Thoughts on fulfilment options for a new biz?

[BillyH]

I'm a long time affiliate seller but I'm thinking about setting up a small ecom store too. But warehousing prices seem a bit eye watering though (fully accepting that it's probably me being mega tightfisted though!). I thought Shopify might be a good off the shelf solution but they're quoting around $9 for fulfilment of something small like a pair of shoes plus obviously warehousing costs. Is this reasonable? Are there any better solutions I should look at please? Are there any other costs that get added to this (thinking returns management or software platforms) just so I go into everything with my eyes open. Many thanks.

 

[japancool]

How much stock are you planning to carry? In terms of volume and no of SKUs.

 

[BillyH]

Well i was hoping to start off small and build from there, so i'm not overexposing myself cashflow wise. Say about a dozen skus to start off with - 10 units each - that sort of volume.

 

[Cdobbfulfil1]

Hi Billy,

I'd love to have a chat with you to see if outsourced fulfilment could be an option for you and run through associated costs?

Many thanks
Christian

 

[antropy]

I'm a long time affiliate seller but I'm thinking about setting up a small ecom store too. But warehousing prices seem a bit eye watering though (fully accepting that it's probably me being mega tightfisted though!).

What about dropshipping?

Paul.

 

[Adstral Fulfilment]

Hi Billy, I'd be happy to provide a perspective of using a UK 3PL fulfilment service. There are many established & reliable services that really value their clients and collaborate closely. Some may suit your products & preferences more than others but all will provide competitive pricing and seamlessly integrate with Shopify.
Best,
Tony.

 

[fisicx]

Well i was hoping to start off small and build from there, so i'm not overexposing myself cashflow wise. Say about a dozen skus to start off with - 10 units each - that sort of volume.

For those sort of numbers it’s not going to be cost effective to use a fulfilment service. It will be far cheaper to get someone local to do it for you out of their garage.

 

[Lawson@CBF]

For those sort of numbers it’s not going to be cost effective to use a fulfilment service. It will be far cheaper to get someone local to do it for you out of their garage.

You need to be looking at a minimum of 100+ orders a week to make the additional overheads work with selling shoes, especially with the returns management factored in. Look for 3PL services that operate volumetrically with their storage, this will help you scale and you're not paying for space you're not using.