The 20 Best Ecommerce Order Fulfillment Services to Help You Grow Your Store

August 25, 2023

617739ed13fb435d8d5fc72a The 20 Best Ecommerce Fulfillment Companies to Help You Grow Your Store Featured Image order fulfillment companies

Ecommerce is almost magical from the customer’s perspective. When they want something, they just press a button and—poof!—it arrives at their doorstep a couple of days later.

But that experience requires reliable behind-the-scenes ecommerce fulfillment and logistics. Of course, a lot happens behind the scenes when a product moves from point A to point B.

Before the customer even places their order, all that inventory must be organized to quickly and easily retrieve the products as they are needed.

You may also need to maintain special facilities at your storage locations, such as refrigeration for food or medicine.

For example:

  • Before an order is even placed, your items must be stored strategically (ideally as close as possible to your demand to shorten travel time and logistics).
  • You need to package your products with the right dunnage to avoid breakage. Sometimes your sales channels will have specific requirements.
  • When an order comes in, you’ll need to have any kits and bundles ready and correct labeling and stickering to easily find the items and send them out in compliance.
  • Extra time and effort are required for particularly fragile, large, or oddly shaped products. Some items may even require special machinery to handle.
  • Finally, you need to choose a carrier to ship the product, and it can take significant research to figure out how to get the best rate.

Overall, it’s a complicated process, but buyers want you to be fast and accurate.

If you can’t offer fast delivery, you’ll lose business to competitors who can. And, if any hiccups in your process cause delayed deliveries, your reputation is going to take a hit.

Ultimately, if you’re unable to keep up with order fulfillment, you may not be in business for long. 

OK, so let’s get on with all the juicy benefits of offloading your shipping operations to someone else.

The benefits of outsourcing your ecommerce order fulfillment

warehouse shelves boxes worker scanner
Image: Unsplash

You probably don’t need an ecommerce fulfillment company if you’re just starting out and operating your store from your basement.

But think about when your sales triple or even quadruple.

You need to send orders out as soon as they’re placed, with hundreds (maybe even thousands) of them in a single day.

Fulfilling orders can quickly become a full-time job when sales start to pick up. Furthermore, it will eventually require more than just a basement and spare time.

You’ll need to invest in storage space, additional equipment, and workers.

That’s where ecommerce order fulfillment companies come in. They help businesses store, process, and ship their products. 

Plus, with powerful shipping apps, you can manage your fulfillment strategy right from your ecommerce platform’s dashboard.

They offer affordable access to inventory management infrastructure that would cost a fortune to set up on your own. And they can usually handle returns for you, too.

Save valuable time

An order fulfillment company is a well-oiled machine that handles the entire fulfillment process for you, from product storage to delivering your customer’s orders.

They incorporate automation, reducing potential human error and saving you both time and money in the long run.

Focus on your core business

When all the tedious fulfillment tasks are off your plate, you can focus on actually growing your business instead of scrambling to send orders.

You can invest more time in marketing your product, performing product research to expand your offerings, optimizing your website to make it more user-friendly, and improving the customer experience.

Get wider shipping coverage

When operating in a small area, you’re essentially boxed in.

It’s difficult to fulfill orders for New York from your small packing room in Los Angeles. Most small businesses opt to lose business and limit their operations to a single location because it’s such a strain.

With ecommerce fulfillment centers, you get wider coverage with warehouses across different locations.

You can coordinate with suppliers more easily and ask them to send items to your fulfillment network’s location that’s closest to them (e.g., if they’re in California, they can send your product to your fulfillment network’s California location).

Access faster delivery times

As previously established, fast delivery is a requirement for survival.

Forty-one percent of buyers have stated that quick delivery time is the most important part of the online shopping experience.

Fulfillment centers have networks, meaning warehouses in different locations that can fulfill an order based on customer location, meeting your customers’ fast delivery expectations.

More affordable rates

Fulfillment companies have strong economies of scale, which creates savings they can pass down to merchants.

For example, buying packaging and dunnage in bulk to cover thousands of merchant goods is cheaper than getting a smaller amount that only covers one store’s sales.

They also fulfill orders in bulk and can negotiate for lower delivery rates as a result.

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20 Top ecommerce order fulfillment companies to scale your store

To help you choose the best ecommerce fulfillment company for your business, we’ve compiled some of the top options out there, with pros and cons.

1. Amazon Multi-Channel Fulfillment

Amazon Multi-Channel Fulfillment logo

Amazon Multi-Channel Fulfillment (MCF), not to be confused with Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA), is a fulfillment service from Amazon for brands that sell outside of the Amazon Marketplace.

Pros

  • Extensive fulfillment network built with Amazon’s robust eCommerce infrastructure
  • Fast delivery speeds available, such as next-day and 2-day shipping
  • Simple and transparent pricing with competitive rates (although more expensive than FBA)

Cons

  • Limited sales channels (for example, Walmart and eBay prohibit using Amazon’s fulfillment service due to branding concerns)
  • No control over boxing or branding, as you get Amazon branding on your packages
  • Slightly more expensive fees than their FBA service

The most significant advantage of Amazon MCF is they’ve been in the game for a long time.

They’re reliable, have an extensive network of warehouses, and know precisely how to handle the fulfillment process from start to finish.

Because they work with so many businesses, they can also offer lower storage and fulfillment fees. All this means you can get products to buyers faster and at a lower rate.

