Evaluation phase
Two to three weeks to shortlist 3PLs, request quotes, compare apples-to-apples on accessorials, and check references. Brands that skip references are the ones that learn about peak-season SLA failures the hard way.
Contracting
Two to three weeks of contract review. Push back on multi-year commitments and exit penalties. Get peak-season pricing explicit; "TBD at peak" is a red flag. A specialist can compress this phase significantly.
Implementation
Three to six weeks: SKU master cleanup, integration setup, inventory transfer, workflow definition, and operator training. The SKU master cleanup is often skipped and almost always regretted.
Dual-running
One to two weeks of dual-running both 3PLs in parallel — orders routed to the new 3PL, with the old 3PL as a backup. Catches integration edge cases (refunds, returns, partial fulfillments) before the old 3PL is wound down.
Risks to manage
Inventory accuracy at the cutover is the highest-stakes moment. Plan a full physical count before transfer; reconcile against the Shopify and ERP records. Discrepancies after the fact are painful to resolve.
Talk to a specialist
If you are facing this decision now, a free scoping conversation with a vetted Shop Operations Experts specialist usually saves weeks of back-and-forth. Tell us the situation and we will route you to someone who has shipped the work for a comparable brand.
No sales pitch, no lead-volume games — just a scoped recommendation within one business day.