Most brands don’t leave a 3PL because of one bad week. They leave because of the invoice they can’t explain, and the email nobody answers about it.
What happened
On October 20, 2026, Supply Chain Dive ran an interview with Stefan Loble, CEO of the travel apparel brand Bluffworks, about why the company switched fulfillment providers this summer.
The short version is invoicing. Back in 2020, Bluffworks got a $200,000 back invoice from its previous fulfillment partner because that provider couldn’t bill it properly, so the charges showed up late. Loble said they stayed another six years anyway, and even the final invoice was held up. “The problem in fulfillment is that when it goes wrong, it goes really, really wrong,” he told the publication.
Bluffworks moved to Cart.com in July. According to Cart.com’s October 14 press release, the transition from Memphis to Texas took less than three weeks and is expected to lower fulfillment costs by 20%. Loble’s favorite part wasn’t the price. It was being able to open the software and see the status of the operation without emailing anyone to ask.
What it means for a growing brand
I want to point out two things in that story, because they’re the same two things I hear on almost every call with a brand that’s thinking about moving.
First, they stayed six years after the problem started. That’s normal. Switching feels risky, peak season always seems to be around the corner, and the devil you know is at least shipping orders. But every month you keep paying a bill you don’t fully understand, the cost of staying adds up. You just don’t see it on one line.
Second, what they wanted wasn’t magic. They wanted invoices that make sense, someone who answers, and a screen where they can see their own inventory. When something arrived damaged, the new warehouse inspected it, took photos, and sent the documentation so the brand could deal with its supplier. That’s what good service looks like. It isn’t a slogan.
If your current 3PL can’t tell you clearly what you paid for last month and why, that’s not a billing quirk. It’s an operations problem showing up in your bank account.
What to do
You don’t have to switch to find out where you stand. Start here:
- Pull your last three invoices and read them line by line. Receiving, storage, pick and pack, packaging, shipping, and any “misc” or “special project” charges. If a line doesn’t match an order count or a pallet count you can check, write it down.
- Compare the invoice to your own order data. Export your shipments from Shopify or your marketplace for the same period. Orders shipped should roughly match pick fees charged. Big gaps are a question for your account manager.
- Check whether you can see your inventory without asking. If getting an on-hand count means sending an email and waiting a day, you’re flying blind during peak.
- Don’t move in the middle of peak unless you have to. Amazon’s holiday peak fulfillment fees run October 15, 2026 through January 14, 2027, and carriers are in peak pricing too. If your current 3PL is shipping orders on time, plan the move for January and use the next few weeks to get quotes and a transition plan in writing. If they’re already missing ship days, that changes the math.
- Ask any new 3PL how they’ll handle the cutover. Who counts the inventory when it arrives, how SKUs get set up, how long orders are paused if at all, and who you call when something’s off.
Where Ship Depot fits
Ship Depot runs fulfillment out of Southern California plus partner fulfillment centers across the US, and our own warehouse is in Palmdale. We do Shopify and ecommerce fulfillment, Amazon FBA prep, B2B and retail orders, and pallet storage. You get one account manager who’s accountable for your account, and inventory visibility through our Extensiv warehouse system, so you can check stock yourself instead of emailing us.
If you’re not sure whether you’re overpaying, send us your current 3PL invoice. Our invoice compare shows what the same orders would cost with us, line by line, including our monthly minimum, so there are no surprises later. Submit the short form, then email your invoice and a recent shipment export to info@shipdepot.com. If we can’t beat it or fix what’s broken, I’ll tell you that.
Call me at 818-510-1499, or request a quote at shipdepot.com/get-quote.
— Argin, Ship Depot
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