How Brands Should Interview 3PLs, part 1 of 6: the "Done It Before" test

by Nish George, CEO

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How to Choose the Right 3PL Partner for Your Brand

When interviewing 3PLs (third-party logistics providers), the first thing to determine is whether they’ve worked with brands operationally similar to yours — not just whether they serve your vertical. Whether you're in health & beauty or supplements, your industry category matters far less than most brands think. Instead, focus on matching your operational profile with their expertise.

What Actually Matters to 3PLs (And Should Matter to You)

Here are the core attributes 3PLs evaluate when deciding if you're a fit — and the same ones you should use to vet them:

• Order Volume & Storage Needs: How many orders do you ship per month — 100, 1,000, or 10,000+? Generally, more is better. But on the flip side, how much inventory are you storing — 1 pallet or 100? The less warehouse space you consume, the more appealing you’ll be.
• SKU Complexity: Do you have just a few products or hundreds of unique SKUs? Fewer SKUs make operations smoother and reduce the likelihood of pick/pack errors, which 3PLs appreciate.
• Sales Patterns: Are your sales evergreen (steady all year), or do you follow a drop-based or seasonal model? Evergreen is usually easier to manage and predict, but some 3PLs do specialize in high-intensity, drop-based fulfillment.
• Sales Channels: Do you primarily sell DTC (direct to consumer), via marketplaces like Amazon, or through retail/B2B channels? Each fulfillment model has different requirements, and most 3PLs are optimized for only 1–2 of them.
• Special Handling & SKU Size: If your products require hazmat handling, refrigeration, or battery compliance, some 3PLs may be instantly ruled out. Similarly, if your SKUs are small and lightweight (1-handed), they’re easier to store and ship than larger, bulkier products.

Self-Assessment Example: Brand Fit Evaluation

Let’s say you’re a brand with:

• ~100 orders/month
• ~10 pallets of inventory
• ~100 SKUs, each roughly “2-handed” (10–20 lbs)
• Seasonal sales cycles
• 20% DTC and 80% retail distribution
• No special handling needs

This brand would not be a fit for Fetch Fulfillment. We’re focused on high-volume DTC and marketplace shipping, and don’t offer deep retail compliance infrastructure for lower-volume brands. You’d be better off with a 3PL who regularly ships to retailers and supports seasonal fulfillment surges.

Compare that to a brand shipping 1,000+ orders/month, with 10 pallets of inventory, 150 lightweight SKUs, a mix of drop-based and evergreen sales, and DTC + marketplace focus — that brand is squarely within our wheelhouse. We serve multiple brands with those exact attributes and have proven systems to support them.

Don’t Bet on a 3PL Who “Can Figure It Out”

If a 3PL only covers 70% of your needs today, be cautious. Maybe they’ve never shipped to a specific retailer, aren’t built for drop-based launches, or don’t have the scale to handle your order volume. If they tell you, “We’ll figure it out,” it’s often a red flag — especially if there’s no evidence of past execution or infrastructure to support what you need.

Unless a 3PL is intentionally building a new capability aligned with where they’re headed as a business — and unless they plan to serve multiple brands with that capability (not just you) — you’ll likely face painful operational issues. Even worse, if they’ve never systematically rolled out a new service before, you’ll become the test case — and that’s rarely worth the risk.

Final Takeaway

You’ll get the best results when your brand’s fulfillment needs align with a 3PL’s existing strengths. Look for operational alignment, not just enthusiasm. A good partner won’t just say “yes” — they’ll say “we’ve done this before.”

Keep reading for Part 2: the "Won't Lose Your Stuff" Test

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About Fetch Fulfillment

Fetch Fulfillment is a New Jersey-based 3PL for brand owners who want direct-to-consumer fulfillment to be the least stressful part of their business. Most 3PLs are good at one thing, like shipping on-time, or having modern tech, or picking up the phone. What makes Fetch unique is that it's stellar at all 3: it provides high-end boutique-grade customer service -- as seen in its glowing reviews and +92 net promoter score -- combined with its real-time cutting-edge tech and well-managed operation, with 99.2% same-day shipping and 99.95% order fill-rate. The Fetch team lives by its motto: they are Your Brand's Best Friend.