California 3PL fulfillment services — without the high coastal overhead
Red Stag Fulfillment helps Golden State brands reach 96 % of U.S. households in two days—without paying West Coast warehouse prices.
Yes, California sits at the heart of U.S. import traffic, but for most growing ecommerce companies it’s an expensive spot to park inventory.
Scroll down to see why trucking your containers a few hundred miles inland—to Salt Lake City or Knoxville—cuts total fulfillment cost while keeping deliveries fast.
You probably shouldn’t have a 3PL in California.
That might sound strange.
After all, California has some nice benefits:
You’re probably importing through the LA or Long Beach ports, and shorter port-to-warehouse distance = lower drayage costs
Your customer spread roughly matches the U.S. population, putting ~11.7% in California. Local inventory should mean faster and less expensive deliveries.
Score 2 points for a California 3PL, right?
Maybe. But consider total cost of fulfillment.
Port proximity and customer location are just two pieces of a much bigger puzzle.
Here are some other important factors:
Real estate costs (sky-high in California)
Labor rates (higher than most)
Complex state tax implications
(“one of the worst business competitiveness climates in the country“)
Slow and expensive outbound shipping
to the majority of the U.S. far from California (check the zone maps)
Even if it’s not your warehouse,
your 3PL is paying these costs, and passes them straight to you.
At Red Stag, we don’t keep inventory in California—by design.
Instead, we laser-focus on two levers that matter most to California sellers:
- Driving your total fulfillment cost down (storage, labor, shipping).
- Delivering a “wow” customer experience nationwide—fast, accurate, damage-free.
There are rare cases where a California warehouse pencils out. One client, a custom-furniture brand, gets no-cost drayage straight from its LA factory door; staying local made sense for them.
For nearly every other ecommerce operation, though, the math flips:
- Salt Lake City receives LA/Long Beach containers in a single driver shift, then ships to every CA metro in 1–2 days.
- Knoxville lets you hit the East and Midwest in two days while skipping West Coast rent and regulations.
Result? Lower overhead, broader 2-day reach, happier customers—without a California address.
We’ve done the math. Multiple times. And each time we run the numbers on California, the same truth emerges: a California location would actually increase total fulfillment costs for our clients. Our founders are also commercial real estate developers, so we’re pretty good with location analysis.
Tony Runyan
Chief Client Officer
Red Stag Fulfillment
You also don’t need to take our word for it
So you think you need more that 1 warehouse…
Here’s the cost of a 1lb package using an economy service from the best location and combination.
$5.32 – Springfield MO
$5.12 – Rancho CA + Charlotte NC
$5.05 – Rancho, Springfield, and Philly
YOU DON’T.
Chad Carleton
@chadcarleton
My wholesale 3pl went bankrupt in q3.
Their client list included:
– a dtc hemp drink company
– a mattress company
– a chocolate company
All shipping from San Francisco, the most expensive real estate in the world…
I wonder why they went bankrupt????
Sean Frank
@SeanEcom
The propaganda machine of the larger 3PLs has consultants and supply chain professionals brainwashed.
If you’re an e-commerce founder and you’re not producing close to 5 million in GMV, or you only ship 50-100 orders per day, you don’t need to worry about how many locations your 3PL has.
You also don’t need to be in Texas either. Here’s why:
You will pay more. This is not up for debate.
Freight, storage, management, split shipments—I’ve heard brands need to carry 30% more inventory. You’re chasing a ghost.
Even Amazon barley cares if you get your product in 2-days anymore.
Rich Patterson
See post
Our Locations
Select one (or both) of our strategically placed warehouse locations to see our reach.
Red Stag intentionally has only two locations.
See why that could be better for your brand.
The Red Stag difference
3PL services for California and nationwide
2-day shipping
Reach 96% of U.S. homes within two days.
100% accuracy
Fulfillment done right. Backed by guarantees.
0% shrinkage allowance
Because any loss is unacceptable.
California fulfillment center services
Warehousing
Move containers straight from LA/Long Beach to our Salt Lake City hub overnight, then hit “dock-to-stock” in 48 hours or less. Inland space costs a fraction of SoCal rent, so you keep inventory nimble without the congestion surcharge.
