Pick, pack and ship providers offer a crucial service in modern marketplace fulfillment. Marketplaces demand positive customer experiences, and buyers expect quality packaging and timely delivery. For retail and packaging industry leaders, understanding this process helps improve fulfillment workflows and customer satisfaction.
What Is Pick, Pack and Ship?
With e-commerce sales exceeding $3.6 trillion in 2025 and expected to grow further in the coming years, businesses need an efficient solution to accommodate increasing demands.
Pick, pack and ship refers to the end-to-end fulfillment workflow that starts when a customer places an order on a marketplace, to the point when the order leaves the warehouse and goes on its way to the buyer. Each stage involves distinct systems and decisions that affect cost and delivery speed.
The “Pick” Stage — Order Accuracy Starts Here
The pick stage begins when the order information gets transmitted from the marketplace to the fulfillment provider’s system, which generates a packing list that identifies the quantity and storage location of each item.
Modern third-party logistics (3PL) providers rely on barcode scanning and optimized paths to minimize errors and labor time. Accuracy is crucial at this stage, as inaccurate picking can lead to returns and wasted resources that impact a retailer’s reputation and marketplace performance.
The “Pack” Stage — Ensuring Product Safety and Presentation
Once picking is complete, the order moves to the packing stage, which involves selecting the appropriate packaging and protective materials to prepare for transit. The right packing process balances material costs, sizing requirements, sustainability considerations and brand presentation.
The “Ship” Stage — From Warehouse to Customer
The final stage involves generating shipping labels and handing the parcel off to a carrier. On the customer side, this process comes with tracking numbers and delivery notifications. Reliable shipping is essential to keeping the items safe and meeting marketplace requirements, which ultimately impacts the customer experience.
How To Choose the Right Pick, Pack and Ship Partner
Pick, pack and ship providers offer an essential service to many modern retailers, with the 3PL industry reaching a value of over $1 trillion in 2023. Selecting a fulfillment partner is a significant operational decision that impacts cost, growth, labor requirements and brand reputation. Teams should take time to thoroughly evaluate their options.
Analyze Your Product and Order Profile
Before contacting providers, conduct an internal audit of your inventory and order data. Consider product dimensions, weight, fragility, compliance requirements and average order sizes. Oversized goods, perishables and fragile items often require different fulfillment capabilities than standard consumer products.
Retailers should also consider seasonality. The ideal logistics partner should handle activity spikes while maintaining accuracy and expected turnaround times.
Review Technology and Integration Capabilities
Confirm whether a fulfillment provider’s software platform integrates seamlessly with your marketplace or e-commerce system. Inventory visibility and detailed reporting are some essential features for many sellers, especially when they scale. Smooth integration means accurate records and insights, which lead to efficient order handling and an effective business strategy.
Assess the Provider’s Pricing Structure
Shipping rates are only one part of the total cost. Leaders should request transparent pricing documents that outline all fulfillment-related expenses, including storage, picking, packing and returns processing. Clear pricing structures help ensure accurate forecasting and create sustainable financial plans.
Confirm Scalability and Warehouse Network
Assess whether a provider can scale operations up or down as needed and whether their warehouse locations align with your customer base. Strategically located facilities can shorten delivery times and lower shipping rates, impacting cost and customer satisfaction.
The Best Pick, Pack and Ship Services for Amazon and Marketplace Sellers
We’ve identified the best pick, pack and ship services for the packaging industry using the following methodology:
- Market reputation: Industry presence and operational track record
- Service offerings: Breadth of fulfillment, storage, returns and packaging services
- Technological capabilities: Seamless integration and reporting tools
- Multi-marketplace support: Ability to serve sellers across multiple sales channels
With this selection criteria in mind, the following are some of the leading providers commonly considered among the best pick, pack and ship services for online sellers. Each brings a unique approach to fulfillment services that enable retailers to better serve customers.
