that box. Return freight is rated in the carrier's zone and on the actual size, weight and condition of the box at the time of return, so unlike outbound shipping, it cannot be estimated for you at checkout.

2. Partner rate rules that drive numbers

These are the pricing rules our partners apply to every Yarbo return. They are why heavier and bulkier boxes cost more to bring back — and why the fee schedule is tiered the way it is:
R1 — Weight-band pricing. Receiving, inspection and repackaging are billed by actual weight in tiers of roughly 10 kg / 22 lb — per item in the United States and Canada, per box in Europe. Every tier step up increases the handling charge — e.g. a 99 lb (45 kg) Core box is billed at roughly 2.4× the rate of a 22 lb (10 kg) accessory kit.
R2 — Oversize / overweight / overlength surcharges. Carriers apply flat surcharges when a box exceeds their standard thresholds. On our European lane, for example, the return-label rate is €11.20 for a standard parcel — plus €45.00 overweight (over 20 kg), €60.00 oversize (over 40 kg or the longest side over 230 cm), and €6.00 overlength. The Core box (45 kg, long-side oversized) triggers nearly all of them; a small accessory box triggers none.
R3 — Battery boxes route as dangerous goods. Lithium battery returns must move on a DG-certified lane with an added dangerous-goods fee (about €8.00 on the European lane), and some carrier services refuse pure lithium shipments entirely — requiring a more expensive certified alternative.
R4 — How reverse freight itself is priced. Europe: fixed carrier return-label rates plus the surcharges in R2/R3 — fully published in the worked example below. Canada: priced at the same rate as the equivalent outbound shipment of that item, plus a pickup fee where the carrier collects. United States: billed at carrier actuals on a dedicated reverse line, looked up by billable weight and zone (LTL for oversized cartons, parcel for smaller ones), plus fuel and any applicable residential or oversize surcharges.
R5 — Storage is not charged until a return waits. Return to processing enjoy a 30-day free storage window in Canada and Europe; per-volume daily storage starts only after it. In the United States there is no free window — storage is billed by volume from the day after a return is shelved.
R6 — Unsellable units incur disposal. If a returned unit cannot be restocked, disposal/destruction is billed by weight — around $0.20–$0.40 per kg in the United States, around $0.30 per kg in Canada and around €0.60 per kg in Europe, at a higher rate for battery units, with minimum charges applying. This cost is on us, not added to your fee.
R7 — Ancillary operations are billed per occurrence. Relabeling, palletizing, carton re-sealing and special labor are each billed separately whenever the condition of a return requires them.

3. Worked examples — Europe lane, actual partner rates

Because the European return lane uses fixed published label rates, it can be computed line by line. Here is the full cost stack for two representative boxes:
Cost line (per box)
Core box (45 kg, oversized)
Accessory kit box (10 kg, standard parcel)
Carrier return label (base)
€11.20
€11.20
Overweight surcharge (over 20 kg)
€45.00
—
Oversize surcharge (over 40 kg or a longest side over 230 cm)
€60.00
—
Overlength surcharge
€6.00
—
Warehouse receiving, inspection & repack
€4.00
€4.00
Total partner cost to Yarbo
≈ €126.20 (≈ $136)
≈ €15.20 (≈ $16.40)
Fee charged to customer
$150.00
$75.00
Cost as share of fee
≈ 91%
≈ 22%
Surcharges per R2. The Core box consumes most of its fee on the overweight and oversize surcharges alone; The accessory box costs us little because it ships as a standard parcel. US and Canadian lanes run higher on freight for the big boxes (carrier actuals and same-as-outbound pricing), which is why the same $150 / $75 schedule applies there.

4. Reading this against your refund

  • The fee is a cap, not a markup. Actual partner cost for a given box is usually below the schedule fee (as the worked example shows) and can occasionally exceed it on long-haul freight — the schedule price is what you pay either way.
  • You are charged only for boxes you return, at the per-box schedule price; boxes not included in your return shipment are not charged.
  • Heavier, bulkier boxes cost more to bring them back, because of the rules R1–R4 — that is , the core box fee is higher than the accessory kit fee.
  • Batteries are the exception that runs cheapest ($60): the box is small and ships as a single DG parcel, though it requires the certified lane in R3.
Why do we publish cost ranges and rate rules instead of full rate cards. Our partners' complete price cards are confidential commercial agreements covering hundreds of lines that have nothing to do with your return (freight lanes, container unloading, storage tiers). The billing standard above covers every element that touches a Yarbo return, in enough detail to check the fee yourself.

5. If something still doesn't look right

Reply directly to your refund confirmation email with your order number and the line you question — the team that processed your refund can pull that return's records. No special request process is needed. This page already contains the standard your fee was measured against.
General questions: support@yarbo.com