But Amazon MCF isn’t for everyone because they don’t work with all platforms and don’t accept all items.

For example, they don’t integrate with Walmart’s TwoDay Delivery or let you control your branding on packages, so your boxes will have Amazon branding all over them.

In addition, if you plan to store your items for a while, Amazon MCF charges long-term storage fees, which can get pricey.

Pricing structure

With Amazon MCF, you need to pay for storage and fulfillment fees, including picking, packing, and shipping.

Their fulfillment fee starts at $3.99/unit, and their storage fee starts at $0.75 per cubic foot. They also give discounts for multi-unit orders.

If you want to know more about Amazon MCF’s pricing structure, download their rate card or use their rate calculator (must have access to Amazon Seller Central).

2. Complemar

complemar logo

Complemar is one of the most experienced ecommerce fulfillment companies.

They’ve been in business for over 70 years and have served over 500 customers along the way.

Pros

  • Full suite of services
  • Refund management
  • Guaranteed 99.99% inventory accuracy, order accuracy, and on-time delivery

Cons

  • Only five fulfillment centers
  • No international shipping

Complemar offers a full suite of ecommerce solutions, from order fulfillment services and returns management to co-packing, kitting, and product assembly services.

They’re compatible with brands that sell health and beauty products, subscription boxes, telecom products, and wine and spirits.

Best of all, Complemar guarantees quality service, with 99.99% inventory and order accuracy and on-time delivery.

More explicitly, they report hitting 99.99% order accuracy, 99.5% inventory accuracy, and 99.9% on-time delivery for over 680 million orders.

They have four warehouses across the United States with a total of over 300,000 square feet in storage space. While the warehouses are strategically located, storage space might become a challenge if you decide to scale your brand.

Additionally, they only have warehouses in the US, so they don’t offer worldwide shipping and fulfillment services.

Pricing structure

Complemar doesn’t have a clear pricing structure on their website. To find out how much their services cost, you have to book a call with them and ask for a personalized package.

3. Deliverr

Deliverr logo

Deliverr is a fulfillment service that claims to increase sales across the board with their two-day delivery services and express delivery badges.

Pros

  • Network of strategically placed warehouses
  • 95% of shoppers in the US eligible for 2-day delivery with their network
  • Integrates with many major platforms
  • Affordable, transparent pricing

Cons

  • Lack of custom branding or packaging
  • Reportedly slow customer support
  • Doesn’t support buyer returns

Deliverr’s most significant selling point is their strategically placed fulfillment warehouses across the United States.

In fact, 95% of US-based customers are eligible for two-day or express shipping because of their extensive warehouse network.

Deliverr integrates with major ecommerce platforms and tools, including Shopify, BigCommerce, Wish, Walmart, and more. On top of all that, they have a straightforward pricing scheme for both storage and fulfillment services.

On the flip side, Deliverr doesn’t have a lot of flexibility when it comes to branding options. Their customer support has also been reported to take a few days to answer queries.

Pricing structure

Deliverr’s pricing structure isn’t actively advertised, but they do have a helpful fulillment cost calculator on their website to give you an idea of what they charge.

4. eFulfillment Service

eFulfillment Service logo

eFulfillment Service (EFS) is a popular fulfillment service for startups, as they don’t require order minimums or long-term contracts, and their pricing for fulfillment and storage is competitive.

Pros

  • Cross-docking capabilities for crowdfunders
  • Test their service for 30 days
  • No long-term storage fees

Cons

  • Only one warehouse

What sets EFS apart from other entries on this list is it provides cross-docking, which is when orders are received at the warehouse and then immediately shipped out without being stored.

This is a valuable service for crowdfunded ventures that need to get a newly developed product shipped to their backers as fast as possible.

They also offer a 30-day test drive service to try out their platform. If you decide not to move forward with EFS, they’ll refund up to $250.

They aim to be the top fulfillment center for small businesses, with no monthly minimums on order volume, storage levels, or ongoing fees. Plus, they don’t charge long-term storage fees.

The drawback with EFS is that they only have one warehouse.

While EFS is ideal for companies just starting out, limited storage space would make it difficult for larger companies to use their service.

Pricing structure

You’ll need to contact eFulfillment Service directly to get a custom quote.

5. FedEx Fulfillment

FedEx logo

FedEx Fulfillment is a prominent third-party logistics (3PL) services provider that offers storage and order fulfillment services.

Their experience, network, and industry knowledge make them stand out from other providers on this list.

Pros

  • International shipping services
  • More than 600 facilities in the US and Canada
  • Pre-ordered items can be shipped without being stored

Cons

  • Cannot handle items over 50lbs or 18x14x8 inches
  • Doesn’t integrate with Amazon

Unlike most other 3PLs on this list, FedEx Fulfillment offers worldwide shipping and fulfillment alongside their nationwide delivery services.

They have over 600 facilities in the US and Canada alone, meaning you can get packages to their destinations more efficiently.

FedEx Fulfillment offers cross-docking capabilities so orders can be shipped as soon as inventory arrives at their warehouse, without shipping—perfect for pre-ordered items.

If your products are on the larger side, though, you might want to look into a different 3PL provider—FedEx Fulfillment can’t ship items over 50 lbs or larger than 18x14x8 inches.

They don’t integrate with Amazon, as they’re a competitor, though no longer banned by Amazon.

Pricing structure

Service costs vary, so you’ll need to contact them and request pricing information.