1. ProShipper
ProShipper is a Canada-based fulfillment provider specializing in pick, pack and ship services for marketplace and multi-channel sellers. Operating multiple warehouses across Toronto, New York and Ningbo, ProShipper supports brands shipping throughout Canada, the U.S. and China.
The company focuses on transparent pricing, with no monthly account fees and no order limits. Once a customer places an order, ProShipper’s system begins the picking and packing process immediately, while automatically rate-shopping to identify the most affordable shipping options.
Key Features
- Transparent pricing with no monthly account fees and no order limits
- Automatic rate shopping for cost-effective carrier selection
- Seamless marketplace integrations for real-time order handling
2. ShipBob
ShipBob is a globally recognized 3PL provider with a distributed network of fulfillment centers across the U.S., Canada, Australia and the EU. Its strength lies in fast deployment and strong integrations with major marketplaces and e-commerce platforms.
The company is well known for its consistent service and attention to detail, offering timely shipping and appropriate packaging for brands across industries like apparel, health and wellness, food and beverage, and home goods.
Key Features
- Broad warehouse presence for improved delivery windows
- Strong software integrations with major platforms
- Standardized packing procedures for consistent quality
3. Flexport
Flexport approaches pick, pack and ship as part of a broader logistics ecosystem. While the company once primarily focused on freight forwarding, it has since expanded to fulfillment to support brands seeking end-to-end services from warehouses to customers’ homes.
This provider’s appeal lies in its robust management software systems and global logistics expertise, making it a strong option for retailers managing complex supply chains alongside e-commerce fulfillment.
Key Features
- Integrated global logistics and fulfillment platform
- Data-driven insights for planning and order execution
- Support for cross-border shipping
4. Red Stag Fulfillment
Red Stag Fulfillment provides all the basic services companies want to look for in a pick, pack and ship provider while offering a specialized focus on bulky and heavy products. Its operations aim for accuracy and speed, with strong guarantees around efficiency and accountability.
This provider is ideal for retailers handling larger products and seeking solid service guarantees, especially for high-value items.
Key Features
- Specialized handling for oversized and heavy items
- Guaranteed accuracy and accountability commitments
- Automated API integration for multiple platforms
5. Fulfillment by Amazon
Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) remains a dominant option for sellers heavily invested in the Amazon ecosystem. For many marketplace sellers, FBA is the best path to meet the platform’s performance standards, including fast delivery expectations and customer experience standards.
However, since it is a marketplace-branded provider, it offers limited flexibility around packaging customization and multi-channel fulfillment. Most retailers use FBA alongside other 3PL providers to accommodate other sales channels.
Key Features
- Access to Amazon’s global fulfillment and delivery network
- End-to-end handling of picking, packing, shipping, customer service and returns
- Standardized packaging and labeling aligned with Amazon requirements
Pick, Pack and Ship Service Providers at a Glance
Compare the best pick, pack, and ship services for Amazon and marketplace sellers, serving the U.S. and beyond.
| Provider | Best For | Key Strength | Geographic Focus |
| ProShipper | Marketplace sellers shipping in North America and China | Automatic rate-shopping and transparent pricing with no monthly fees | Canada, U.S., China |
| ShipBob | Brands needing fast, multiregional shipping | Broad, distributed network of global fulfillment centers | U.S., Canada, Australia, EU |
| Flexport | Retailers with complex, end-to-end global supply chains | Integrated freight forwarding and fulfillment | Global |
| Red Stag Fulfillment | Retailers selling heavy or bulky items | Specialized handling with accuracy guarantees | U.S. |
| Fulfillment by Amazon | Sellers primarily focused on the Amazon marketplace | Seamless access to Amazon’s network | Global |
The Future of Fulfillment
As customers and marketplaces demand faster delivery and lower costs, retailers must find fulfillment partners that help them meet these demands. Retail and packaging decision-makers must align their fulfillment strategy with product characteristics and packaging priorities to create sustainable and resilient supply chains.
