Logistics outsourcing
Logistics outsourcing: hand it over, focus on growth.
Stop chasing cartons and couriers. We take over the warehouse work, and your time goes back into product and sales.
The decision
When logistics outsourcing makes sense, and when it does not.
No order count settles this. The signals below are more useful, and the second list is there because keeping logistics in-house is sometimes the right call.
Signs it is time to outsource
- You, or your sales staff, regularly pack parcels
- Storage space is deciding how broad your range can be
- Sales peaks get through on overtime and goodwill
- Picking errors are growing faster than orders
- Returns pile up with nobody deciding what happens to them
- You want to serve Germany from one stock position
When to keep it in-house
- Packing is part of the product, and you want your own hands on it
- Volume is low and even, and you have spare people
- Your goods are dangerous, pharmaceutical or chilled, which we do not handle
- You have no SKU data and do not plan to prepare it
- You only need a low parcel rate, without written rules or reporting
The real problem
A growing shop rarely decides to run a warehouse. It just happens: first a corner, then a room, then the person who should be selling is taping boxes because the courier comes at four.
The handover
What you hand over, and what stays yours.
Outsourcing logistics moves the operation, not the responsibility for your business. Drawing the line in writing avoids most later arguments.
What stays with you
Your desk
What the operator takes over
Operator
Click a task to hand it over or take it back. You can start with just a part.
Stays with you
Stays with you
- Product, pricing, marketing and sales
- Contact with consumers and refund decisions
- VAT, packaging registrations and duties in the countries you sell to
- The decision on what happens to returned goods, set in your rules
- Contracts with your sales channels
The balance shows who does the work, not cost or time.
In-house logistics or outsourcing: what actually changes.
The comparison
In-house logistics or outsourcing: what actually changes.
Neither column wins outright. Put your own figures next to this, using the method in what 3PL providers charge for.
- Cost structure
- Your own warehouseLargely fixed: rent, staff and equipment, whatever the volume
- Logistics outsourcingLargely by activity and volume, plus an onboarding project
- Sales peaks
- Your own warehouseYour hiring and your overtime
- Logistics outsourcingPlanned with the operator, with capacity agreed beforehand
- Control
- Your own warehouseDirect, on your own floor
- Logistics outsourcingThrough written procedures, records and reports
- Owner's time
- Your own warehouseGoes to daily operations
- Logistics outsourcingGoes to product and sales, plus overseeing the supplier
- Changing a process
- Your own warehouseImmediate, and may never be written down
- Logistics outsourcingWritten change, possibly billed
- Returns
- Your own warehouseDepends on who has time and whether rules are written down
- Logistics outsourcingWritten procedure, with a record per item
- Risk of the change
- Your own warehouseNo migration needed
- Logistics outsourcingOnboarding and stock transfer needed, and an exit worth planning
A qualitative comparison, not a statement about your costs.
The switch
How moving your logistics to an operator works.
The first weeks set up how smoothly the daily routine runs. This is the method we propose; the 3PL onboarding guide covers the same ground for any provider, and how it works has the detail for ours.
A proposed method. Time depends on your data, integrations and range.
- 01
Scope and data
Products, volumes, returns rules and what hurts today. Ranges are enough for the first conversation.
You and ShipRevo
- 02
Written quote
Priced by activity, with the assumptions written next to the prices and exclusions named.
ShipRevo
- 03
Set-up
SKU master data checked against real goods, packing rules in writing, order and stock data flow defined.
Data: you. Check: ShipRevo
- 04
First delivery
Goods notified, counted and put on locations. Differences come to you before they become stock errors.
ShipRevo
- 05
Pilot
Test orders and test returns, including your awkward ones, against criteria agreed in advance.
You and ShipRevo
- 06
Volume, after your sign-off
Live orders start only once the pilot has passed. Failed tests are corrected and repeated first.
You decide
- 07
Remaining stock and parallel running
Agree what happens to stock still in your old location, and how long the two sites run side by side, so that the same unit is not sold twice.
You and ShipRevo
The limits
What logistics outsourcing will not fix.
Handing the warehouse to someone else does not clean up bad SKU data, settle a rule your team could never agree on, or make an unprofitable product pay. A good operator makes those problems visible sooner, and they may be billed as exceptions until you fix them.
You will also still need one person on your side who owns the relationship: answers questions, approves changes and reads the reports. It takes far less time than running a warehouse, but it is not zero. When you start comparing operators, our checklist for evaluating a 3PL is built to expose this early.
- Data quality stays your responsibility
- Rules have to be decided before they can be followed
- One named owner on your side
FAQ
What outsourcing costs, and what merchants ask first.
What does logistics outsourcing cost?
Each activity is its own line, so you can see what your orders really cost to handle. Rates depend on your goods and come with your quote; what 3PL providers charge for explains how to compare quotes. Onboarding (per project): data quality, number of SKUs, integration work, packing rules. Receiving (per pallet, carton, unit or hour): quality of the advance notice, depth of checks, labelling of goods. Storage (per pallet or location, per agreed period): size of goods and how fast they sell. Pick and pack (per order plus each further line): picking method, lines per order, packing complexity. Materials (per item used): who supplies them, carton types, inserts. Carrier service (per parcel or pallet): service, destination, weight and dimensions. Returns (per parcel or item, by step): depth of inspection, photographs, routing rules. Additional work (per job or hour): agreed in the procedure or approved by you first. Your baseline is what you pay today: hours spent on logistics times their real cost, rent, equipment, and the cost of errors. Without it, a quote has nothing to be compared with.
Will I lose control of my stock?
You change how you exercise it. Your stock is recorded separately from other clients' goods, and you receive agreed reports and data. There is no separate client portal: the reports and data exchange are set up with you and tested before the start. Decisions on the goods stay with you.
From how many orders does outsourcing make sense?
There is no fixed threshold, because complexity counts as much as volume. Enter your ranges in the quote form, even if they are small, and we will give you a clear answer.
What happens to my warehouse staff?
That is your decision. We take over the work, and we do not plan to take over your employees, so settle this before you plan the move and check the employment-law position with your adviser.
Can I hand over only part of the logistics?
Yes. For example only returns, or only B2B and pallets. See which logistics services can be combined, and how they share one stock record.
What if I want to leave?
The goods remain yours. Contract term and notice are given in writing before the first delivery. Ask any operator for the exit terms early, and use the questions in our guide to evaluating a 3PL.
Will outsourcing save me money?
That depends on what your logistics costs now and on your order profile. Compare the two using the figures from your own typical month, as described in what 3PL providers charge for.
Next step
Tell us which part of logistics takes most of your time.
A few ranges on orders, SKUs and returns are enough to start. A quote request commits you to nothing.