Streamline Album and Media Fulfillment With the 3PL Technology and Expertise Your Releases Deserve
Deliver every product drop on time while protecting margins and the collector experience.
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What album and media brands need from a fulfillment partner
Album and media brands face distinct logistical challenges thanks to limited editions, high collector value, time-sensitive releases, and varied physical formats. A successful fulfillment strategy must account for all these areas to control costs, maintain fan loyalty, and ensure flawless global product launches. Here’s what features to look for in a 3PL to achieve excellent fulfillment:
Cost-effective delivery during launch spikes
Album drops can trigger sudden waves of orders, and unexpectedly heavy single-LP boxes can inflate shipping costs. Look for a fulfillment partner that distributes inventory across different countries or regions and offers solutions to help reduce your average shipping zone, especially for heavier items like vinyl records.
Real-time inventory accuracy for limited variants and bundles
Color variants, signed editions, and merch bundles sell out fast, so overselling a rare pressing risks disappointing loyal fans. Choose a 3PL that syncs real-time inventory across every sales channel and automatically adjusts stock levels whenever a bundle or variant is sold.
Preserving the collector experience with branded add-ons
Collectors expect a premium unboxing complete with lyric sheets, branded mailers, and deluxe sets – yet packing these extras in-house can slow launches. Partner with a fulfillment provider that stores your custom packaging as SKUs, and uses a box selection algorithm to choose the most cost-effective packaging size for every order.
Reliable fulfillment for time-sensitive pre-orders
Coordinating thousands of pre-orders so fans worldwide receive their copy on the official release day can overwhelm internal teams. Seek a logistics partner that can work with your team on fulfillment timing to ensure orders are delivered when they are ready and your customers need them.
Serve DTC fans, vinyl clubs, and retailers from one real-time inventory pool
Maintaining separate inventories for your online store, subscriptions, and retailer purchase orders can be inefficient and error-prone. Work with a fulfillment solution that merges counts in real time, supports recurring shipments, and follows strict retail routing guides from the same system.
Hassle-free exchanges when fans want a different variant
Fans may change their mind on color or edition, and processing returns in-house can tie up space and staff. Choose a 3PL that integrates with returns portals, lets fans initiate exchanges online, and offers simple restock, quarantine, or disposal options for returned units.
ShipBob’s fulfillment solutions that album and media brands care about
ShipBob understands the unique logistical needs of the music and media industry. Our technology and global network are designed to support album brands, from managing limited editions to orchestrating global demand spikes.
Strategic product distribution
With ShipBob’s Inventory Placement Program, you can also seamlessly distribute, manage, and replenish inventory across ShipBob’s U.S. fulfillment network, ensuring affordable and reliable delivery for every order. By distributing inventory across different countries and regions, you can position products closer to fans, helping to reduce your average shipping zone and keep shipping costs predictable.
Additionally, ShipBob supports USPS Media Mail for eligible shipments in the U.S., providing a cost-effective solution for media products like vinyl records and books.
Real-time inventory syncing
ShipBob’s platform automatically syncs inventory levels across all your sales channels, ensuring that every color variant, edition, and merch bundle is tracked in real time. When a bundle or variant sells, stock levels are instantly updated to prevent overselling and keep your fans happy.
ShipBob’s intuitive Product Catalog seamlessly manages complex SKUs and product bundles, providing a single source of truth so you always know exactly what’s available. Stay confident during high-demand drops with accurate, up-to-the-minute inventory data.
Branded unboxing made easy
ShipBob empowers brands to deliver premium unboxing experiences by storing your custom packaging and branded mailers as unique SKUs, and allowing the inclusion of marketing inserts or personalized gift notes via the Customization Suite.
With ShipBob’s box selection algorithm, each order is packed in the most cost-effective and optimally-sized box, ensuring your products arrive with every branded touchpoint you envision.
Pre-order orchestration
ShipBob’s tech-enabled fulfillment network empowers brands to coordinate and fulfill large-scale pre-orders with precision. Our platform allows you to set custom order rules to queue orders in advance, or you can wait to push orders into the system until they are ready, enabling coordinated shipping.
ShipBob can also work with your team on the timing to ensure orders are delivered when they are ready and your customers need them.
Unified omnichannel fulfillment
ShipBob empowers brands to serve DTC customers, subscription clubs, and major retailers from a single, real-time inventory pool. Our platform seamlessly supports recurring shipments, retail dropshipping for retailers like Target and Walmart, and strict B2B routing requirements – all managed from one intuitive dashboard.
With robust integrations and automated order routing, you can confidently fulfill every channel’s unique needs without the complexity of managing separate inventories or partners.
Seamless returns integration
ShipBob facilitates a seamless returns experience, and even has integrations that make initiating returns and exchanges easier. ShipBob integrates directly with leading returns management platforms like Loop and AfterShip, enabling your fans to initiate exchanges or returns online with just a few clicks. Once a return is received, you can choose to restock, quarantine, or dispose of the item, and manage all your returns from a single dashboard.
