3PL directory
Find a 3PL that fits how you make products
A short, honest list of fulfillment partners for supplement, food, beauty and beverage brands, with the questions to ask before you sign. Every claim on a listing is checked against the 3PL’s own website.
Start with your product
Each guide covers what to require, what to ask, and 3PLs that fit.
Supplements
FDA-registered storage, lot and expiry capture, recall support.
Read the guideFood and beverage
Food-grade and temperature-controlled storage, FEFO, lot traceability.
Read the guideCosmetics and beauty
Batch code capture, hazmat shipping, kitting and retail compliance.
Read the guideWine and spirits
Licensed or bonded storage, temperature control, compliant DTC shipping.
Read the guideLot tracking and kitting
Lot and expiry capture, FEFO picking, kits that keep component lots.
Read the guide
How to choose a 3PL
Five steps that save most brands a bad first contract.
Step 1
Know your numbers first
Monthly orders, units per order, SKU count, pallet count and the share of orders that go to retailers or Amazon. 3PLs price on these, and you cannot compare quotes without them.
Step 2
Match the specialty to your product
Supplements need lot and expiry control, food may need temperature control, cosmetics often ship hazmat, and alcohol needs licenses. A generalist can be fine, but ask about your hardest product first.
Step 3
Pick a location for your customers, not your office
Shipping zones drive cost and transit time. Map where your orders go. Many brands start with one warehouse in the center of their demand and add a second coast later.
Step 4
Ask how inventory data gets back to you
Find out which warehouse system the 3PL runs and whether you get API access to your account. Stock counts, lots and shipments need to flow into your own system without spreadsheets.
Step 5
Compare three quotes line by line
Receiving, storage, pick and pack, packaging, kitting, account fees and minimums. The cheapest pick fee rarely makes the cheapest month. The readiness kit includes a worksheet for this.
The directory
3PLs that serve brands that make their own products.
We are checking 3PLs now
Every listing is checked against the 3PL’s own website before it goes live, so this list fills in over the coming weeks. The guide above and the readiness kit below are ready today.
Run a 3PL that fits? Request a listingThe 3PL readiness kit
Everything we would want in hand before talking to a 3PL: questions to send before the sales call, an onboarding checklist, and a worksheet to compare quotes line by line. Free to print, no sign-up.
3PL readiness kit
Choose, compare and onboard a 3PL
Questions to ask every 3PL
Send these before the sales call, and ask for answers in writing.
- Receiving: how fast is inbound stock available to ship, and what do you charge for unlabeled or mixed cartons?
- Lots and expiry: do you capture lot and expiry at receiving, and are they on every shipment record?
- Picking rules: FEFO, FIFO, or a lot we choose? Can we set a minimum shelf life per customer?
- Holds: how do you quarantine a lot, and how fast does it stop shipping?
- Accuracy: how do you measure order accuracy and inventory accuracy, and how do you credit errors?
- Cut-off: what is the same-day ship cut-off, and what happens on peak days?
- Returns: how are returns inspected, restocked or disposed of, and how is that reported?
- Integrations: which warehouse system do you run? Will you give us API access to our own account?
- Retail and Amazon: can you handle routing guides, EDI orders and FBA prep?
- Insurance and liability: what is your liability per unit, and what does your insurance cover?
- Contract: term, notice period, minimums, and how we get our stock out if we leave.
Onboarding checklist
Work through this in the four to six weeks before your first inbound shipment.
- Clean SKU list: one SKU per sellable unit, with barcodes, weights and dimensions.
- Units of measure: each, inner pack, case and pallet quantities for every SKU.
- Lot and expiry rules: label format, where the lot sits on the carton, and your minimum shelf life.
- Kits and bundles: component lists for every kit, and who builds them.
- Packaging: boxes, mailers, inserts and coolant, and who supplies them.
- Channels connected: store, marketplaces and wholesale orders flowing to the 3PL.
- Inventory sync: stock counts, lots and shipments flowing back into your own system.
- First inbound: advance ship notice sent, with lots and expiry on it.
- Test orders: one of each order type, including a retail order and a return.
- Reconciliation: weekly count comparison between your system and the 3PL for the first two months.
Cost worksheet
Fill in one column per quote, using your real monthly order and pallet numbers.
| Line item | 3PL A | 3PL B | 3PL C |
|---|---|---|---|
| Account or setup fee | |||
| Receiving (per hour, pallet or carton) | |||
| Storage (per pallet, shelf or bin, per month) | |||
| Pick and pack (first item) | |||
| Pick and pack (each additional item) | |||
| Packaging and inserts | |||
| Kitting or assembly | |||
| Retail or B2B order handling | |||
| Returns processing | |||
| Monthly minimum | |||
| Estimated monthly total |
Frequently asked questions
What is a 3PL?
A third-party logistics provider stores your inventory in its warehouse and picks, packs and ships your orders. Many also handle returns, kitting, retail orders and Amazon prep.
How is this directory different from a 3PL matching service?
We do not sell introductions and 3PLs do not pay to be listed. We publish a short list of 3PLs that fit product brands, with each claim checked against the 3PL’s own website, and leave the choosing to you.
When should a brand move to a 3PL?
Common signs are running out of space, shipping becoming a full-time job, or needing a second location to reach customers faster. Many brands move somewhere between a few hundred and a few thousand orders a month.
Do I still need inventory software if my 3PL has a portal?
A 3PL portal shows what is on its shelves. It does not track the raw materials you buy, the batches you make, stock at other locations, or the full lot history from ingredient to customer. That takes your own inventory and manufacturing software.
How do 3PLs get listed here?
A 3PL can request a listing. We list US 3PLs that serve product brands and whose website states the claims we publish. Listings are free and removed on request.
Run a 3PL?
If you serve brands that make their own products, request a free listing. No paid placement.