Simplify Durable Goods Fulfilment With the 3PL Technology and Expertise Your Brand Needs
Deliver durable products faster and more cost-effectively while unifying DTC, retail, and Amazon fulfilment.
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What durable goods brands need from a fulfilment partner
From fragile electronics to heavy tools and home equipment, durable goods brands face unique logistical hurdles. Here’s what to look for in a fulfilment partner built to handle larger, more complex SKUs efficiently.
Control shipping costs and delivery times for larger or heavier SKUs
Larger items can be expensive to ship. Look for a fulfilment partner with a global network to store inventory in different countries, and leverage US-specific solutions like ShipBob’s Inventory Placement Program (IPP) to distribute inventory across US regions, reduce average shipping zones, and keep costs down. Alternatively, if you manage bulky or heavyweight items in-house, leverage ShipBob’s WMS to streamline warehouse operations.
Unify DTC, Amazon replenishment prep, and retailer orders in one platform
Manage DTC, Amazon, and retail orders from a single dashboard. Maintain one source of truth for inventory across channels, with automated reorder notifications to prevent stockouts.
Better visibility into space-hogging inventory, leading to stockouts or excess carrying costs
Large items can take up space, tie up cash, or go out of stock when you lack real-time inventory visibility. Partner with a 3PL that offers real-time order and inventory analytics that syncs across all sales channels and fulfilment centres to avoid stockouts or excess inventory.
Reduce pick and pack complexity for accessory-heavy SKUs
If your product includes add-ons, ShipBob enables you to set up a virtual bundle so that when the bundle SKU is ordered, the system automatically deducts inventory from the correct individual components and maintains accurate unit-level stock. Look for a fulfilment partner that uses virtual product bundling to streamline the sales of component products sold as a single SKU, simplifying order and inventory management.
ShipBob’s fulfilment solutions that durable goods brands care about
ShipBob’s 3PL platform is designed for brands managing large, heavy, or high-value items. Here’s how our fulfilment technology and network help durable goods brands lower costs and streamline operations at scale.
Packaging and dimensional-weight optimisation
ShipBob’s proprietary box-selection algorithm selects the optimal package size based on product dimensions, minimising billable weight and dimensional weight surcharges (which is particularly important for fragile, heavy, or oversized items).
ShipBob utilises standard boxes or mailers, along with paper dunnage (such as Geami or kraft paper filler) to ensure proper protection, control billable weight, and reduce wasted packaging space.
Unified omnichannel fulfilment
ShipBob streamlines omnichannel fulfilment by supporting DTC orders and EDI-based retail purchase orders (B2B) from retailers such as Best Buy, Walmart, and Target. This integrated solution allows brands to manage DTC and B2B/retail orders from a shared pool of inventory, which eliminates the need for separate workflows and helps prevent overstocking or stockouts.
As an omnichannel fulfilment partner, ShipBob allows brands to efficiently manage orders across all sales channels, enabling them to maintain lean operations teams and deliver a seamless customer experience.
Real-time inventory insights
Gain complete, real-time visibility into your inventory with ShipBob’s analytics dashboard and proactive replenishment recommendation tools. The platform provides crucial inventory metrics, including days of inventory left on hand, recommended replenishment dates, and inventory tracking across the fulfilment network.
Leveraging customised reporting and real-time data, brands can optimise stock levels, proactively replenish inventory to avoid stockouts, and identify slow-moving inventory to reduce excess carrying costs.
Bundling
ShipBob makes it easy to create and sell bundles by allowing you to digitally link multiple SKUs under a single bundle SKU. When a bundle is ordered, ShipBob’s system automatically picks each individual item, digitally deducting inventory from each component SKU so you always maintain accurate unit-level stock counts.
This virtual bundling capability helps brands offer custom product combinations without manual inventory management, removing the need to manually reduce inventory counts for multiple component items.
Flexible return management
Brands can set return preferences for each SKU to have ShipBob’s team automatically restock, quarantine, or dispose of the item. Alternatively, merchants can choose to have returns shipped to an external, non-ShipBob facility of their choosing, helping to manage specialized storage or avoid unnecessary costs.