6. Flowspace

Flowspace logo

Flowspace was founded in 2017 by CEO Ben Eachus and CTO Jason Habert to solve the problem of warehouse space for smaller companies.

They now also offer a wide array of fulfillment services, including picking, packing, and shipping.

Pros

  • More than 1000 fulfillment centers nationwide
  • Express shipping options

Cons

  • No international shipping
  • Reports of slow customer support

Flowspace has hundreds of warehouses across the United States to provide one- and two-day shipping services to most locations.

Their large fulfillment network allows you to get your customers’ purchases to them faster. The platform integrates with major ecommerce tools like Shopify, Rakuten, Ecwid, and more.

But the cherry on top is their onboarding service.

Since Flowspace was built for smaller companies, they have a full 30-day onboarding service handled by real people, accessible customer support, and a warehouse liaison.

If you’re looking to send your products abroad, however, Flowspace isn’t for you.

Still, while they don’t offer international shipping, they do offer storage and fulfillment services that can scale alongside your brand.

Pricing structure

Flowspace doesn’t list public pricing information.

To determine how much their services cost, you need to request more information directly from their team. They’ll then create a custom package for you.

7. Fulfillify (a division of Complemar)

Fulfillify logo

Fulfillify has warehouses in Rochester, New York; Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; and Reno, Nevada.

Nevertheless, the company claims to reach 98.6% of the US population with one- to two-day ground shipping.

Pros

  • Easy-to-use software
  • Month-to-month pricing
  • Real-time inventory tracking and monitoring

Cons

  • Limited integrations
  • Only four warehouses

One major benefit of using Fulfillify is the software—their dashboard provides detailed, real-time reports for inventory, material receipts, orders, reorders, and shipment tracking.

While they only have four warehouses, they’re strategically placed to offer express shipping to 98.6% of the US population.

Fulfillify is the ideal 3PL provider for brands that are uncertain about hiring a fulfillment service.

They charge on a monthly basis, so if you decide ‍Fulfillify isn’t for you, you can easily cancel your plan.

On the integration front, Fulfillify integrates with all major ecommerce platforms like Shopify, BigCommerce, and PayPal.

Pricing structure

‍Fulfillify no longer advertises pricing rates on its website. Here’s the info we have from when the did:

Fulfillify’s pick-and-pack rates start at $1.99 per order, with an additional charge of $0.50 per item.

The company also provides product storage for a monthly fee of $12.50 per pallet and product receiving for a monthly fee of $12.00 per pallet.

8. Fulfillment.com

Fulfillment.com logo

Fulfillment.com (FDC) is an international fulfillment service that claims to ship the right product to the right address at the right time over 99.8% of the time.

Pros

  • Personal success manager
  • Real-time inventory dashboard
  • International shipping

Cons

  • Only four locations in the US
  • Unclear pricing
  • Reports of frequent late shipments

One of FDC’s major selling points is their fantastic customer success team and hands-on services.

They assign each of their sellers a personal success manager who works to onboard customers and provide an excellent merchant experience.

They integrate with over 70 ecommerce tools, including shopping carts, marketplaces, ERPs, and EDIs.

Their real-time inventory management dashboard gives a clear picture of all your products, so you know exactly when you need to order more of something and which products are doing exceptionally well.

In addition, they offer worldwide shipping so you can reach your customers across the globe. They have locations in Canada, the UK, Europe, and Australia.

Pricing Structure

FDC doesn’t have a clear pricing structure on their website, but they claim to be cheaper than Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA).

According to their website, they charge “no more than $0.47/cubic foot/month January through December,” and their total annual storage fees are “58% less expensive than FBA.”

If you want to know how much their services cost, you have to request a personalized quote.

9. Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA)

FBA logo

When trying to meet the two-day shipping standard set by Amazon, your best bet may be to go with the ecommerce leader itself.

This is the go-to fulfillment service for Amazon sellers, and with good reason.

Pros

  • A massive network of warehouses
  • Offer Prime delivery speeds
  • Handles returns and customer support

Cons

  • Open return policy
  • Strict item prep requirements
  • Only for Amazon sales

Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) gives you access to Amazon’s massive network of 170 fulfillment centers, which amounts to over 150 million square feet of warehouse space and 250,000 full-time employees.

Using FBA also makes your products Prime-eligible, which means Amazon Prime members can order them with free two-day shipping.

When you consider how extra costs such as shipping are the most frequent cause of abandoned carts, along with the fact that an eye-opening 200 million people have an Amazon Prime subscription, it’s easy to see how FBA can significantly increase your sales.

On the other hand, their open return policy could potentially increase your number of returns. And with the possibilty return fraud to bear in mind, this is a potentially dangerous rabbit hole to go down.

Additionally, Amazon requires you to prep your products with the correct labels and packaging before sending your items to them.

If you send items that are not prepped to FBA’s standards, you will have to pay additional fees for them to fix any issues, or they will send items back to you—costing even more time and money.

Pricing structure

Amazon FBA has transparent and straightforward fees, making it easy for merchants to understand how much their fulfillment will cost beforehand.

Amazon pick-and-pack fees, or fulfillment fees, for standard-sized packages are as follows (this includes picking and packing your orders, shipping and handling, customer service, and product returns).

