Comparisons
5 Best Alternatives to ShipBob For 3PL
- Written by Rachael Pilcher
For enterprise ecommerce sellers, the efficiency and speed of logistics is critical for customer satisfaction.
The global logistics market is growing quickly alongside ecommerce, with market value projected to exceed $14.08 trillion US dollars by 2028, with third party logistics (3PL) making up $1.44 trillion of the total.
3PL refers to the outsourcing of one or more logistics operations to an external company. This might include warehousing, transportation, inventory management, and fulfillment services, all of which make it a desirable solution for large online retailers.
Compared to integrated logistics, 3PL can help save time and reduce costs for ecommerce sellers.
It optimizes their supply chain and gives them more freedom and flexibility to focus on other business operations.
ShipBob is a popular 3PL solution for retailers due to its robust software, global warehouses, and integrations with major ecommerce platforms and marketplaces. But it’s not perfect.
If you’re thinking about using ShipBob, or you’re looking to switch to a new provider, we’ve put together five of the best 3PL alternatives to ShipBob so you can weigh up the pros and cons of each.
Table of contents
What is ShipBob
Why look for ShipBob alternatives?
5 best alternatives to ShipBob
Which one should you choose?
What is ShipBob?
Founded in 2014, ShipBob is an ecommerce fulfillment solution with a comprehensive suite of services to help companies simplify their shipping processes.
This company has over 50 fulfillment centers across six countries, allowing online retailers to warehouse their inventory closer to their global customers.
ShipBob can streamline the logistics around orders, warehousing, inventory management, and returns. They integrate with leading sales channels such as Shopify, TikTok, Amazon, and over 100 other retailers.
Their technology and infrastructure can remove a lot of the complexities and headaches of logistics and fulfillment for enterprise businesses.
Why look for ShipBob alternatives?
ShipBob supports over 7,000 commerce sellers, but their online reviews are a bit of a mixed bag, with one user stating they switched providers due to a “myriad of issues”.
Here are some of the main reasons that users chose to look for an alternative 3PL provider.
1. Price
This is always a key consideration when you’re trying to improve efficiencies and reduce costs at the same time.
Customers generally feel happy with the price to value ratio of ShipBob, as it has affordable rates and no minimum volumes, but there are many reviews that mention a variety of cost issues. These mostly concern users being overcharged for shipping, or being charged unnecessarily high fees due to small items being packed in oversized boxes. A couple of customers have also accused this company of defrauding them out of money.
2. Support
There are many customer reviews mentioning a lack of personal support, and the slow response time in getting their issues resolved. One customer mentioned that support “takes 48+ hours to respond sometimes”.
3. B2B operations
If you’re looking to expand your business to include B2B as well as DTC sales, ShipBob is equipped for this. But user reviews mention issues with the B2B solution. One customer said they feel that “ShipBob really focuses and specializes on DTC. With B2B we've run into some issues that were surprising, and should have been easily resolved”, while others mention bugs and errors with this side of the business.
5 Best ShipBob Alternatives
If you’re looking for a 3PL that has lower shipping rates and better customer service, we’ve researched the best ShipBob alternatives for you to check out.
1. Amazon MCF
Amazon MCF (Multi Channel Fulfillment) is Amazon’s 3PL solution. It integrates seamlessly with Veeqo to help make your shipping, inventory and multi warehouse management a breeze.
Unlike Amazon FBA, MCF lets you use your pooled inventory to fulfill orders from any of your sales channels, including your own website and marketplaces including Walmart.
So you can get all the benefits of Amazon’s 3PL infrastructure and speedy shipping for all your multichannel needs.
Key features of MCF
Get orders delivered at Prime speeds of 2-5 business days
>97% on-time delivery rate
One low cost to pick, pack, and ship
Track orders from fulfillment center to your customer's doorstep
100+ pre-built integrations, including Veeqo
Custom integrations
Use one pool of inventory for all sales channels to save time and money
Amazon MCF pricing
MCF has transparent fees* on their downloadable rate card. There are also plenty of add-ons if your business is scaling, or if you’re already a high-volume seller, but these will incur extra costs depending on the specific program you need.
However, with MCF you only pay for fulfilment and storage. Fulfilment fees are all inclusive of pick, pack, and ship. Another benefit is that there are no long contracts or hidden fees.
*Last accessed February 2024
2. ShipMonk
Positioning itself as a solution that enables scalable growth for businesses of all sizes, ShipMonk is the USA’s fastest-growing 3PL for DTC and B2B fulfillment. They also specialize in crowdfunded product logistics.
Key features of ShipMonk
100+ commerce and marketplace integrations
Crowdfunding fulfillment
Ship from fulfillment centers in the USA, Canada, Mexico or Europe
Returns management
Warehouse and inventory automations for greater picking accuracy
ShipMonk pricing
ShipMonk doesn’t have exact pricing on its website. It has a slider allowing you to estimate what your 3PL needs might be based on monthly orders, order pick fee, additional pick fee, promotional inserts, storage requirements, and returns processing. But you’ll need to contact the ShipMonk team for an exact quote.
Many customer reviews state that they feel like ShipMonk has hidden costs relating to storage and fulfillment, and that shipping costs are higher than other competing 3PLs.