ShipBob facilitates a seamless returns experience, and even integrates directly with returns platforms like Loop and AfterShip to make initiating returns and exchanges easier for customers.
Automated inventory transfers
ShipBob makes it easy to move inventory between fulfilment centres or to external facilities (like Amazon) with a streamlined, step-by-step process. The platform enables you to create and manage Warehouse Receiving Orders (WROs) and corresponding B2B orders to move inventory between fulfilment centres, supporting shipping methods like parcel, palletized containers (LTL), and floor-loaded containers (FLC).
ShipBob’s Inventory Placement Program (IPP) automates the allocation and redistribution of your inventory across our US network, enabling efficient distribution to optimise delivery speed and reduce manual inventory planning headaches for merchants.
Types of durable goods products that companies fulfil with ShipBob
- Home Goods
- Kitchen/cookware
- Home electronics
- Tableware
- Storage
- Organisation
- Bathroom accessories
- Laundry
- Cleaning tools
- Office/home decor
- Personal Accessories
- Travel gear
- Tech accessories
- Shoe/jewelleryorganizers
- Eyewear cases
- Devices and electronics
- Smart home/personal care devices
- Portable power/audio
- Computer accessories
- Outdoor and fitness
- Fitness equipment
- Camping gear
Success story: Our Place optimises fulfilment and reduces freight costs with ShipBob
Our Place, a leading kitchenware and home goods brand, partnered with ShipBob to optimise their nationwide fulfilment strategy. By expanding their warehouse network with ShipBob, they achieved significant operational efficiencies, including a major reduction in outbound freight costs and a dramatic cut in fulfilment and shipping times.
ShipBob’s Inventory Placement Program and robust analytics empowered Our Place to distribute inventory closer to customers, reduce average shipping zones, and streamline operations. The brand leveraged ShipBob’s transparent billing, advanced reporting, and full-stack fulfilment platform to scale efficiently while maintaining a delightful customer experience.
Success story: Tonies ships 5.7M+ boxes with one partner
Tonies, the screen-free audio-player brand, scaled durable goods fulfilment by centralising with ShipBob, leveraging one platform and network instead of juggling multiple providers. Their VP of Operations highlights that ShipBob’s breadth of solutions let them keep saying yes to new growth without having to hunt for separate vendors.
To date, Tonies has shipped 5.7M+ boxes worldwide with ShipBob, demonstrating reliable scale and operational visibility for both DTC and retail.
ShipBob services all customers benefit from
- Connectivity & integrations: ShipBob’s 50+ turnkey integrations with all major ecommerce channels and tools – including Shopify, Gorgias, Klaviyo, NetSuite, Loop, AfterShip, and more – enable you to grow your business smarter, faster, and stronger than ever before. In addition to the ShipBob App Store that lets you instantly connect your tech stack, you can also leverage ShipBob’s Develop API for custom builds.
- Transparent, cost-effective pricing: Unlike many 3PLs, ShipBob has easy-to-predict billing that makes it easy to plan for spend, without too many line items. ShipBob also negotiates rates with couriers and passes those savings on to you.
- Real-time visibility: Track shipments, orders, and inventory across locations from one dashboard. Manage one pool of inventory across sales channels and push stock levels back to your store so you don’t oversell.
- Full-stack fulfilment platform: With ShipBob, you get an all-in-one OMS, IMS, WMS, RMS, TMS, and analytics for a consolidated tech stack. ShipBob’s platform acts as a mini-ERP, being a single source of truth for your orders and inventory.
- Easy, comprehensive onboarding: We’ve onboarded thousands of ecommerce merchants and helped some of the fastest-growing brands scale effortlessly. Our implementation team sets you up for success with everything from configuring your ship options, to syncing your online store.
- Support for growth: ShipBob aims to be the last fulfilment partner you’ll need. Whether you’re shipping 1,000 orders per month or 200,000, we have you covered. With a large fulfilment network to scale into, new channels to expand into, and additional capabilities to tap into, you won’t outgrow ShipBob.