Here’s what their fee structure looks like for most normal products (non-dangerous goods):

Small standard4 oz or less$3.22
4+ to 8 oz$3.40
8+ to 12 oz$3.58
12+ to 16 oz$3.77
Large standard4 oz or less$3.86
4+ to 8 oz$4.08
8+ to 12 oz$4.24
12+ to 16 oz$4.75
1+ to 1.5 lb$5.40
1.5+ to 2 lb$5.69
2+ to 2.5 lb$6.10
2.5+ to 3 lb$6.39
3+ lb to 20 lb$7.17 + $0.16/half-lb above first 3 lb

As for inventory storage, Amazon charges $0.69 per cubic foot for standard-sized packages from January through September and $2.40 per cubic foot from October through December.

10. MyFBAPrep

MyFBAPrep logo

MyFBAPrep is a fulfillment company founded by former Amazon employees. They specialize in addressing one of the biggest downsides of using FBA: the strict prep requirements.

However, they’ve expanded to serve direct-to-consumer logistics and other marketplaces as well.

Pros

  • 50+ warehouses across the US
  • International warehouses in UK, Mexico, Europe, and Canada
  • Extensive eCommerce service list
  • Chat, email, and phone support

Cons

  • Lack of direct integrations

MyFBAPrep streamlines selling on FBA with their complete Amazon prep services and 1-3 day turnaround.

They provide sellers with a comprehensive dashboard—Preptopia™—that contains end-to-end data on the fulfillment process. It makes it easier for sellers to identify opportunities and make up for fluctuations in sales.

They also offer a wide range of DTC services and fulfillment for other sales channels.

For example, they can support a DTC subscription box with kitting and bundling and other sales channels with services like quality control, labeling and stickering, cold storage, custom packaging, and more.

They have chat, email, and phone support when you run into trouble, so you get answers as fast as possible.

Although they have an integration with Amazon Seller Central, they don’t have direct integrations with other listing tools or sales channels yet, which means merchants need to upload DTC orders directly into their software.

Pricing structure

MyFBAPrep no longer advertises pricing on its website.

However, here is the pricing info we have from the last time they did:

  • Lite: $1.00/unit with a minimum of 5,000 units per month
  • Standard: $0.95/unit with a minimum of 10,500 units per month
  • Pro: $0.90/unit with a minimum of 16,700 units per month
  • Platinum: Custom pricing for 20,000 units per month

11. Newegg Logistics

Newegg Logistics logo

Newegg Logistics is a full-service logistics company that offers same-day shipping and claims to have 99+% inventory accuracy and a 99+% same-day fulfillment rate.

Pros

  • Manages returns
  • 24/7 customer service
  • Fast shipping across the US (91% of orders delivered in two days)

Cons

  • Steep oversized item fees
  • Limited integrations
  • Only five warehouses

Newegg Logistics offers a couple of ecommerce solutions, including shipping, kitting and assembly services, and reverse logistics (i.e., returns).

They have five warehouses with over a million square feet of storage, which allows them to have a 91% two-day shipping coverage across the US and Canada.

They also extend 24/7 access to their customer service team in case you run into any problems.

Newegg Logistics’ major differentiator is their partnership with Indiegogo, making them one of the top choices for crowdfunded ventures that need cross-docking solutions.

If you have non-standard-sized items, though (think a 42-inch TV), Newegg Logistics adds a fee on top of their standard structure.

They only integrate with a limited number of platforms: Amazon USA Fulfillment, eBay Fulfillment, SellerCloud, ShipStation, Shopify Fulfillment, Skubana, and Walmart.

If you use a platform outside of those listed, you might have difficulty using Newegg Logistics.

Pricing Structure

While Newegg doesn’t have a pricing structure for their Logistics product as a whole, they do have some pricing information on their Shipped by Newegg Service.

They also have a fee calculator for their shipping and handling services.

You can request a quote by filling out their form at the bottom of their services page for more specific prices.

12. ShipNetwork (previously Rakuten Super Logistics)

ShipNetwork logo

Like FBA, ShipNetwork is a spin-off service that allows you to piggyback off an ecommerce platform’s existing infrastructure.

ShipNetwork is the most popular ecommerce site in Japan and has 15 fulfillment centers in the US.

Pros

  • 15 fulfillment centers in the US
  • Integrations with many ecommerce platforms
  • Supports a wide range of products—including nutraceuticals to hazmat materials

Cons

  • High minimums
  • Reports of slow customer service

ShipNetwork (formerly Rakuten Super Logistics) launched in 2001.

Its extensive experience in this industry and large warehouse network allow the company to provide high-quality service—ShipNetwork guarantees 100% order accuracy and 100% order turnaround by the next business day.

And, with its infrastructure, the company can provide two-day ground shipping to 98% of the US.

They integrate with important ecommerce platforms like Shopify, ShipStation, and Walmart, among others. They can receive a wider array of products than Amazon MCF and can store clothes, electronics, cosmetics, nutraceuticals, and hazmat materials and products.

They also have refrigeration facilities, though they can’t store medical-grade pharmaceuticals.

Note that ShipNetwork does have an order volume minimum of 250 orders per month, so smaller stores may not be able to use this service.

Their customer service also claims to resolve all problems within nine hours, which may be slow for some sellers and customers.

Pricing structure

ShipNetwork doesn’t provide pricing information on their website. You have to request a quote from their team.

13. Red Stag Fulfillment

Red Stag Fulfillment logo

Every order fulfillment company will tell you it’s committed to reliable service, but Red Stag Fulfillment really walks the walk and puts their money where their claims are.

