The anti-3PL.

A third-party logistics company stores, picks, packs, and ships products on behalf of ecommerce brands. Instead of managing your own warehouse, you outsource fulfillment to a 3PL that operates the facilities, negotiates carrier rates, and handles the physical supply chain — letting you focus on product and growth. Most 3PLs serve brands shipping anywhere from a few hundred to tens of thousands of orders per month.

A 4PL coordinates multiple logistics providers on your behalf, adding a management layer — and distance — between you and the people handling your products. At Jetpack, you get one relationship, one platform, and direct access to the floor teams at all 65+ of our warehouses. We layer proprietary technology on top — machine-learning inventory distribution across locations, multi-carrier optimization, and dedicated account managers on Slack — but your connection to what's happening with your inventory stays direct and immediate.

Third-party logistics services fall into four categories: transportation-based (carrier management and freight), warehouse-based (storage and fulfillment), financial-based (freight auditing and cost optimization), and information-based (technology for visibility and analytics). Most 3PLs specialize in one or two. Full-service providers like Jetpack combine all four — warehousing, multi-carrier shipping optimization, cost reduction through combined client volume, and integrated OMS, IMS, RMS, and WMS technology.

Amazon FBA functions as a third-party logistics provider — it stores your inventory and fulfills orders — but it operates entirely under Amazon's rules, branding constraints, and fee structure rather than yours, meaning you lose control over packaging, inserts, and the customer unboxing experience. Many brands use FBA for Amazon Marketplace orders while partnering with a dedicated 3PL like Jetpack for their Shopify and direct-to-consumer channels, keeping brand control where it matters most.

3PLs generate revenue through storage fees, pick-and-pack fees, and shipping margins — the spread between negotiated carrier rates and what they charge clients. Some 3PLs pad revenue with hidden fees: monthly minimums, emergency surcharges, processing charges, and setup costs. We use all-in rate cards with no monthly fees, no emergency fees, and no processing fees — rates include standard packaging, processing, and first pick per order, so what you see is what you pay.

3PL pricing typically includes three components: storage (per pallet or cubic foot per month), pick and pack (per order plus per additional item), and shipping (based on weight, dimensions, and destination zone). Total cost varies widely by provider and volume. Our all-in rate cards bundle standard packaging, processing, and first pick per order with no monthly or emergency fees. Brands switching to our multi-hub model see up to 45% lower overall costs, primarily from reduced shipping zones — our network cuts shipments traveling beyond zone 4 by 80%.

Evaluate a 3PL on five things: warehouse network (more locations means faster, cheaper delivery), technology integrations (does it connect to your Shopify, Amazon, or ERP natively?), accuracy rate (anything below 99.5% will cost you in returns and reviews), pricing transparency (watch for hidden fees), and support model (ticket systems vs. real people). We score on all five: 65+ warehouses, native Shopify and Amazon integrations, 99.95% pick-and-pack accuracy, all-in rate cards, and dedicated Slack channels with direct access to your account team.

The biggest risks of outsourcing fulfillment are loss of direct quality control, communication delays when issues arise, and less flexibility for custom packaging or kitting. Bad 3PL relationships typically stem from poor communication — you submit a ticket, wait 48 hours, get a canned response. We mitigate these risks with 99.95% accuracy, real-time support via dedicated Slack channels (not ticket queues), and full kitting and custom packaging capabilities including branded inserts.

Most ecommerce brands hit the outsource-fulfillment inflection point between 200 and 2,000 orders per month — when self-fulfillment starts consuming time that should go toward product development and marketing. Key signals: you're turning down warehouse space, missing SLAs, or your shipping costs keep climbing because you're negotiating as a single brand. We partner with brands shipping 2,000 to 50,000 orders per month, leveraging combined client volume across 5,000+ brands to secure carrier rates individual shippers cannot access.

The best 3PL for Shopify stores integrates natively with Shopify's order and inventory APIs, supports multi-location fulfillment for Shopify's split-shipment logic, and offers real-time inventory sync so your storefront never oversells — accuracy and speed are non-negotiable for DTC brands where one mis-ship triggers a one-star review. We connect directly to Shopify (plus Amazon FBA/FBM, NetSuite, ShipStation, and all other ecommerce platforms), automatically route orders through our Carrier IQ and MultiHub IQ engines to optimize inventory placement and carrier selection, and maintain 99.95% pick-and-pack accuracy across 65+ locations.

Three things set us apart: technology, access, and transparency. Our proprietary MultiHub IQ and Carrier IQ engines optimize where your inventory sits and how every package ships — not manually, but through machine learning that adapts to your order patterns in real time. You get a direct line to the floor teams at all 65+ of our warehouses and a dedicated account manager on Slack, not a ticket queue. And our all-in rate cards mean no monthly fees, no emergency surcharges, no processing charges — what you see is what you pay.

We handle the full spectrum — D2C, B2B wholesale, Amazon FBA and FBM prep, and retail distribution for major retailers including Walmart, Target, and Macy's. B2B orders support pick-by-lot, retail-compliant palletizing, and automated routing to approved retailers. Whether it's individual customer shipments or large-scale wholesale runs, our operations flex to match the channel without sacrificing our 99.95% accuracy rate.

We operate 65+ warehouses globally — over forty across the US, 7 in Canada, 3 in the UK, 3 in the EU, and 3 in Australia. Our proprietary MultiHub IQ system uses machine learning to distribute your inventory across locations based on where your customers actually order from, so each shipment travels the shortest possible distance. The result: up to 3X faster transit times, up to an 80% reduction in shipments over zone 4, and up to 45% lower overall fulfillment costs compared to single-warehouse setups.

We integrate natively with Shopify, Amazon (both FBA and FBM), NetSuite, ShipStation, and many additional ecommerce platforms, with an integrated OMS, IMS, RMS, and WMS that syncs inventory, orders, and returns in real time across every sales channel and warehouse location. Carrier IQ, our shipping optimization engine, automatically selects the best carrier and service level for each package across ground, 2-day, and overnight options from multiple carriers.

Most 3PLs bury you in automated emails, impersonal replies, and ticket queues. Jetpack Care flips that model entirely — every brand gets a dedicated Slack channel with direct access to a named account manager who knows your products, your workflows, and your priorities. Response is instant: acknowledgment, live updates, and resolution — not a ticket number and a 48-hour wait. We flag issues proactively before you even notice them, and our executive team is available to jump in when it matters. The goal is simple: accelerate your workflows, empower your ops team, and let you focus on growth.

We offer full kitting services, custom packaging with branded inserts, B2B and retail fulfillment, and end-to-end returns management through our integrated RMS. Whether you need subscription box assembly, promotional bundling, retail-compliant palletizing, or a streamlined return-and-restock workflow, we handle it operationally while maintaining 99.95% pick-and-pack accuracy. Same-day fulfillment is available for orders received within the cutoff window, keeping your delivery promises tight.

We selectively partner with ecommerce brands shipping roughly 2,000 to 50,000 orders per month — large enough to benefit from multi-hub distribution but still at the growth stage where hands-on support matters most. Onboarding begins with a dedicated account manager who maps your SKU catalog, integrates your sales channels, and configures MultiHub IQ to position inventory based on historical order data. The process includes multiple calls and checkpoints along the way to make sure your operations never skip a beat.