3. Flowspace
This is a full-service, cloud-based 3PL which enables high-volume sellers to outsource multi-channel fulfillment, expand into new markets, and reduce costs.
It partners with a distributed network of over 130 third-party warehousing providers across the USA to help you fulfill orders at the warehouse closest to your customers, speeding up shipping times, and reducing transport costs. If sustainability is important to your brand, Flowspace has received a sustainability award for its ability to minimize shipping distances and environmental impact.
Key features of Flowspace
Real-time inventory tracking
Omnichannel order management
Integrations with Amazon, Shopify, and other leading platforms and service providers
Flowspace pricing
There is no indication about Flowspace’s monthly costs on their website. Your first stop is to schedule a demo with their team.
As an initial insight, online user reviews mention things like “their prices and fees quickly change and add up” and that there is “no visibility of shipping costs prior to order shipment”. One customer left a comment stating that Flowspace “passes credit card processing charges to its clients (2.9% + $0.50)...which can be a mitigating factor for international clients who rely on credit cards as their primary payment source. Their overall pricing is also considerably higher than other service providers”.
4. Shipwire
Another market leader in the 3PL space is Shipwire. They’re a full-service company backed by the Fortune 100 power of Ingram Micro, and they can assist with global fulfillment for DTC, retail, and dropshipping channels.
They also offer robust cross-border solutions to help you manage the complex logistics of international shipping.
Shipwire has excellent features in terms of flexibility and scalability, making it a great solution for high-volume sellers.
Their cloud-based platform is powered by machine learning to help brands optimize their fulfillment process and get greater visibility into their sales data, order statuses, inventory management, and more.
Key features
Integrate with major commerce platforms and marketplaces
Manage multi-channel sales in one place
Fulfillment centers across North America, Asia-Pacific, and Europe
Fulfill B2B and DTC orders from the same warehouses
Reverse logistics and return management
Business analytics
Shipwire pricing
Like Flowspace and Shipmonk, there’s no mention of pricing anywhere on the Shipwire website.
On the G2 website*, it states they have a flat fee of $64.95 a month. On the GetApp website*, the pricing is different, stating that monthly fees are $30, and they have a free trial available.
So it’s not entirely clear about what the current prices are, or what’s included. You’ll need to get a quote from their sales team to see if it aligns with your 3PL budget.
*Last accessed February 2024
5. Shiphero
Shiphero was started in 2019 by a frustrated ecommerce founder who was looking for a more effective way to manage logistics. As a result, Shiphero has grown to include cloud-based warehousing, inventory, and shipping software, as well as physical fulfillment centers.
Unlike 3PLs like Flowspace, Shiphero owns and operates all of its warehouses, so you won’t be relying on any third-party middle-men to take care of your orders.
And if you’re looking for superior customer support, every Shiphero customer gets their own dedicated point of contact, as well as a specialist support team to assist with tech, support, or operations issues.
Key features of Shiphero
Integrates with 50+ platforms for commerce, marketplace, shipping, and returns
Software for picking and packing, inventory management, and more
Warehouses in Canada and the USA
Overnight, expedited, and standard shipping options
“Zone skipping” for cheaper courier costs and faster first and middle mile deliveries
Shiphero pricing
Shiphero states that they value a simple and transparent pricing structure but confusingly, there are no prices mentioned on their website. It’s only when you dig into the FAQs* on their site that you’ll find some guidelines for costs, such as:
No setup, software usage, or onboarding fees
Storage costs of $0.70 per cubic square feet
1 pick per shipment, with $0.33 per additional pick per shipment
An additional $4 surcharge for packages with any dimension over 22”
An additional $8 for a package with any dimension over $30”
An additional $19.50 is applied to packages that measure more than 48 inches on the longest side OR measure more than 30 inches on the second-longest side
Additional fees for using Shiphero might also include fuel surcharge, hazardous materials, and managing lots and expirations.
*Last accessed February 2024
Further reading
Which of these ShipBob alternatives is best for your enterprise ecommerce business?
Scaling your ecommerce brand successfully means paying careful attention to different ways you can optimize your logistics, keep costs down, and most importantly — keep customers happy. Finding the right 3PL to partner with can solve a lot of operational headaches, but it can also take some trial and error to find the perfect solution.
ShipBob is a great option for many retailers, but you’ll need to consider if it can meet your needs for cost-effectiveness, customer support, shipping rates, and delivery speed in the future.
As you’re researching your new 3PL, we recommend checking out some of the other fantastic ShipBob alternatives out there, such as Amazon MCF — so you can set yourself up for long-term success. And Veeqo integrates seamlessly with Amazon MCF, so you can still effectively manage your inventory and access our discounted shipping rates.
Bonus Option: Choose Veeqo
If your business is growing and you're not sure a 3PL is the right solution for you, Veeqo may be a solid alternative for you.
You may choose to lease or buy your own warehouse instead, and if that's the right path forward for your business, Veeqo can then help you with your order fulfillment process - from inventory management, to warehouse management, and buying discounted shipping labels.
And no matter what 3PL you choose, don’t forget you can still take advantage of Veeqo’s free order and inventory management solutions. With Veeqo's seamless integration with Amazon's MCF, the two used together can create a brilliantly efficient order fulfillment process. Sign-up now for free.