Request a quote for durable goods fulfilment
How it works
How ShipBob goes from your online store to your customer’s door
1. Connect
Connect your store, import your products, then send us your inventory.
2. Store
We store your inventory in any combination of our fulfilment centers.
3. Ship
As soon as a customer places an order, we ship it from the nearest fulfilment centre.
FAQs about durable goods fulfilment
Here are answers to some of the most common questions brands have when it comes to fulfilling and shipping durable goods efficiently.
Can ShipBob help reduce shipping costs for oversized or heavy products?
Yes. ShipBob’s proprietary box selection algorithm minimises billable weight and dimensional surcharges. Furthermore, strategic distribution across ShipBob’s global network helps reduce shipping times and costs. Brands with heavy items in the US should use ShipBob’s Inventory Placement Program (IPP) to automate strategic distribution.
What packaging options does ShipBob offer for durable goods?
ShipBob provides standard packaging solutions and uses optimally-sized boxes for all orders, along with dunnage like Geami paper or kraft paper, ensuring proper protection for fragile, heavy, or accessory-rich products. If your brand wants to use custom packaging, you can provide branded boxes, mailers, or inserts to ShipBob to be stored as a unique SKU.
How does ShipBob support omnichannel fulfilment for durable goods brands?
ShipBob’s unified omnichannel platform enables brands to manage DTC orders, Amazon FBA prep, and retailer B2B purchase orders from a single dashboard, utilising a shared pool of inventory to streamline operations and prevent overstocking or stockouts across all sales channels.
Can ShipBob integrate with my ecommerce platform and manage large SKUs?
Absolutely. ShipBob offers turnkey integrations with dozens of platforms, including Shopify and WooCommerce, enabling seamless fulfilment for large and complex SKUs with real-time inventory tracking and order management across all sales channels.
How does ShipBob help with inventory management for durable goods?
Our platform provides real-time inventory tracking, analytics, and reorder notifications, helping you avoid stockouts or excess inventory. For heavy items in the US, leverage the Inventory Placement Program (IPP) to strategically distribute products, minimising shipping costs and transit times.
What return solutions does ShipBob offer for durable goods?
ShipBob allows you to set return preferences for each product, including restock, quarantine, or disposal of returned items, and even has integrations with partners like Loop and AfterShip that make initiating returns and exchanges easier.
Merchants may alternatively choose to have returns shipped to an external, non-ShipBob facility of their choosing, helping to avoid unnecessary storage or processing costs.
Does ShipBob offer eco-friendly packaging or sustainable shipping options?
ShipBob utilises standard plain packaging and paper-based dunnage (such as Geami or kraft paper filler) to protect items during transit. ShipBob also supports brands that provide their own custom branded packaging, stored as a SKU. Using a distributed fulfilment network also helps improve sustainability by shortening transit distances.
How can ShipBob support my brand’s international expansion?
With dozens of fulfilment centres across the US, the UK, Europe, Canada, and Australia, you can place inventory closer to customers and manage international orders with real-time visibility and clear billing transparency.
What kind of support and visibility does ShipBob provide for durable goods brands?
ShipBob provides dedicated support (including Merchant Success Managers), billing and invoice transparency, and a robust analytics suite. This technology helps brands make informed decisions by providing insights into crucial metrics like inventory, fulfilment, and costs.
Shipping costs are variable in nature, based on weight, dimensions, destination, service, and more. Request your custom quote here: https://www.shipbob.com/quote/
INTEGRATE ALL OF YOUR TOOLS
Connect to 50+ few-click integrations from our App Store, or build directly with our developer-friendly API
Ship from 60+ global locations
We use our network of fulfilment centres to help you strategically split and manage your inventory to reduce shipping costs and transit times.
FEATURED REPORT
What are durable goods brands’ top priorities for shipping and fulfilment this year? Find out
There’s no question that the last several years have thrown a multitude of challenges at ecommerce brands. Despite this, brands are navigating the ever-changing landscape with plans to expand this year.
