Technology transformed our everyday routine and our interactions with the world. Online shopping is still rising, and there are no indicators that it will slow down. Amazon is one of the biggest retailers in the world, and it found a way to satisfy the needs of everybody involved.
Fulfilled by Amazon (FBA) is a service that enables sellers to ship products to Amazon warehouses, where they are stored, packed, and sent to the end buyer. The service became so popular that many other companies decided to offer it, so let’s discover the best amazon FBA alternatives.
1. FedEx
Being one of the largest shipping service providers, FedEx also found a way to offer fulfillment. FedEx decided to handle more prominent clients than the other companies on this list.
This means that if you are just starting out and don’t predict stable order numbers for the time to come, this might not be the best option. However, the low prices offered by this company might increase your profit margins if you are drastically scaling up your B2B deliveries.
2. Shipwire
Shipwire is a fulfillment provider for thousands of clients worldwide. They have warehouses around the globe, including Asia, Europe, North America, and Australia! This company somehow became a favorite for mobile device distributors since a quarter of their yearly deliveries are mobile devices.
With Shipwire, you can manage your inventory and select desired delivery routes, packaging, and couriers. The processes done by this provider are safe and fast, making it ideal for high-priced products that have to arrive timely.
3. Fulfillment.com
Next on our list is Fufillment.com, which besides an excellent domain name, can brag that they offer its services in more than 150 countries worldwide. Yearly they ship millions of orders. To get in, you need to plan more than 20,000 orders annually.
This is the ideal fulfillment provider for sellers just starting and don’t have the volume for bigger fulfillment companies. However, the number of needed orders is still reasonably high, so figuring out how to achieve it might be an obstacle for some sellers. The good thing is that you can make B2B as well, so it can be motivating while making your initial calculations.
4. ShipMonk
ShipMonk might be an excellent fit for you if you are at the very beginning of your business. This company doesn’t have a minimum number of orders you need to fulfill monthly. Like you, they are also newcomers to the industry and aim to work with more clients with less monthly volume.
The costs start at $3 for the first item in the order and continue at $0.75 for every other item. Once you increase, your monthly volume price goes to $1.80 for the first order item and $0.35 for every additional item. This payment model might motivate you if you are running an eCommerce business and want to create more cross-sell offers.
5. Rakuten Super Logistics (Now is Shipnetwork Under New Ownership)
Japanese corporation Rakuten, well known for messaging and calling platform Viber, decided to offer fulfillment service many years before the first smartphone was on the market. What separates this company from its competitors is that orders with mistakes on their end will be processed again free of charge!
This company is doing a great job in customer relations by offering one-day fulfillment for almost the entire US and is supported by 13 fulfillment centers across the country. If you are already using DHL or UPS services, you might get some perks if you start working with Rakuten.
6. Ships-a-lot
With a flat fee of $35 per month, Ships-a-lot seems desirable. Once you subscribe to this monthly payment, you can use as much storage space as you want. If it looks too good to be true, the fact that they offer $20 compensation for each order they don’t fulfill in 24 hours will make you reconsider.
Orders must be placed from their interface, yet there are plenty of integrations. Popular eCommerce platforms like Shopify can be connected to the Ships-a-lot system, which makes it an ideal choice for B2C retailers.
7. ShipBob
ShipBob is a fulfillment provider oriented towards fulfilling beauty, health, and clothing products. The newcomer to the industry, already successfully working with more than 3,000 businesses, is open for newcomer retailers.
Annual orders must be at least 1,800, which is a small number compared to other providers on this list. This comes to around five orders per day. Finally, besides the already mentioned products, ShipBob is open to the fulfillment of products from many other categories, such as consumer electronics.
ParcelABC
ParcelABC’s unique system makes it possible to send and receive packages quickly and at an affordable price without leaving your home. The system is built to be very easy to use for a person of any age or technological knowledge. To ship a parcel, all you have to do is enter the addresses of the sender and the recipient. The price of the service depends on, where the sender and the recipient are located as well as the weight, dimensions of the parcel itself and the speed of service required.
Conclusion
It is difficult to assess what part of the eCommerce journey is more complicated. Starting, scaling, and maintaining the business have their difficulties and awards.
Regardless of the stage your business is currently at, choosing wisely fulfillment provider will have a significant influence on your business’s development. Sometimes it does make sense to take slightly more expensive services if it will guarantee timely delivery and customer satisfaction.
