For many growing e-commerce brands, fulfillment works—until it suddenly doesn't.
What starts as a manageable in-house operation often becomes a bottleneck as order volume, channels, and customer expectations increase. Many brands begin with fulfillment in a spare room, garage, or small warehouse.
However, as sales grow, the operational complexity multiplies. Knowing when to move to a 3PL can prevent costly mistakes, operational burnout, and stalled growth.
To understand the full comparison, see our guide on in-house fulfillment vs 3PL.
You may be ready for a 3PL if you're experiencing one or more of the following:
While many brands consider moving to a 3PL between 5,000 and 50,000 orders per month, volume alone isn't the deciding factor.
Other indicators include:
A well-aligned 3PL partnership shifts logistics from a daily challenge to a structured, scalable operation.
Brands typically gain:
When evaluating potential partners, use our guide on what to look for in a 3PL.
Many brands discover too late that not all 3PLs scale equally. Understanding the differences between B2B and D2C fulfillment helps you choose a 3PL that can handle both.
A one-stop partner provides:
Ensure they can handle both channels—see our guide on what to look for in a 3PL.
Moving to a 3PL changes your cost structure, but total cost of ownership often decreases when you factor in all variables.
Direct costs to consider:
Hidden costs that often decrease:
For a detailed breakdown, see our comparison of in-house fulfillment vs 3PL costs.
If fulfillment is slowing growth, causing errors, or consuming too much time, a 3PL transition can free your team to focus on what drives revenue.
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