You can also choose to have returns sent to a non-ShipBob location of your choosing. This flexibility streamlines your operations, reduces manual work, and gives your customers a smooth post-purchase experience.
Types of album and media products that companies fulfill with ShipBob
- Physical music formats
- Vinyl records (standard, 7-inch, 10-inch)
- Compact discs (standard, compilation, sampler, remastered)
- Cassette tapes (standard, limited edition singles)
- Digital download cards
- Limited edition box sets
- Visual media
- DVDs (movies, concert, music documentary)
- Blu-ray discs (standard, concert)
- Printed materials
- Posters (album art, lyric)
- Art prints
- Trading cards
- Greeting cards
- Bookmarks
- Collectibles and novelty items
- Musician autograph cards
- Collector’s edition slipcases
- Album cover postcards
Success story: Tonies streamlines retail dropshipping and scales omnichannel with ShipBob
Tonies, a fast-growing kids’ audio toy brand, chose ShipBob to better serve retailers via EDI dropshipping while maintaining a great end-customer experience. With ShipBob’s ability to ship from multiple fulfillment centers in different regions and connect to retailers through an automated EDI solution, Tonies can meet strict retailer requirements without managing separate inventories or partners.
ShipBob lets brands keep a single pool of inventory across DTC and B2B, adhere to unique retailer guidelines, and reduce operational friction so teams can manage retail dropshipping and distribution in one place.
As Tonies explored new growth opportunities, ShipBob’s range of solutions made scaling easier without onboarding different providers for every expansion.
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 carriers 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 fulfillment 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 fulfillment partner you’ll need. Whether you’re shipping 1,000 orders per month or 200,000, we have you covered. With a large fulfillment network to scale into, new channels to expand into, and additional capabilities to tap into, you won’t outgrow ShipBob.
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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 fulfillment centers.
3. Ship
As soon as a customer places an order, we ship it from the nearest fulfillment center.
FAQs about music fulfillment
How does ShipBob protect fragile albums, vinyl records, and media during storage and shipping?
ShipBob stores fragile items and follows specific packing instructions, using dunnage and a careful handling process that is triggered by marking the product as “fragile” in the dashboard. ShipBob’s box selection algorithm also helps choose the most protective, optimally-sized packaging, and uses dunnage (like Geami paper or kraft paper) or client-provided custom boxes to keep every fragile item secure in transit.
Can ShipBob support custom packaging and branded unboxing experiences for album releases?
Yes. ShipBob’s Customization Suite supports memorable unboxing experiences by letting merchants store and use client-provided custom boxes and branded mailers for their orders, and including marketing inserts or personalized gift notes to further personalize shipments.
Does ShipBob integrate with major ecommerce platforms for real-time inventory and order management?
Absolutely. ShipBob offers turnkey integrations with all major ecommerce channels and marketplaces – including Shopify, BigCommerce, Walmart Marketplace, Amazon, and more – providing real-time inventory syncing and centralized order management across all your sales channels.
How does ShipBob handle pre-orders and timed album drops for global fans?
ShipBob can work with your team on the timing to ensure orders are delivered when they are ready and when your customers expect them. ShipBob’s platform allows you to manage pre-orders by setting custom order rules or utilizing a future reserve date for inventory allocation, enabling coordinated shipping for synchronized releases.
Can ShipBob help me ship albums and media internationally at affordable rates?
Yes. ShipBob’s global fulfillment network (with fulfillment centers across the U.S., the UK, Canada, Europe, and Australia) enables cost-effective international shipping, including DDP shipping options, so you can reach fans worldwide without compromising on delivery speed, costs, or reliability.
What shipping options does ShipBob offer for media products like vinyl, CDs, and books?
ShipBob supports USPS Media Mail for eligible shipments, providing a cost-effective solution for heavier or bulkier media items, along with a range of standard shipping options.
How does ShipBob manage inventory for limited editions, bundles, and multiple sales channels?
ShipBob’s platform automatically syncs real-time inventory across all sales channels, which helps prevent overselling of limited variants and facilitates accurate fulfillment for product bundles.
How does ShipBob handle returns and exchanges for unwanted media items?
ShipBob facilitates a seamless returns experience, and even has integrations with leading returns management tools such as Loop and AfterShip to make initiating returns and exchanges easier. Once the return is received, ShipBob will process the inventory based on your preferences to restock, quarantine, or dispose of returned units, or you can choose to have returns sent to a non-ShipBob facility.
Will my brand name appear on shipping labels and packages sent by ShipBob?
It can. ShipBob allows you to personalize the Sender Name and Company Name fields on the shipping label attached to your packages at no extra cost.
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 fulfillment centers to help you strategically split and manage your inventory to reduce shipping costs and transit times.
FEATURED REPORT
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