Canada Fulfilment Centre for Ecommerce
ShipBob is an international 3PL with fulfilment centres across the globe with several Canada fulfilment centres.
Request a QuoteFulfiling and shipping orders out of country can be complex and costly, even to neighboring countries like the US. If your online store is based in Canada and you’re getting a significant amount of traffic from the US, then fulfiling orders to the US may be an easy way to grow sales.
ShipBob has a Canadian fulfilment centre and also makes shipping to the US simple for Canadian businesses. Our network of fulfilment centres can ship anywhere in the world from our fulfilment centres in Canada (including Toronto), the US, Europe, and Australia quickly and efficiently.
And with ShipBob, you get a ton of useful features and tools, from international shipping discounts to optimised shipping routes.
The end result? Fulfiling orders with ShipBob won’t cause you any added stress, and you can start raking in new business without worrying about international logistics.
Hear from a Canadian company using ShipBob’s services
ShipBob helps many Canadian companies break into the US market and keep costs low when shipping to their American customers. One brand, Bathorium, started looking for a 3PL with a strong US presence because of how expensive it was to ship orders from Canada.
Costing about 50% of our average order value, they spent anywhere from $18 to $25 for a one-pound shipment, and it would take a minimum of 7-10 business days to reach the destination. With ShipBob they are able to comfortably assign a shipping cost to each order by pinpointing the product weight and destination postcode.
“In comparison to shipping products to the US from Canada, which can be extremely variable in cost, fulfilment by ShipBob is much easier to estimate because we know the true fulfilment cost. It makes it a lot easier to spend marketing dollars when we know exactly what shipping costs are going to be.”
Greg MacDonald, CEO & Founder of Bathorium
Hear from a US company using ShipBob’s Canadian fulfilment centre
As BAKblade expanded their online presence into Canada, both directly and selling through Walmart, they knew they needed a trusted retail fulfilment partner with a physical presence in Canada.
“We have seen that Canadian customers order more when they know the order ships from within Canada and they do not need to worry about additional taxes if the order comes from the US. From our history through the years with ShipBob, it was a no-brainer to expand into other markets with them knowing that they have done their due diligence to meet the ShipBob standard.”
Marc Fontanetta, Director of Operations at BAKblade
3 difficulties that many Canadian ecommerce businesses face when shipping to the US
Ecommerce fulfilment is already complex enough, but international fulfilment adds several complicating factors to the process. Many ecommerce businesses don’t ship internationally for the following reasons.
Postage
If you get the postage wrong, your package may be sent back as soon as it arrives in the destination country. Calculating postage is also more complex for international shipping than domestic, so make sure you’ve applied enough.
Fees
International shipping incurs added shipping fees as well, including import duties. These fees vary by country, so international shipping requires detailed knowledge of each country’s shipping rules.
Delivery timelines
Providing your customers with accurate estimates of delivery timelines is crucial. But, making these calculations is tougher when shipping internationally, and delivery timelines are much longer as well.
The combination of extended timelines and added costs might discourage customers from ordering from a different country, unless you’ve got the infrastructure and expertise to optimise shipping routes. This is what ShipBob can do for your business.
How ShipBob makes shipping to the US easy for Canadian ecommerce businesses
Shipping to the US from Canada is much simpler and more straightforward than, say, Africa or the Middle East, but it still requires extra legwork and expertise. With ShipBob, shipping to the US from Canada isn’t just low-effort, it’s no-effort: We take care of everything, and our distribution infrastructure provides cheaper rates and faster deliveries.
Optimised shipping
Unlike most other 3PLs that operate out of one fulfilment centre, ShipBob has fulfilment centres located in different regions across the US. For example, when a customer in New York City places an order it can ship from our Pennsylvania fulfilment centre, while an order placed from San Diego can ship from our Moreno Valley warehouse.
The ability to split inventory across multiple fulfilment centres shortens shipping distances, lowers your rates, and gets your products into customer’s hands quicker.
Connecting your store with ShipBob’s software is simple: We’re integrated with top ecommerce platforms, so orders placed at your store are automatically forwarded to our fulfilment centres. Picking lists are generated, and then our fulfilment professionals prepare and ship the order (with tracking info sent to the customer).
Cheaper international shipping rates
Our extensive distribution infrastructure isn’t the only way that we can lower your shipping rates. ShipBob also has relationships with all the major international mail couriers, so we have access to bulk shipping discounts.
Order fulfilment services at ShipBob’s USA fulfilment centres
When you partner with ShipBob you get more than just pick and pack services. We’re a full-suite fulfilment solution that offers a range of useful tools for making your business more efficient and profitable.
Proprietary software
Our software not only optimises shipping, but also provides you with extensive inventory andorder management tools that give you comprehensive oversight and control of the fulfilment process. Add to that our top shelf integrations and you’ve got everything you need for pain-free, efficient fulfilment.
Free and subtle packing supplies
Nobody wants the name of their 3PL plastered all over their packaging. That’s why ShipBob provides free white label service. (The only place you’ll see our name is on the shipping label.) No surprise fees either! Standard packing materials are included in your ShipBob quote, and you can also use your own custom, branded boxes and poly mailers.
Reports & analytics
When we say full-suite, we mean it. Our platform produces insightful data reports and distribution metrics that let you get inside the numbers and improve your business strategy. With ShipBob, it’s simple to predict demand, forecast inventory, and make supply chain optimisations.
How it works
Setting up fulfilment with ShipBob is straightforward. You sync your store with ShipBob’s platform and then ship your products to a ShipBob fulfilment centre. From there, orders placed at your store are forwarded to a ShipBob fulfilment centre, and our fulfilment professionals pick, pack, and ship the order.
When is the right time to outsource fulfilment to the US with a 3PL?
It depends. If it’s only a couple of monthly orders, then it may not be worth it because of the added cost and complexity of international fulfilment. However, if your online store is getting a steady stream of traffic from the US, then you’re likely missing out on significant amount of potential business.
Furthermore, with a 3PL there’s no added complexity or difficulty to fulfilment. Your 3PL partner has the knowledge and infrastructure to ship internationally at a low cost. Hiring a 3PL can solve a number of other problems for your business as well:
- Warehousing: Is your ecommerce warehouse overpacked and disorganised? A 3PL will securely store your products in a clean, safe environment with expert warehouse management.
- Inventory management: Keep your inventory levels accurate with built-in inventory management tools. Track inventory in real-time with ShipBob’s inventory management system.
- Lower shipping rates: Distributing your inventory across multiple fulfilment centres brings your products closer to your customers for better shipping rates.
If the above points fit your fulfilment needs, it may help to partner with an order fulfilment company. A fulfilment provider such as ShipBob can help with kitting and warehouse management, providing two-day shipping, and everything else related to ecommerce order fulfilment.
Ready to start shipping to the US? Request a quote below.
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We ship all over the world
We use our network of fulfillment centers to help you strategically split and manage your inventory to reduce shipping costs and transit times.
