Firing The Man Podcast
3PL Checklist
1. Questions for 3PL companies
a. How are orders processed? Is it manual or can you sync up with my Amazon
Seller Central Account? or woocommerce, Etsy, Ebay (sellbrite or shipstation?)
b. What are all of the costs involved?
i. Packaging materials like mailers or poly bags
ii. Storage fees and Long-term storage fees
iii. Return fees
c. Do you process returns?
d. Can you offer two day shipping so I can keep my “seller fulfilled prime badge”
“Or 1 day (coming soon, maybe drone same day or multi-hour ;-))?
e. Where are your 3PL fulfillment centers located?
f. Does my shopping cart integrate seamlessly with your system? – All orders from
your shopping cart should be automatically transferred to the fulfillment house
without your intervention. If you are on Shopify or BigCommerce, make sure to
check if they have a plugin.
g. How quickly will you ship an order? – Make sure the speed of shipment and
fulfillment matches your expectations
h. How will the order be packed? – Most fulfillment houses will allow you to use your
own branded packaging but some may not. In addition, some fulfillment centers
may not allow you to include inserts or marketing materials in the box.
i. Can you handle large order volumes? – During the holiday season, you need to
make sure that the 3PL can handle your volume of shipments.
j. How are returns handled? – Does the 3PL accept returns and how are they
processed?
k. How large are the shipping discounts? – Does the fulfillment house offer any
shipping discounts. If so, how much?
l. How long does it take to receive and process products? – When you send in a
container load of product, how long does it take for the 3PL to process and
organize the inventory?
m. What are all of the fulfillment and storage fees? – Some 3PLs charge monthly
fees. Others may nickel and dime you for shipping materials and have certain
package size restrictions. Make sure you find out all of the little details. (look for
3PL that has minimal line item fees)
n. Can you handle international shipping? – If you want the fulfillment house to ship
to international customers, make sure you find out how much they charge and
compare it to what you are paying now. Sometimes there are additional charges
for international shipments.