Moving your Shopify store off self-fulfilment
Packing at the kitchen table works until it is the only thing you have time for. This is what the handover actually involves.
Most Shopify brands do not go looking for a 3PL because fulfilment is expensive. They go looking because packing has become the only thing they have time for.
This page is about the handover itself: what changes, what does not, what you need ready, and how to tell whether you are at the point where it is worth doing.
When the handover is worth it
The calculation turns when packing is the constraint on everything else. Picking at night, mistakes creeping in as the range grows, or not being able to take a week off without orders stopping — those are the signals, not a specific order count.
Below roughly fifty orders a month it usually has not turned yet, and better shelving with a proper pack station will do more for you this year than a fulfilment contract would. We would rather tell you that at quote stage than three months in.
What the handover actually involves
Your numbers, your rate card
Volumes, SKU count and storage footprint go into a rate card you agree before anything moves. No stock ships against an unconfirmed price.
The store connects
Parcelo connects to Shopify through the API rather than as an App Store listing. Orders pull through automatically and tracking is written back to the order on dispatch.
Your stock arrives on a booked date
Inbound is booked in advance so it is received, counted and made sellable the same business day rather than sitting unattended.
First orders go out under watch
The first week is the one that surfaces the things a spreadsheet does not: packaging that does not fit, a SKU that was labelled differently in your garage, a size grid that needs relocating.
What to have ready
- A current SKU list with the barcodes you actually use, if you use them
- Your real order volume for the last three months, not your best month
- Packaging materials, or a decision to have us supply them
- Your packing standard written down: folding, inserts, anything a customer would notice
- A rough date, so inbound can be booked rather than guessed
What does not change
Your customer sees your brand and nothing of ours. The parcel carries your packaging, the dispatch notification goes out from your own store, and returns come back addressed in your name.
You also keep control of the parts that are yours: your carrier accounts and rates if you have them, your packaging decisions, and your customer communication.
Common questions
- Is there a Shopify app to install?
- No. Parcelo connects through the Shopify API rather than as an App Store listing. Orders are pulled from your store automatically and tracking is written back to the order when the parcel is dispatched. We will show you exactly what is automated before you commit.
- How long does onboarding take?
- The connection and rate card are quick. The real timeline is set by your stock: when it can be delivered, and how long it takes to receive and locate. That date is agreed with you rather than estimated.
- Can I keep my own carrier account?
- Bring it if you have negotiated rates worth keeping. If you have not, postage is passed through at the rate on the account used, and that arrangement is set out in your rate card either way.
- What if I want to go back to self-fulfilment?
- Then your stock goes back to you. Agreements are built around how your brand actually ships rather than a fixed term, and what applies to your account is written down before you start.
Not sure what your fulfilment would actually cost?
Work out a realistic range first, then get a quote based on your real numbers.