Handing your orders to a 3PL can sound like a big leap. In practice it is a short list of steps, and after the first week most sellers simply stop thinking about packing. Here is how it works.
Step 1: Send your inventory once
You ship your stock to the warehouse in cartons or on pallets. The team counts it in, checks it against your list and stores it, and tells you about any difference. From then on, your products live on a shelf, bin or pallet that is yours.
Step 2: Orders arrive on their own
Your sales channels connect to the warehouse, or orders are sent over in a file. Each paid order becomes a pick ticket, without anyone retyping an address.
Step 3: The warehouse picks, packs and ships
The order is picked, checked, packed with the right packaging and handed to the carrier. Tracking goes back to your customer and to your account.
Step 4: You watch it from a dashboard
You see stock levels, orders shipped and tracking in one place, so you know when to reorder without counting boxes in your garage.
Step 5: Returns come back to the warehouse
Returned items are received, inspected and restocked if they are sellable, so they can ship again.
Where the time goes
- Sourcing and developing products.
- Marketing, listings and customer service.
- Planning the next launch or live show.
- Anything except taping boxes.
Read the full how it works page, or see when to hire a 3PL.