Pros

  • Short-term contracts available
  • Good for oversized, high-value, or fragile products
  • Inconvenience fees to ensure fast shipment times

Cons

  • High minimums
  • Not suitable for lightweight items
  • Only two locations

If the company doesn’t unload your shipment within 48 hours of arriving at its facility, Red Stag Fulfillment will pay you $50 for the inconvenience.

If an order isn’t shipped according to your service level (Next Business Day, 3 p.m. cut-off or 5 p.m. cut-off), you don’t need to pay for that shipment, and you’ll receive $50.

And, if the company ships the wrong item or the incorrect number of items, it’ll fix the mistake, not charge you for the shipment, and pay you $50.

Also, Red Stag Fulfillment guarantees no shrinkage and takes full responsibility for any damage that happens in its warehouse.

Their handling policies make them the best for oversized, fragile, and high-value items. Red Stag Fulfillment is able to reach 99.9% of Americans within three days and 97% within one to two days.

This is an ideal solution for smaller stores as well because there are no long-term contracts and no order minimums.

Red Stag Fulfillment specializes in handling and shipping large, bulky items.

While they can ship lightweight items, you’ll still pay for handling services that would be more valuable for heavy products. Their software also has some hiccups, as it’s not the easiest platform to use.

Pricing structure

Red Stag Fulfillment doesn’t disclose their pricing information, but they offer a 30-day risk-free trial period for all sign-ups.

They claim to have a straightforward pricing model, but you’ll need to talk to their team to find out the specifics.

14. Ruby Has Fulfillment

Ruby Has Fulfillment logo

Ruby Has Fulfillment is a reliable 3PL that claims 99.7% picking, packing, and shipping accuracy, perfect for medium to large enterprises.

Pros

  • Integrations with more than 60 ecommerce tools
  • Automated warehouse management
  • 11 distribution centers

Cons

  • Lack of customer service
  • Only seven distribution centers

Ruby Has Fulfillment integrates with over 60 ecommerce tools, making it easy to add it to your website and main sales channels.

They have seven fulfillment warehouses—six strategically distributed across the US and one in the UK—which allow them to offer same-day shipping to most locations in the United States and worldwide fulfillment services.

They also claim to reduce freight costs by up to 45% on both national and international shipping. Their automated warehouse management ensures data accuracy and inventory tracking.

The only issue with Ruby Has is that they only have one customer success channel that we can see on their website (phone support), making their team less accessible compared to other fulfillment solutions.

Pricing Structure

Ruby Has Fulfillment provides little pricing information on their website. You would need to request a personalized quote to find out their pricing.

15. ShipBob

ShipBob logo

ShipBob is by ecommerce entrepreneurs for ecommerce entrepreneurs.

It’s one of the most popular and fastest-growing fulfillment solutions available for merchants of all sizes, no matter where they sell.

Pros

  • Express shipping program
  • International shipping services
  • Custom branding and packaging
  • No minimum orders
  • 35 US locations + more internationally

Cons

  • Reports of slow customer service
  • Reports of items being lost or sent late

The company launched in 2013 after the founders started their own online photo printing business and discovered they weren’t satisfied with any of their shipping options.

This led them to create ShipBob, a program that automates ecommerce fulfillment. Since then, they’ve invested in hundreds of thousands of square feet of warehouse space as well.

The ShipBob fulfillment network consists of 35 warehouses in the US plus international sites in Australia, Canada, Europe, and the UK.

These facilities are wholly owned and operated by ShipBob, and each site has dedicated customer service reps to help troubleshoot any issues that may pop up.

ShipBob’s most notable service is its 2-Day Express Shipping Program, which allows you to meet the high expectations set by Amazon.

Other benefits of ShipBob include:

  • Its proprietary software is free for all ShipBob customers, and it integrates with major ecommerce platforms such as Shopify and BigCommerce. The dashboard makes it easy to keep track of your inventory, orders, and shipments.
  • International shipping is available to over 220 countries.
  • B2B and wholesale services (pallet preparation, freight quotes, etc.) are available.
  • You can use custom branding for your boxes.
  • ShipBob can perform kitting if needed.
  • No minimum order volume is required.

While ShipBob is one of the best fulfillment companies, their software can be difficult to understand, and we’ve seen many reviews complaining about mistakes and slow customer support.

Pricing structure

ShipBob’s pricing is now custom built, but we do have some insight from when they previously advertised pricing:

  • Receiving: $25 for the first two hours, then $40/hour afterward
  • Storage: $40 per pallet/month, $10 per shelf/month, $5 per bin/month
  • Pick and pack: Free for the first four picks, then $0.20 per pick afterward
  • Standard packaging: Free plain boxes, mailers, tape, and dunnage used to pack orders
  • Shipping: Varies based on destination, weight, dimensions, shipping service, and more

If you want to know how much ShipBob will cost you, you have to request a quote.

The ShipBob team will take the five services mentioned above into consideration while drafting your personalized quote.

16. ShipHero

ShipHero logo

ShipHero is a Shopify partner and their website claims that more than 10% of all Shopify Plus stores in the world use their fulfillment services.

They have a SaaS tool as a separate offering alongside their fulfillment services.

Pros

  • International shipping services
  • Custom packaging
  • No minimum orders

Cons

  • Software fee on top of fulfillment

ShipHero is set above the rest when it comes to their software and reporting dashboard, which is likely why they package it as a separate service.

