What should you look for when choosing a fulfillment partner?

On paper, fulfillment providers do pretty much the same things: manage inventory, process orders, ship products, and handle returns. The difference lies in the details—and you don’t really notice them until you’ve been working together for six months. These five questions will bring the most to light.

Is this partner a good fit for your products?

Product type is more important than volume. Small items require a different layout than bulky ones. Organic products require SKAL certification. Food, cosmetics, and medical products require the registration of batch numbers and expiration dates. Products with hazard labeling, such as perfume or nail polish, require specific arrangements with the carrier.

Ask specifically whether the company uses batch and best-by date tracking and whether it holds the certifications that apply to your product line. Cenfil is SKAL-certified and tracks batch and best-by date information.

How is the rate structured?

Don't ask about the price per package; ask about the pricing structure. Is it charged per order, per order line, or both? Does it include picking and packing? Standard packaging materials? How much does a return cost? How much do putaway, storage, and setup cost?

Be sure to ask about the minimum order quantity. At Cenfil, charges are calculated separately per order and per order line, based on a tiered pricing structure that corresponds to the number of shipments: the higher the tier, the lower the price per package. Pick-and-pack services and standard packaging materials are included; there are no setup fees, and the minimum invoice amount is 350 euros (excluding VAT) every four weeks.

What can you see for yourself?

A partner who only communicates with you via email makes you dependent on them. Ask if you can check inventory in real time, see for yourself when an order has been processed, and find out what happens if a shipment gets held up by the carrier.

At Cenfil, you’ll get your own account in Picqer, where you can track your inventory and orders in real time. In addition, there’s a Cenfil dashboard where you can view the status of each order with all carriers and, if necessary, contact a carrier directly through Cenfil.

What happens during periods of growth and during peaks?

The question isn’t whether they can handle your current volume, but what happens if you double it or run a campaign. Is there room to grow with you? Can they hire more staff? At Cenfil, storage space grows along with your business as long as it remains proportional to the number of shipments, and capacity can be scaled up in consultation with you.

What does it say on paper?

Be sure to request the terms and conditions before you sign, and pay attention to the notice period, any minimum contract term, liability, and what happens if you leave. At Cenfil, there is no minimum contract term, but there is a notice period of six calendar months. Any other terms agreed upon will be included in the agreement.

Finally, ask for a test order before going live. That's the least expensive time to discover that something isn't right.