7 Signs It's Time to Find a New 3PL (Even If It Feels Like a Pain to Switch)

You’re scaling. Orders are flying. New SKUs are launching.

And yet… something’s off.

Maybe it’s the mounting customer complaints. Maybe it’s that you have no idea where your inventory actually is. Or maybe it’s just the pit in your stomach every time you email your 3PL and hope someone answers.

Here’s the truth: switching fulfillment partners can feel overwhelming. But staying with the wrong one is what really costs you—money, time, and trust.

At Shipfusion, we’ve worked with a lot of brands who’ve made the leap. Nearly all of them said the same thing once they did:

“I wish we’d done this sooner.”

So let’s talk about the red flags—clear and not-so-obvious—that signal your 3PL is holding you back. If any of these sound familiar, it might be time to make a change. If you're already thinking of switching things up, give us a shout! 

#1: Missed SLAs Are Becoming the Norm

You’re promising 2-day delivery, but orders are leaving the warehouse late. Carriers aren’t getting packages on time. Cutoffs keep getting pushed. And guess who your customer blames?

Not your 3PL.

You.

Fulfillment SLAs (service level agreements) aren’t just internal metrics. They directly impact customer experience, reviews, and repeat orders. If fulfillment delays are becoming expected instead of exceptional, your partner isn’t resourced or systemized to scale with you.

What to look for in a better partner:

• Consistent performance against agreed SLAs

• Real-time order tracking with time-stamped milestones

• Built-in safeguards like multiple daily carrier pickups

➡️ At Shipfusion, fulfillment accuracy and on-time shipping sits at 99.9%+—no matter the volume.

#2: Support is Slow, Generic, or Unhelpful

You send an urgent support ticket.

You get… an auto-response.

Then nothing for two days.

If you’re just another number in the queue, that’s not support—it’s abandonment.

You deserve more than canned replies and vague “we’ll look into it” emails. You deserve someone who knows your business, your SKUs, and your pain points—and can actually fix things fast.

What to look for instead:

• A dedicated account manager with warehouse visibility

• Direct escalation paths when things go sideways

• Proactive check-ins, not reactive damage control

➡️ Shipfusion assigns every brand a dedicated AM who is also your on-site warehouse contact. We've also got on-demand support with average response times of <4 minutes, and ticket resolution times of <3 hours. 

#3: Visibility Into Orders and Inventory is Lacking

You can’t grow what you can’t see.

If your 3PL doesn’t give you real-time insight into where inventory sits, what orders are pending, and how much each one is costing you—it’s like trying to steer a racecar blindfolded.

And no, weekly spreadsheets don’t count.

What to look for instead:

• A real-time inventory dashboard (preferably not a janky portal)

• SKU-level order tracking

• Per-order cost breakdowns you can actually understand

➡️ With Shipfusion, brands get live dashboards in Shipfusion 360 for inventory, orders, and fulfillment costs—so there are no surprises when that invoice lands.

#4: Custom Projects Are Always "Extra" or Delayed

Promos, influencer kits, gift bundles—these aren’t “nice-to-haves.” They’re part of modern DTC growth. So when your 3PL takes two weeks to slap an insert in a box—or charges you extra every time you want to change packaging—that’s not just slow. That’s stifling.

What to look for instead:

• Proven experience with kitting, bundling, and special projects

• Transparent pricing for promotional workflows

• Operational flexibility without endless “change requests”

➡️ Shipfusion supports custom packaging, bundling, and subscription flows as part of our core capabilities—not afterthoughts.

#5: You've Outgrown Their Infrastructure

Maybe they only have one warehouse. Maybe their software feels like it was built in 2004. Maybe they can’t handle both DTC and B2B. Whatever the case, you’ve simply outpaced what they’re built for.

And no amount of loyalty will make a small-scale 3PL suddenly able to meet enterprise-level needs.

What to look for instead:

• Multiple warehouse nodes to reduce shipping zones

• A proprietary WMS (not just plugged-in software)

• Experience across both retail distribution and ecommerce

➡️ Shipfusion operates our own warehouses (no outsourcing), built our own WMS, and offers coast-to-coast U.S. coverage—with seamless B2B and DTC flows.

#6: You're Spending Precious Time Babysitting Your 3PL

A good 3PL should run on autopilot. 

If you’re constantly chasing updates, correcting mistakes, or auditing their invoices, something’s broken. Your 3PL should take work off your plate—not create more of it.

What to look for instead:

• Proactive communication and performance reporting

• Exception handling workflows (not just “whoops” emails)

• Clear processes, not confusion

➡️ At Shipfusion, our clients get automated alerts, weekly check-ins, live reporting, and quarterly business reviews. We run fulfillment so you can run your business.

#7: Your Growth Is Being Held Back

You shouldn’t have to scale around your 3PL.

If you’re avoiding new SKUs, delaying retail launches, or limiting your marketing push because you’re worried fulfillment won’t hold up… that’s the biggest red flag of all.

What to look for instead:

• High-volume order processing without slowdown

• Reliable peak-season performance

• The ability to handle complexity—bundles, returns, restocks, and more

➡️ Shipfusion was built for fast-growing brands. Whether you’re shipping 100 orders a day or 10,000, we scale with you.

Key Takeaways

Here’s the TL;DR if you’re nodding along:

✅ Missed SLAs, delayed orders, and growing support queues aren’t normal

✅ You shouldn’t have to chase inventory data, returns reports, or custom project updates

✅ If your 3PL can’t scale with you, your growth will hit a ceiling

✅ You deserve a partner—not just a vendor

✅ Switching is easier than you think when you work with a team that’s done it before

FAQs about Switching 3PLs

Conclusion: Stop Settling for "It's Fine"

You didn’t build a fast-growing brand just to be dragged down by late orders and lagging systems.

So if any of these signs sound familiar? It’s not just you. And it’s not just bad luck.

It’s time.

Switching 3PLs might feel intimidating—but with the right partner, it’s a strategic leap forward.

🚀 Let’s make fulfillment feel easy. Book a demo with Shipfusion and see how we help brands switch 3PLs without the headache.