Questions brands ask before choosing a 3PL
Answers on minimums, quotes, onboarding, locations and technology, for ecommerce and wholesale brands comparing 3PLs in Canada and the USA. For anything not covered here, Darwynn's sales team replies within 24 hours.
Getting started
How onboarding worksIs there a minimum to start with Darwynn?
There is no minimum order volume, storage or inbound quantity to start. A brand can begin with a single case of inventory and grow from there, and its quote is built around how the business runs today.
How does a Darwynn quote work?
Darwynn's sales team replies within 24 hours and sets up an introduction call to understand the brand's products, order volume, channels and customers, and to walk through Darwynn's locations, technology and capacity. The brand then completes a fulfillment questionnaire, and Darwynn builds a rate card for that brand from its answers and order data.
How long does it take to switch to Darwynn?
Most brands are live in two to four weeks, depending on how many sales channels and systems connect, how many SKUs the brand carries and how the inventory moves. A dedicated team runs the onboarding as a project.
What does a brand need to start onboarding?
A product information form with SKUs, barcodes, dimensions, weights and handling needs, and a manifest of the first inventory to arrive. Darwynn sets up the account the same day the product information arrives.
Can Darwynn move inventory from the brand's current 3PL?
Yes. The brand can book its own carrier, or Darwynn quotes and books the freight from the current warehouse. The first shipment is received and checked before the rest of the inventory moves.
Pricing
How pricing worksHow do 3PLs charge for fulfillment?
Most 3PLs charge for receiving, storage, picking and packing, packaging and shipping, plus services such as kitting or Amazon FBA prep. Darwynn quotes the same parts, but builds the price for each brand from its order data, products, channels and customer locations instead of applying a standard rate card.
Is there a fee to use more than one Darwynn location?
No. A brand is live in every Darwynn location once it is set up, and there is no extra fee to use more of them.
Can a brand see what each order costs?
Yes. Darwynn OMS shows the cost of every order for fulfillment and shipping.
Services and sales channels
All servicesWhat does a 3PL do?
A third-party logistics provider, or 3PL, stores a brand's inventory and picks, packs and ships its orders, so the brand does not run its own warehouse. Darwynn is a 3PL for ecommerce and wholesale brands, supporting more than 400 of them from more than 15 locations across Canada and the USA.
Does Darwynn handle both ecommerce and wholesale orders?
Yes. Online store, marketplace, wholesale and retail orders draw on one inventory pool across every Darwynn location. Retail orders are prepared to each retailer's requirements, with EDI through SPS Commerce.
Which sales channels and systems does Darwynn connect to?
Shopify, WooCommerce, Amazon, Walmart, TEMU, Faire and Rithum; retailers through SPS Commerce; and business systems such as NetSuite, Sage, Brightpearl, Fulfil, Xorosoft and QuickBooks, along with many more.
Can Darwynn fulfill Costco orders?
Yes. Darwynn is a Costco vendor of record and has launched more than 50 brands on Costco.ca and Costco.com. Orders arrive through its integration with Rithum, formerly CommerceHub. More on Costco fulfillment.
Does Darwynn prepare Amazon FBA shipments?
Yes. Darwynn prepares units, sets and cartons to Amazon's requirements, usually within two business days, and ships them into Amazon. It also ships Amazon FBM orders the next day. More on Amazon FBA and FBM.
How should a brand choose a 3PL?
Compare how each 3PL would handle the brand's own business: the integrations it already has, where its warehouses sit relative to the brand's customers, how it tracks inventory and lots, what the brand can see in its system, how pricing is built and how onboarding runs.
Locations and shipping
All locationsWhere are Darwynn's locations?
More than 15 locations: Greater Toronto, Montréal, Calgary and Metro Vancouver in Canada, and Southern California, the Chicago area and Atlanta in the USA.
Can a Canadian brand fulfill U.S. orders with Darwynn?
Yes. Darwynn has U.S. locations in the Chicago area, Southern California and Atlanta, so Canadian brands can launch U.S. fulfillment and U.S. brands can reach Canada on the same platform.
Which carriers does Darwynn ship with?
More than 24 parcel carriers, including Canada Post, Purolator, Canpar, UniUni, Obibox, UPS, FedEx and USPS, and more than 150 LTL and FTL carriers. Every parcel is rate-shopped for the service the order needs.
Does Darwynn offer same-day delivery?
Yes, across the Greater Toronto Area, through Darwynn Driver, Darwynn's own delivery fleet. The carrier network covers every other destination.
Technology and inventory
TechnologyCan brands see their inventory live?
Yes. Darwynn OMS shows live sales and inventory, inventory history, inbound and outbound shipments and the cost of each order, and sends an alert when a product falls below its safety stock.
How accurate is inventory at Darwynn?
More than 99%. Every item is barcoded and scanned at picking and packing.
Does Darwynn track lot and expiry dates?
Yes. Darwynn records the lot, expiry date and receiving date of every unit, ships FIFO or FEFO, and keeps every lot traceable.
Does Darwynn handle returns?
Yes, for every channel. Customers can create their own return labels, and every return is received, inspected and managed in Darwynn's system.
Ask the sales team
Send the brand's products, order volume and channels, and Darwynn's sales team replies within 24 hours with next steps.