Parcel audit pricing: contingency fee vs. flat subscription
Most parcel audit companies work on contingency: they keep a percentage of every refund they win. A flat subscription works differently. Here is how to compare them.
Contingency: pay a share of refunds
With contingency pricing you pay nothing up front, and the auditor keeps a share of what the carrier credits back — commonly a quarter to a half. It's easy to start, but the more errors you have, the more you pay, and some providers also take a share of savings from negotiations or ongoing credits.
Flat fee: keep everything you recover
With a flat subscription you pay a fixed monthly price and keep 100% of the refunds. The cost doesn't grow with your recoveries, and you see the findings yourself, so you decide what to dispute.
A quick comparison
Say a shipper spends $60,000 a month on parcels and recovers 2% — $1,200. At a 30% contingency fee that's $360 a month to the auditor. A flat plan for that volume might cost $249. As volume grows, the gap widens; at very small volumes, contingency can be cheaper.
What else to compare
Who files the disputes, how deadlines are tracked, whether you can see every finding, contract length, and data access. Make sure you can leave at any time and take your data with you.
Try it on your invoice
ParcelAudit is a flat monthly subscription: you keep 100% of refunds, and the first audit is free so you can see the numbers before paying anything.