Post-Q4 Reality Check: Are You Still with the Right 3PL?

We just wrapped one of the busiest Q1 switching seasons I’ve seen.

It had a familiar pattern.

> Q4 acts as a stress test
> Demand spikes
> Timelines compress
> Communication has to be instant
> Every crack in the 3PL relationship gets exposed
> Something critical breaks, at the worst time
> Brand returns to the drawing board in search of a new 3PL

This song and dance is nothing new, as over 37% of brands go back to look for a new 3PL each year.

But from my point of view, what’s changed in 2026 isn’t that brands are switching.

It’s why.

With increased market transparency alongside the evolution of the 3PL search experience, rates have become commoditized (and to the benefit of brands like you, more competitive than ever).

So cost alone isn’t the trigger it used to be, meaning the “pain” has shifted from the balance sheet primarily to misalignments on the warehouse floor.

With this in mind, I decided to compile my notes from Q1 2026 conversations with brands into the most common talking points. Take a look and see if any of this resonates with your experience:

Switching Due to A Growth Mismatch

• You’ve added B2B, EDI, or TikTok Shop, and your 3PL is struggling to keep up with the new requirements. The reality is that a 3PL which works for DTC may not always be able to handle your expansion channels.

• The 3PL that was a great fit for small, lightweight SKUs may not work when you start shipping bulkier products. A shift in SKU profile can mean overpaying on carrier rates and storage.

• You’ve outgrown a single warehouse and need a multi-node network to hit 2-day delivery targets.

Operational Friction

• Support tickets taking days, not hours. Customer has a missing order. Brand reaches out to their 3PL. Crickets for 48 hours. That silence costs you reviews, repeat customers, and a good nights sleep. And when you’re moving fast, a gap like this becomes a dealbreaker.

• For apparel or footwear, "good enough" returns doesn't cut it. Brands are moving to 3PLs that treat reverse logistics as a core competency.

• Many 3PLs have minimum order volume expectations per pallet. If your ratio falls below that threshold, you may get deprioritized or shown the door. (We've seen this happen more than once with 3PLs clearing space for higher-volume clients.)

Eroding Trust

• Billing that doesn’t add up. Brands are opening invoices they can't explain due to line items that weren't in the contract and fees that quietly appeared six months in. By the time it becomes a real dispute, the trust is already gone.

• Although less common, we do see situations where brands have been with the same partner for years, volume has exploded but the contracts haven’t been recalibrated as your volume grew. If this is the case, an RFP is usually the fastest way to pressure-test your rates, and it's hard to look at your current partner the same when they come back with pricing 30% cheaper than before, only because they are afraid of losing your business.

Although the pain points varied from one company to the next, nearly every brand I’ve spoken with in 2026 seems to be communicating the same underlying message…

I wish we’d addressed this sooner instead of letting it fester.

And yes, I know your decision to kick off a 3PL search rarely happens overnight. It’s usually months of rationalizing small frustrations until peak season makes them impossible to ignore.

So if you've been justifying repetitive friction with your fulfillment provider, now's a good time to at least see what else is out there.

If your situation has evolved since we last spoke, I'd love to take another look with you.

And if you have any questions in the meantime, feel free to reach out to me personally at [email protected] as well.

Best,
Gavin
Head of 3PL Partnerships @ Fulfill.com