Their software is very user-friendly, and their reporting dashboard has everything you need to notice trends and opportunities, and they offer workflow automation to help you save time.

ShipHero has seven warehouses across North America, giving them mid-sized coverage to scale with your brand, up to a certain point. Plus, if you opt to use their software, it’s charged on top of their fulfillment fees

Pricing structure

ShipHero has three software plans:

  • Essential WMS for Brands: Starts at $499/month
  • Standard WMS for brands: Starts at $1,850/month
  • Enterprise WMS for brands: Request a quote

They also have a pricing calculator if you want a more exact price tailored to your needs.

17. ShipMonk

ShipMonk logo

Founded in 2014, ShipMonk has warehouses in Fort Lauderdale, FL; San Bernardino, CA; Pittston, PA; and Tecate, Mexico.

The company also invested heavily in warehouse automation technology, achieving 99.9% picking accuracy.

Pros

  • No order minimums
  • Plenty of branding options
  • Integrations with major ecommerce platforms
  • Built for crowdfunding campaigns
  • International shipping capabilities

Cons

  • Only four warehouses
  • Minimum monthly pick-and-pack fee

ShipMonk is great for small businesses because they don’t require a minimum number of monthly orders. But, they also work well for medium and larger businesses too.

They also allow sellers to customize their packaging according to their own branding. And they integrate with major ecommerce platforms.

The feature that sets ShipMonk apart is their crowdfunding fulfillment, which is explicitly designed for crowdfunded campaigns.

As a bonus, they have subscription box fulfillment and FBA prep services as well.

While they operate without a hitch in the United States, they only have three warehouses (and one in Mexico), which means it can be difficult to scale alongside you.

Although they don’t impose a monthly order minimum, they do have a $250 minimum pick-and-pack fee per month.

Pricing structure

ShipMonk’s pricing is refreshingly transparent. Its rates for standard ecommerce fulfillment are as follows:

  • 0 to 500 orders per month: $2.50 for the first item in an order, $0.50 for each additional item
  • 501 to 1,000 orders per month: $2.25 for the first item in an order, $0.50 for each additional item
  • 1,001 to 2,500 orders per month: $2.00 for the first item in an order, $0.40 for each additional item
  • 2,501 to 5,000 orders per month: $1.80 for the first item in an order, $0.35 for each additional item
  • 5,001 to 10,000 orders per month: $1.50 for the first item in an order, $0.30 for each additional item
  • Over 10,000 orders per month: Custom pricing, contact ShipMonk for a quote

18. Shipwire

Shipwire logo

Shipwire is an online fulfillment center platform that supports both national and worldwide shipping and fulfillment.

Pros

  • More than 120 warehouses worldwide
  • International inventory management and fulfillment
  • Express same and 2-day shipping
  • Integrates with more than 200 ecommerce tools

Cons

  • Reports of hidden fees

With over 120 warehouses worldwide, Shipwire can offer same- and two-day shipping for most locations.

They also have over 17 million square feet in storage space, so scaling with Shipwire won’t be a problem.

You can also most likely integrate whatever platform or tool you’re using with Shipwire, as they integrate with over 200 ecommerce tools.

The major challenge with Shipwire is that their pricing isn’t transparent, and we’ve seen reports of hidden costs that have disappointed past users.

Despite the challenges, Shipwire is an excellent solution for small- to medium-sized companies looking to start sending their products across the globe.

Pricing Structure

You need to fill out their online form or contact them to get a quote to get pricing information.

19. UPS Supply Chain Solutions

UPS Supply Chain Solutions logo

UPS Supply Chain Solutions (SCS) provides end-to-end warehousing and fulfillment services.

Pros

  • International shipping
  • Robust tracking system
  • Variety of shipping options and transportation types
  • Branded delivery labels

Cons

  • More expensive than comparable solutions
  • No free pickups
  • More hands-on attention needed
  • Reports of inaccurate and unreliable deliveries

UPS SCS has fulfillment centers worldwide, and their global network makes it easy for sellers to reach their customers faster.

They also have a variety of shipping options and transportation types, including air, ground, and sea transfers, and offer overnight, same-day, next-day, and two-day delivery options.

Because of the brand recognition, UPS tends to be pricer than other services, and unlike USPS Business Shipping, UPS SCS doesn’t include free pick-up services.

One of the most significant concerns about using UPS is the number of poor reviews stating packages were marked as delivered when they were not, delivered to the wrong address, or completely lost.

Therefore, sellers may need to be more hands-on with this service to ensure items get delivered on time and to the correct address.

Pricing structure

To find out USPS SCS’s exact pricing, you will have to request a quote. They also provide a rate card that shows different prices based on location and package weight.

20. USPS Business Shipping

UPS SPS Business Shipping logo

USPS Business Shipping is the national postal service of the United States.

They’re a favorite when it comes to shipping services because of their unbeatable rates and accessible (nearly omnipresent) drop-off points.

Pros

  • Incredibly affordable, especially for packages under 2lbs
  • Charges by volume for liquid products, instead of weight
  • They offer free pickups from your stores or warehouses

Cons

  • No guaranteed delivery times
  • No warehousing services

Because they’re a national service, USPS Business Shipping has many branches and fulfillment centers, which is why they can list such affordable rates.

Business owners have reported that USPS is the most affordable choice for shipping lighter items. They also charge by volume instead of weight for liquid items, making them the cheaper option.

