Rakuten Super Logistics (RSL) was acquired by ShipNetwork in 2022 and now operates under the brand name ShipNetwork. But while the owner has changed, ShipNetwork continues to be an ecommerce fulfillment service you can trust. Admittedly, it’s still too new to vet its current formation. However, the integrations with key partners like Shopify, Amazon, and ShipStation and fast fulfillment promises are a solid first start.
Before the acquisition, ShipNetwork had seven strategically located warehouses across the US and an international network of shoppers. Post-acquisition, ShipNetwork continues to build on its existing resources, partnering with its sister company, FirstMile, to provide users with a full suite of logistics parcel technologies and solutions.
ShipNetwork Compared
ShipNetwork hasn’t made it on my list of the best ecommerce fulfillment services, primarily because of its high minimum order clause and the tremendous goodwill of its competitors. Instead, I chose ShipBob as my top pick, with its 99.95% fulfillment accuracy rate and two-day shipping. Request a quote to get started.
- ShipBob – Best ecommerce fulfillment platform
- Red Stag Fulfillment – Best for high-value and large products
- ShipMonk – Best for subscription boxes
- Dot Foods – Best for food and beverage ecommerce
- Easyship – Best for international fulfillment
Check out our best ecommerce fulfillment services.
About ShipNetwork
ShipNetwork is a leading ecommerce order fulfillment company that offers scalable, flexible, and cost-effective distribution solutions to your fulfillment problems. It aims to provide online retailers and consumers with fast, accurate, and efficient distribution for truly borderless ecommerce.
With over 250 employees across the country and 20 years of experience in logistics, ShipNetwork is one company you know you can rely on to deliver a positive shipping experience for your customers and uphold your ecommerce store’s reputation.
Aside from order fulfillment, ShipNetwork offers other 3PL services like returns management, subscription boxes, freight, and kitting.
ShipNetwork Health and Stability
ShipNetwork is a privately-owned company with annual revenue between $25 million-$100 million. It has been in the industry for 22 years and offers national fulfillment services and a network of fulfillment centers across the United States, including Atlanta (GA), Chicago (IL), Houston (TX), Las Vegas (NV), and Salt Lake City (UT).
Besides ecommerce, ShipNetwork offers specialized solutions in the transportation, trucking, railroad, and internet software niches.
Upon the recent acquisition of RSL, ShipNetwork and FirstMile owner Devin Johnson mentioned he plans to provide clients with a full suite of domestic and international transportation solutions and technology. All these are positive indications that ShipNetwork isn’t going anywhere soon.
ShipNetwork Pricing
ShipNetwork’s main focus is to provide users with customized and transparent pricing. You’ll have to get in touch with its sales team to learn how much you need to pay to use the ecommerce fulfillment service.
ShipNetwork Pricing Structure
ShipNetwork understands no two businesses are the same. To accommodate each business’s unique needs, it provides potential customers custom quotes based on factors like order volume, SKU mix, average product weight and size, inventory storage, and product handling and packaging, among other factors.
ShipNetwork Pricing Comparison
One can’t really compare the pricing of ecommerce fulfillment services, as most of them don’t have fixed pricing. You’ll have to request a custom quote from each service provider.
ShipNetwork Trials and Guarantees
ShipNetwork doesn’t offer free trials or money-back guarantees.
ShipNetwork Ecommerce Fulfillment Service Review
ShipNetwork specializes in expedited domestic shipping and fulfillment, a promise it can deliver on, thanks to the company having more than 10 fulfillment centers across the United States. Other notable features include next-day shipping, return management, subscription box fulfillment, and tons of integrations.
ShipNetwork boasts an excellent 100% order accuracy guarantee, but it’s important to note the company has only recently been acquired, so nothing is set in stone. However, there are a few caveats, such as the high minimum orders and vague pricing, which after taking into account, I haven’t featured ShipNetwork on my best ecommerce fulfillment services list.
What Makes ShipNetwork Ecommerce Fulfillment Service Great
Enhanced national reach: The acquisition of RSL resulted in increased volume and density, which is likely to benefit both ShipNetwork and FirstMile clients. The expanded network means ShipNetwork can reach deeper into postal and regional carrier networks, thereby reducing costs and improving service performance. With the company planning to expand its facilities in both the eastern and western regions of the United States, you can expect larger facilities to support larger-scale retail distribution.
Fast and simple order fulfillment: ShipNetwork‘s order fulfillment process is super fast and simple. Once a customer makes an order on your ecommerce store, it’s automatically synced with the nearest ShipNetwork warehouse (currently, there are over ten in the US). The fulfillment center then processes and ships the orders to the customer via ShipNetwork shipping partners. If any items need to be returned, ShipNetwork‘s fulfillment center will follow your prescribed process.
Wide range of 3PL services: In addition to order fulfillment, ShipNetwork offers additional 3PL services to further streamline third-party logistics. For instance, its kitting is great for product bundling, while the cloud-based fulfillment and inventory system gives you complete control over your orders and inventory at all times. Other services include lot tracking, climate control, and project-based solutions to ensure your products are handled accurately and carefully.
Efficient returns management: Customers wanting to return an item because it wasn’t quite what they were hoping for is inevitable in ecommerce. Understanding this, they offer hands-on retail management services, which include restocking returned items to your inventory and discarded and damaged items. While you can work with the ShipNetwork team to plan your ecommerce return management, the company will collect the returns on your behalf and send them to the specific locations on schedule to minimize transit costs.
Tons of integrations: ShipNetwork’s ecommerce integrations include popular ecommerce platforms like Shopify, WooCommerce, eBay, BigCommerce, Magento, and Amazon. It also integrates with other shipping platforms and carriers like FirstMile, DHL, USPS, and ShipStation to streamline the overall shipping process while making it more cost-effective. However, be sure to check whether these carriers deliver in the regions you actively sell to.
Subscription box fulfillment: Another advantage of ShipNetwork is its subscription box fulfillment service, which is great for securing ongoing sales. Generally speaking, ShipNetwork ships the boxes out once a month or at another predefined interval and takes full responsibility for assembling and packing all the required items, ensuring they’re shipped at the right time.
Where ShipNetwork Ecommerce Fulfillment Service Falls Short
Vague pricing: ShipNetwork hasn’t published any pricing information on its website. You have to request a quote from the sales team, which unnecessarily prolongs the process. Case in point—you have to schedule a discovery call with the ShipNetwork team, who will then do a deep dive into your product, shipping, and handling requirements. Then they’ll put together a proposal for fulfillment services based on the information you gave.
High minimum orders: ShipNetwork mainly caters to clients that have about 4,500 orders per month. While it may consider working with smaller firms and startups with potential, the orders should not be below 250 a month. This may not be a feasible minimum for small businesses.
ShipNetwork Ecommerce Fulfillment Service Compared
While it’ll be exciting to see how ShipNetwork’s fulfillment services turn out in the future, ShipBob is currently my top pick for the best ecommerce fulfillment platform.
- ShipBob – Best ecommerce fulfillment platform
- Red Stag Fulfillment – Best for high-value and large products
- ShipMonk – Best for subscription boxes
- Dot Foods – Best for food and beverage ecommerce
- Easyship – Best for international fulfillment
Final Verdict
ShipNetwork is a promising ecommerce fulfillment service that provides fast and cost-effective order fulfillment services, complete with a 100% order accuracy guarantee. A bunch of other 3PL services like returns management, subscription boxes, and freight ensures reliable 3PL services whenever you make a sale.
Source: quicksprout
Rakuten Super Logistics Review