Order fulfillment
We pick, pack, and ship California orders with 99.9 % accuracy and 2-day ground reach. One consolidated inventory pool feeds every channel—DTC, retail, and marketplaces—so you never split stock between high-cost coastal nodes.
Shipping
From Utah or Tennessee, parcels cross fewer zones and dodge West-Coast DIM surcharges. A surfboard to San Diego or a wine fridge to Boston both ride ground at cut-rate costs, protected by Red Stag’s zero-damage guarantee.
Kitting & assembly
Launch product bundles or SoCal lifestyle subscription boxes without adding Bay-Area labor overhead. Our light manufacturing lines build kits on demand, driving AOV and loyalty while you stay focused on sales.
Inventory planning
Port seasonality, wildfire slowdowns, Chinese New Year peaks—we model it all. Real-time velocity data and forecasting tools help you stock precisely, maximize cash flow, and avoid California storage penalties.
Amazon fulfillment
Stay Prime-eligible without sending pallets to overcrowded California FCs. We handle Seller-Fulfilled Prime compliance, reverse logistics, and carton labeling, keeping you in Amazon’s good graces while controlling costs inland.
What customers say about
Red Stag fulfillment services
Building your
fulfillment networks
Strategic inland warehousing lets Californian brands hit prime delivery speeds without SoCal congestion or rent. From our Salt Lake City and Knoxville campuses you’ll still reach 96 % of U.S. households in two days, while containers roll east from LA/Long Beach or Oakland overnight. The result: faster turns, lower overhead, and zero port-side storage surcharges.
Your secure client portal plugs into every major ecommerce platform, giving real-time views of inventory, sales, and freight in a single dashboard. Layer in guidance from Red Stag’s West-Coast–savvy team and you’ll turn every data point into smarter replenishment, smoother peaks, and long-term growth.
Get ready to grow
with the right 3PL partner
Handing fulfillment to a 3PL should free you to design new surfboards, launch LA pop-ups, or fine-tune ad spend—not wrestle with warehouse staffing and AB5 compliance.
Red Stag Fulfillment goes further: our U.S.-based experts model demand curves, calibrate reorder points, and prep you for port delays or wildfire season—so growth never stalls.
We optimize SKU velocity, peak-season labor, and zone mapping from a single inventory pool in Utah and Tennessee. With all your operational data under one roof, you’ll slash costs, speed up turns, and reinvest the savings straight into scaling your California-born brand.
Frequently asked questions
Do I really need a warehouse inside California?
Often, no. Shipping from our Salt Lake City hub reaches Los Angeles, San Diego, and the Bay Area in 1 – 2 days via ground, while Knoxville covers the East Coast just as quickly. You avoid Inland Empire rent, $16+ wages, and AB5-related drayage fees—yet your customers still get “California-fast” delivery.
How will containers move from the Port of LA / Long Beach to Red Stag?
By booking appropriate drayage, you can clear the port before peak congestion, and rail or truck freight to Salt Lake City. That keeps chassis fees low and has the potential of inventory “dock-to-stock” within 48 hours of vessel discharge.
What’s the cost difference versus a SoCal 3PL?
Typical Inland Empire warehousing tops $13–14 / sq ft annually. Red Stag’s inland space is often 30–40 % less, and parcels cross fewer zones—cutting DIM-weight and fuel surcharges. Most California-based brands see double-digit savings on total fulfillment cost coupled with better overall fulfillment performance.
Will using an out-of-state 3PL affect my California tax or Prop 65 obligations?
Your products still need Prop 65 labeling, but warehousing outside California can reduce nexus-triggering activities and eliminate AB5 compliance headache. Always verify with your tax advisor, yet many merchants find fewer regulatory touch points when inventory sits in Utah or Tennessee.
What service guarantees does Red Stag extend to my California orders?
We guarantee 100 % on-time shipping and 100 % order accuracy. If we miss either mark, we pay the shipment cost and add $50 to make it right—no fine print. That pledge applies equally to every parcel heading to the Golden State (or any other state).
You’ll love having Red Stag as your
3PL fulfillment solution
Find out how Red Stag can help your ecommerce business.
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