In addition, they offer free pickups for most addresses—all you have to do is schedule it.

If you ship internationally, though, USPS isn’t the most reliable. They also don’t guarantee delivery times, so if your shipping is time-sensitive, you might want to look into a fulfillment service with guaranteed shipping.

Pricing structure

USPS has multiple services for business owners with varying needs. They offer:

  • Free services: USPS Tracking, shipping supplies delivered to your address, pickups, regular Saturday deliveries, no surcharges for residential deliveries
  • Discounts for volume shipments
  • Lightweight shipping: Starts at 13 oz. instead of 16 oz.

If you want to determine the specific price for your shipments, USPS has a handy shipment calculator.

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Questions to ask before selecting your order fulfillment company

Image of a fulfillment warehouse
Image: Unsplash

Not all order fulfillment companies are made equal. Choose the one that best matches your needs based on storage space, warehouse locations, minimum order requirements, etc.

Here are seven questions to put you on the right track:

1. How many warehouses do you have in your network?

The number of warehouses can indicate how large the operation is and give an idea of their scale (i.e., can they grow with you?).

It’s also a credibility marker—the more warehouses they have, the more experienced you can expect their team to be, as they would have worked with multiple sites and processes.

2. How much space do your warehouses have?

It’s important to know how much space a fulfillment company’s warehouse has, especially if you sell large, bulky items.

Warehouse size gives you an idea of how much of your inventory they can house and when you can order more items.

3. Where are your warehouses located?

Look for a distributed warehouse network; the more spread out they are, the better the coverage.

If they only have warehouses on the West Coast, how will your orders quickly arrive in Michigan or New York?

You want warehouses close to your historical demand (i.e., where most of your sales come from) and, if possible, close to suppliers, so the items don’t have to travel far.

It’s all about reducing the distance traveled for inbound (going to a fulfillment center) and outbound (going to customer).

4. What are your minimums?

Larger order fulfillment companies sometimes require their customers to meet a minimum order threshold, so they may not be an option for smaller stores.

Length of contract is another concern. Ideally, you want to avoid getting locked into a long-term contract.

A month-to-month plan gives you the flexibility to switch to a new solution quickly should your circumstances change.

But don’t rule out long-term plans by default, as they can still be flexible if there are minimal penalties for leaving the arrangement.

5. What is your policy for lost or damaged items?

Also, find out the company’s policy for damaged items.

You’ll want them to be responsible for as much of this as possible. Some companies have “shrinkage” or “breakage” built into their contracts.

This usually works like an insurance deductible: you’re responsible for losses up to a certain amount, and then the order fulfillment company will pay for losses after reaching that amount.

6. What is your policy for shipping mistakes?

Mistakes happen. Orders get lost or shipped to the wrong address, items get broken during the fulfillment process, and so on.

You need to know what a fulfillment company does to mitigate and respond to those problems.

Ask them how they meet SLAs, how fast they fulfill orders, and the availability of tracking numbers.

More importantly, ask what happens when they don’t meet orders. Figure out their policy so you can protect your brand and your customers.

7. What services do you provide?

Finally, cross-reference the services that would be valuable to your business against the services provided by the order fulfillment company.

Do you want to add your logo or other branding elements to your packages?

You may also be interested in “kitting,” which involves combining products with multiple stock-keeping units (SKUs) together into one package with a single SKU.

Not every order fulfillment company provides these services.

Now that you have a better idea of how to choose an order fulfillment company, let’s review some of the top names in the business.

Ecommerce fulfillment FAQs

Before we wrap things up, we’ll answer some questions you may still have.

What do ecommerce order fulfillment services do?

Every ecommerce fulfillment warehouse is a little different, but here’s what most of them usually cover:

Warehousing and storage
A great fulfillment center provides a spacious warehouse with everything needed to keep your items safe and easy to find. This means racks to hold them, hoists to lift them, and pallets to move them around.

Picking and packing
So, someone loved your product enough to buy it. What’s next? The fulfillment center gets into action. Whether it’s a person or a fancy robot, someone (or something) will grab the ordered item, give it a last look, and then carefully pack it. 

Remember that while you might prefer a specific type of packaging, some big players like Amazon have their own packaging rules.

Shipping
Now, this part is simple but crucial. Your packed product is handed over to a reliable carrier to ensure it reaches your eager customer safely and on time.

Order management
Fulfillment services inform you and your customer about the order’s journey. Typically, automated notifications will ping you about the order’s status, and similarly, your customer will get timely updates about their awaited package.

Inventory management
Inventory management helps you maintain the correct number of items in the supplier’s warehouse.

For instance, the fulfillment center will let you know when an item’s stock level falls below a certain threshold so you can order more from your manufacturer and deliver it to the warehouse to replenish supplies.

Returns management 
Not all ecommerce fulfillment warehouses offer returns management, so this is something you should be sure to check.

If offered, they’ll take care of the return process for you, ensuring the item is checked, processed, and placed back on the shelves for another chance at finding a sale.

What is the difference between a warehouse and a fulfillment center?

Most businesses using a warehouse seek a straightforward, cost-effective solution to store their products. 

In contrast, fulfillment centers provide storage and handle tasks like picking, packing, shipping orders, and managing returns. While both prioritize cost-effectiveness, fulfillment centers emphasize timely and accurate order processing.

What are the most common misconceptions and myths about ecommerce fulfillment services?

