When e-commerce sellers start looking for a 3PL partner, one of the first questions they ask is, “How big is your warehouse?” It feels like the right place to start, but the truth is that question won’t tell you much about whether a fulfillment center can actually support your growth. 

A massive warehouse doesn’t guarantee fast shipping, accurate orders, or the ability to scale into new sales channels.

What really matters is whether the 3PL has the systems, accuracy, flexibility, and partnership mindset to help you grow. To find that out, you need to ask how they operate, how they communicate, and how they will support your business. 

Here are four of the most important questions you can ask to guide your decision.

1. What are your cut-off times, and what SLAs (service commitments) do you offer?

Start by questioning your potential provider about their cut-off times and have them define their SLAs. For your reference, the cut-off time is the latest time in a day that your 3PL can receive an order and still guarantee shipment on the same day. A Service Level Agreement (SLA) is the formal performance promise your 3PL makes to you. 

What to look for:

Listen for answers that match up with your needs. For example, if you expect orders received in the morning to be shipped the same day, ensure your 3PL can meet this expectation with a 12:00pm cut-off time. Learn what happens if performance targets are missed. This will be outlined in the SLA. 

Understanding the cut-off times and SLAs will give you a sense of the performance consistency you can expect. If the agreement seems weighted in favor of the 3PL, it may indicate that they frequently miss targets.

2. What procedures do you have to ensure order accuracy (picking/packing)?

Mistakes can happen when orders are picked off the warehouse shelves and packed for shipment, but excessive errors are expensive. When the wrong item is shipped, sellers incur costs averaging $45-$85 per incident for returns, refunds, or customer service. As order volumes grow, even a small error rate multiplies dramatically.

What good procedures look like:

Listen for these three elements to discern if the potential 3PL partner will have high order accuracy in picking and packing your items:

• Barcode Scanning – If each item is labeled with a barcode, the picker/packer is ensured to actually pick the right SKU and quantity. 
• Modern Warehouse Management System (WMS) – Is the warehouse using automated inventory tracking? Many warehouses still rely on paper and pencil inventory counts, which opens the door for errors. A computerized system that keeps count in real-time reduces errors.
• High Order-accuracy Rate – Ask if they can provide you with their order accuracy rate. Top-performing 3PLs achieve an accuracy rate of 99%. 

3. Who do I call if I need help? Can I have direct access to the owner?

As you grow, there will be times when you’ll need extra assistance. This includes special requests, rush orders, or fulfillment issues that pop up.  When this happens, who is available to help? If you only receive a generic customer-service phone number, you may feel like “just another client.” You want a partner who treats your success as shared success. Direct access to stakeholders ensures this genuine partnership. 

What a good answer should sound like:

Exceptional providers will provide you with a direct line to the business owner rather than a central number to leave a ticket. This simple step is an indication of their willingness to build a personal relationship with you and the steps they take to treat your brand as a valued partner. 

4. Can your fulfillment process scale with my growth, both in order volume and sales channels (DTC, wholesale, retail)?

Choosing a 3PL partner who can nail the basics of delivery is essential, but so is selecting a partner who can support your long-term growth. Your business may start as a DTC (direct-to-consumer) brand, but if you want to expand into retail or wholesale your 3PL needs to be able to service that too. If your provider can only ship to consumers, you’ll be forced to pass up opportunities to place your product on the shelves at Home Depot, local boutiques, or wherever your next opportunity unfolds.

What to ask:

• Does the 3PL support multiple sales channels (DTC, wholesale, and retail store shipments)?
• Are they equipped to support channel-specific packaging, labeling, and documentation?
• Can they handle increases in order volume without sacrificing accuracy or speed?
• Do they provide reporting and forecasting support to help you manage your growth?

Choosing the Right Partner

Choosing the right 3PL isn’t about square footage. It’s about finding a partner who can keep your business moving, protect your reputation, and grow with you. When you ask the right questions, you quickly see which fulfillment centers offer real capability and which simply offer warehouse space.

These four questions will help you identify a provider that delivers accuracy, responsiveness, and long-term support. If you’re exploring your options or want help evaluating what’s right for your business, the team at Sweetwater Logistics is always here to take your call.