Choosing a fulfillment company isn’t a one-size-fits-all decision. While they remain a huge player in the 3PL space, there is a lot of good Shipbob competitors to also consider.
One of ShipBob’s attractive offers is a robust network of warehouses that could bring some nice benefits to your business. But not necessarily. You may find that another fulfillment competitor is better able to tailor their services more closely to meet your needs.
TL;DR:
ShipBob competitors worth considering
Red Stag Fulfillment offers 100% accuracy guarantees, specializing in big, bulky, and heavy products.
Amazon MCF provides massive warehouse network but less customization flexibility.
ShipMonk and Shipfusion offer specialized services for niche markets and products.
Choose based on your specific needs: product type, accuracy requirements, and support level.
| 3PL | Fulfillment costs | Accuracy | Networks | Support |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ShipBob | Custom pricing | 99.95% accuracy rate, 99.96% on-time shipping rate | 50+ fulfillment centers, ships almost anywhere | Phone, email, and in-platform chat features |
| Red Stag Fulfillment | Custom pricing, no hidden fees | 100% accuracy backed by guarantees | 2 fulfillment centers, 96% of U.S. within 2 days, ships almost anywhere | Phone calls typically answered by people, and email |
| Amazon MCF | Per-unit pricing based on product size, weight, and shipping speed | 99.8% undamaged package delivery rate, >97% on-time delivery rate | 200+ fulfillment centers, available in 10 countries | 24/7 support with seller login, knowledge base |
| ShipMonk | Pricing based on monthly order volume | 99.99% fulfillment accuracy rate, <2% damage rate | 11 fulfillment centers, ships almost anywhere | Phone, live chat, email, knowledge base |
| LVK Logistics (previously ShipHero) | Flat rates with surcharges for certain items | WMS supports 99.99% accuracy rate | 9 fulfillment centers, ships within U.S. and Canada | Website case submission with login, knowledge base |
| Shipfusion | Custom pricing | 99.9% order accuracy rate, 99.9% on-time delivery rate | 4 fulfillment centers in U.S. and Canada | Website case submission, live chat |
ShipBob competitors
Red Stag Fulfillment
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Sure, we might be showing our bias by placing ourselves at the top of this list. But we also might be one of the best ShipBob competitors out there. You’ll have to decide for yourself.
Red Stag Fulfillment is an end-to-end fulfillment company that serves ecommerce brands and other retail businesses. The bulk of what we do revolves around warehousing, order fulfillment, picking and packing, and reverse logistics. We can also help with kitting and assembly prior to shipping, and inventory planning so your stock choices align with customer demand.
PRO TIP: Over the past 10+ years, we’ve built a strong reputation for managing fulfillment for big, bulky, and heavy products with a 100% accuracy guarantee. And yeah, we’re pretty darn good at it.
Get full visibility into your business operations with online store integrations, including Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, Amazon, and others. Red Stag can also build custom APIs for your store.
Red Stag Fulfillment fulfillment and shipping costs
Red Stag Fulfillment provides full pricing transparency so you can better understand (and control) your fulfillment costs. We craft customized agreements based on detailed insights into your company, so we can deliver exactly what you need—nothing more, nothing less—and help you maintain cost efficiency at scale.
We carefully chose our fulfillment center locations to help you reach more customers with fast delivery speed while also limiting your carrying and transportation costs. By placing our warehouses inland, away from major ports, you’re able to avoid the high prices and costly bottlenecks of those congested coastal areas.
Key Takeaway: With Red Stag, you can reach 96% of the U.S. within two days or less, helping you keep delivery speeds high and shipping costs low. Faster, accurate deliveries also support customer satisfaction, which can increase your topline revenue and lower customer acquisition costs.
We also offer performance guarantees that align our motivations with yours and hold us accountable to always doing what’s best for your business. On the rare occasion a mistake happens, Red Stag fixes it (at no cost to you) and pays you an additional fee for the inconvenience.
Because if we make a mistake, it hurts your business. And we believe it’s only right that it should hurt ours, too. That way, you can trust that our decisions and recommendations are always based on mutual benefit. No other fulfillment companies or competitors to ShipBob have guarantees that come even close to this.
Red Stag Fulfillment customer support and growth
Our dedicated team of experts helps you resolve issues quickly and discover opportunities to improve performance across all of your sales channels. Unlike most competitors to ShipBob, nearly everyone on our Client Success team started off working on the warehouse floor. They understand fulfillment inside and out and will proactively help you with things like maximizing inventory turnover, optimizing carrying costs, and preparing for peak seasons.
PROS:
100% accuracy guarantee with financial compensation
Specialists in bulky, heavy, and high-value items
Transparent, custom pricing with no hidden fees
CONS:
Fewer fulfillment centers than ShipBob
Not ideal for small, lightweight products
Limited international fulfillment network
Amazon Multi-Channel Fulfillment
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Amazon Multi-Channel Fulfillment (MCF) allows ecommerce sellers to fulfill orders from various sales channels using Amazon’s warehousing and distribution network. While Fulfillment by Amazon caters to Amazon sales specifically, MCF is open to all businesses who need its support.
It works by consolidating your inventory within its network, so you don’t have to worry about stock allocation or distribution. Based on marketplace sales data, it moves products to where it forecasts demand and fulfills orders for you, including final-mile delivery to customers.