Rural fulfillment centers are cheaper
Rurally-based fulfillment centers are cheaper on a cost-per-fulfillment basis, or when considering charges specifically for storage.

This makes sense, given that real estate further from city centers costs less.

But while this could be an excellent way to cut down on storage and fulfillment costs, there is a significant downside to using a rural fulfillment center—the cost of shipping.

Because these warehouses are much further from urban areas, where more of your customers live (in most cases), you might hurt your sales potential by unrealistic shipping prices.

Fulfillment centers and warehouses are the same thing
Fulfillment centers and warehouses have some overlap, but they aren’t the same thing

A warehouse is just a storage facility; it doesn’t engage in shipping orders to customers, handling returns, and so on.

A fulfillment center has a warehouse (because it needs somewhere to store your goods), but it also handles order fulfillment and the associated tasks.

Handling fulfillment in-house is cheaper
Some companies only pay for outsourced fulfillment (which can be expensive), deciding to take this on in-house.

This strategy might be viable for large enterprise companies that can obtain economies of scale by purchasing and running large warehouses.

For smaller operations, however, a DIY approach will likely be more costly once you add in all the labor costs, rent, overheads, and so on.

You should select a fulfillment center close to your business operations 
Vicinity to your business operations shouldn’t be a consideration when choosing an ecommerce fulfillment warehouse unless you plan on having the items shipped directly to you.

In most cases, however, your fulfillment center is sending items out to your customers (that’s why you hired them), so your goal should be to find a solution closest to your target audience to reduce shipping costs.

What are the fulfillment methods for ecommerce?

There are three primary fulfillment methods for ecommerce businesses. Many choose to operate with just one, but it is possible to use a combination of the three.

In-house fulfillment
In-house fulfillment is what it sounds like—handling everything from storage to shipping to returns yourself.

Startups might handle this out of their office (or home!), while larger companies tend to graduate to a dedicated warehouse and fulfillment location for this.

Dropshipping
Dropshipping is a form of fulfillment where your company only purchases from suppliers as you receive customer orders.

When you receive an order, you place one with the dropshipping supplier (usually automated), and they send the products to your customer directly.

Third-party logistics (3PL)
3PL is a fulfillment method where a third-party supplier handles all shipping duties.

Your fulfillment center picks and packs the desired products, and the logistics branch organizes delivery to your customer.

What is the difference between dropshipping and ecommerce fulfillment? 

Ecommerce fulfillment centers store the inventory you already own and control. You purchase the products from a supplier or manufacturer and have them sent to the fulfillment center to handle customer orders and shipping from there.

With dropshipping, however, you only purchase products as you receive customer orders—you never own any inventory upfront.

Ecommerce fulfillment centers store the inventory you already own and control. You purchase the products from a supplier or manufacturer and have them sent to the fulfillment center to handle customer orders and shipping from there.

With dropshipping, however, you only purchase products as you receive customer orders—you never own any inventory upfront.

The cost of fulfillment services is complex and depends on many factors.

Most service providers charge for storage, per-item fulfillment fees, packaging, shipping, and returns separately, so comparing the different prices of fulfillment warehouses depends on many factors (such as the kinds of products you sell and your customer return rate).

To give you a rough idea, however, Amazon Multi-Channel Fulfillment, one of the most widely-used fulfillment services, has storage fees starting at $0.87 per cubic foot—and fulfillment fees from $7.15 per unit.

Who should (and shouldn’t) work with a third-party logistics company?

3PL companies aren’t for everyone.

If you check these three criteria, then you might be a good fit for working with a third-party logistics supplier:

– Sales are cyclical or uneven
– You’re growing fast
– You don’t have the internal capability 

On the other hand, if the following sounds more like you, then 3PL might not be a fit right now:

– You don’t have the cash flow to take on the expense
– You aren’t shipping regularly
– The products you sell are highly specialized or custom

What is fulfillment vs distribution?

The critical difference between fulfillment and distribution centers is that fulfillment centers ship directly to customers, whereas distribution warehouses act simply as a transit point for products changing distribution modes.

For example, a company might have a distribution center positioned at their city’s primary port, allowing for overseas shipping once a truck has delivered the goods from the manufacturer.

Which industries benefit from using a 3PL supplier?

Several industries can benefit from using a 3PL supplier, especially those operating in the ecommerce space.

These are a few examples:

– Manufacturers
– Clothing retailers
– Pharmaceutical and cosmetics companies 
– Construction suppliers
– Industrial machinery companies 
– Restaurant suppliers and equipment
– Automotive parts suppliers 
– Hospitality sector
– Aerospace companies
– Trade show transportation 

Ship it right with the best fulfillment partners for your business

You don’t need to hire staff or expand your in-house capabilities for every task your online store has to complete.

That’s often the wrong solution for your bottom line, as you may get caught running a logistics business that you never signed up for.

Smart merchants should outsource fulfillment to get wider coverage and access to more services. You may even want to bring on multiple fulfillment services to create some failsafes.

As shown above, many third-party resources are available to help you save money and still receive excellent results.

Armed with the knowledge we’ve provided, it’ll be easier to find the right mix for you and your store.

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Rachel Go

Rachel is a remote marketing manager with a background in building scalable content engines. She creates content that wins customers for B2B ecommerce companies like MyFBAPrep, Shogun, and more. In the past, she has scaled organic acquisition efforts for companies like Deliverr and Skubana.

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