NOTE: With approximately 1.5 million workers across 2,000 warehouses, Amazon has the labor and resources to provide reliable fulfillment for any size business. High-volume sellers may appreciate the network effects of such a massive partner, while smaller companies can benefit from its scalability.
Amazon MCF shipments and accuracy
Amazon MCF provides three tiers of delivery options, including standard shipping, expedited shipping, and priority shipping. It says it has a 99.8% undamaged package delivery rate, based on data from small- and medium-sized businesses. It also claims more than 97% on-time delivery rates, which is only slightly lower than some competitors.
Amazon MCF cost considerations
Amazon MCF provides transparent pricing, but its prices can change frequently and you may get some unexpected charges if you don’t pay thorough attention to how product details impact pricing tables.
Compared to other ShipBob competitors, MCF offer less opportunity for customized cost-control measure, making profitability more challenging. For example, you might want to use a specific type of infill in your packages or compare cost-effectiveness between trucking carriers.
Amazon MCF can’t provide this flexibility because its operations depend on high levels of standardization to meet demand volumes. Working with an alternative 3PL for your Amazon fulfillment may be a better option if you need more control.
ShipMonk
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ShipMonk focuses on reducing the complexity of supply chains by integrating fulfillment into a larger solution. With specialized services like customs brokerage and online store web development, it may be the right ShipBob alternative for businesses that need end-to-end help.
ShipMonk fulfillment services and cost
Key services from ShipMonk include centralized supply chain management on its platform, omnichannel fulfillment with automated warehouse processes, and real-time data and reporting features for cross-functional visibility. It charges by tiers determined by your monthly order volumes.
ShipMonk network and accuracy
The fulfillment company claims a 99.99% order accuracy rate and less than 2% inventory shrinkage due to damages. With 11 warehouses in North America and the United Kingdom, it can ship to almost every country in the world.
LVK Logistics (formerly ShipHero)
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ShipHero has built its fulfillment business on the strength of its warehouse management software. With data at the heart of its original service offer, their subsidiary LVK Logistics focuses on supply chain visibility and service-level agreement (SLA) compliance. The WMS product was released more than a decade ago, with the fulfillment arm launching a few years later.
ShipHero network capabilities and cost
The 3PL charges flat rates for fulfillment with surcharges for certain items. Extra charges can add up quickly, so it’s important to review what that means for your business at scale. If you typically ship large or heavy items, you may benefit more from fulfillment partner that can help you optimize logistics costs based on size and weight.
ShipHero has nine fulfillment centers and ships within the U.S. and Canada. It claims a 3.5 day average fulfillment time and a 35% decrease in warehousing costs compared to other services of its size.
Shipfusion
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Shipfusion manages fulfillment and limited freight services for ecommerce sellers, brick-and-mortar retailers, and wholesale companies. With cold chain equipment and networks, it can serve regulated industries that other 3PLs might not be able to help. It also offers lot tracking, temperature control, and reverse logistics for regulated products.
Shipfusion costs and accuracy
Shipfusion fulfills orders for customers in the U.S. and Canada, operating out of four warehouses. It offers a 99.9% order accuracy rate and 99.9% on-time delivery rate. Pricing varies based on your products and services.
About ShipBob
ShipBob offers multi-channel ecommerce fulfillment services, including warehousing, inventory management, picking and packing, shipping, and returns. It primarily focuses on direct-to-consumer fulfillment for ecommerce brands, but it also provides B2B services, like wholesale order fulfillment and retailer dropshipping. It integrates with Shopify, Amazon, and more than a hundred other ecommerce platforms, and its transparent pricing structure reflects total fulfillment costs with no hidden fees.
ShipBob logistics
With ShipBob, you can store inventory across more than 50 global fulfillment centers and ship to almost every country using standard and expedited shipping options. In the U.S., you benefit from two-day shipping, regardless of how many fulfillment centers you use, and rely on a 99.96% on-time shipping rate and 99.95% accuracy rate.
ShipBob customer support
ShipBob provides 24/7 customer support via phone, chat, and email to assist with questions, issues, and exceptions. It also has extensive training resources, including documentation, videos, and webinars, that can help you with topics like inventory management, choosing a warehouse management system (WMS), and improving customer satisfaction.
Frequently asked questions
What’s the biggest difference between ShipBob and Red Stag Fulfillment?
The main difference is product specialty. ShipBob excels with smaller, lightweight items and has more fulfillment centers globally. Red Stag specializes in big, bulky, and heavy products with a 100% accuracy guarantee. Red Stag also offers more personalized support with real people answering phone calls and custom logistics solutions.
Should I choose Amazon MCF for my fulfillment needs?
Amazon MCF makes sense if you’re already selling primarily on Amazon and want to extend to a few other channels. It offers massive scale but limited customization. Consider your product characteristics, growth plans, and customer experience needs before choosing. If you need personalized support, custom packaging, or specific shipping methods, a dedicated 3PL like Red Stag might be better suited to your needs.
How do I choose the right ShipBob alternative for my business?
Start by defining your specific needs: product characteristics (size, weight, fragility), order volume, delivery speed requirements, budget constraints, and growth plans. Then evaluate each 3PL based on their specialties, pricing structure, technology integration capabilities, warehouse locations, and customer support. Request pricing quotes from your top choices and ask detailed questions about their capabilities for your specific products. Consider testing a small portion of your inventory with your preferred provider before committing completely.
