Need Ecommerce Fulfillment ASAP? How To Get Started With A 3PL Fast

Executive TLDR

Sometimes you do not have six months to evaluate a fulfillment partner. Orders are already slipping, your team is exhausted, or your current 3PL is missing promises. You need ecommerce fulfillment help now, not “sometime next quarter.”

For brands shipping small, light, non fragile products like supplements, vitamins, cosmetics, wellness items, snacks, and subscription kits, a fast 3PL onboarding is possible when you:

• Start with a focused scope instead of trying to move everything at once
• Align products, data, and systems around a clear minimum viable go live
• Pick a 3PL that already runs a proven playbook for quick starts
• Use a central hub like Cincinnati to ship fast by ground while you stabilize

In this guide, you will follow a fictional brand, RushRiver Naturals, as they move from “we are drowning” to a stable, scalable setup with
Product Fulfillment Solutions at the center of their network.

If you already know you need help quickly, you can skip ahead and start a conversation here:
Contact Product Fulfillment Solutions.

When fulfillment emergencies stop being the exception

RushRiver Naturals never planned to be in an emergency. They had a good product line, loyal customers, and strong repeat rates. For a while, shipping from their own warehouse “worked well enough.”

Then growth caught up with them.

• Backorders piled up after a couple of successful campaigns
• Customer service spent mornings apologizing for late or missing orders
• The warehouse team lived on overtime just to keep up

They tried to fix it internally. New racks, more part time help, another round of training. Nothing addressed the core issue. They were running a fulfillment operation on systems and space that were never designed for their current volume.

The breaking point came when their biggest retail partner called about late shipments and hinted that they might shift shelf space to a competitor if things did not improve.

The founder realized they were no longer dealing with a rough week. They were running a business on top of a fulfillment setup that could not support it. Doing nothing was now riskier than moving quickly.

Table of Contents

• What it really means to need a 3PL ASAP
• Story, How RushRiver Naturals moved to a 3PL in weeks
• Signs you are ready to move to a 3PL right now
• How fast can you really get started with a 3PL
• A fast track 3PL onboarding plan
• Why a central Cincinnati fulfillment hub matters when time is tight
• Risks to avoid when you rush 3PL selection
• A 90 day roadmap from overwhelmed to under control
• How Product Fulfillment Solutions handles “ASAP” onboarding
• FAQs about getting started quickly with a 3PL

What it really means to need a 3PL ASAP

“We need fulfillment help ASAP” can mean a few different things. The more honest you are about the situation, the faster the fix.

Most emergency calls fall into one of these buckets:

• DIY is breaking. You are shipping from your own space and the volume is now larger than your team or systems can handle.
• Your current 3PL is failing. Orders are late, accuracy is slipping, or communication has broken down during critical periods.
• You just landed a big new channel or account. A retail deal or marketplace launch is coming fast and your current setup cannot scale.

In all three cases, the goal is the same. Stabilize service levels as quickly as possible, then build a foundation that supports growth instead of fighting it.

Story, How RushRiver Naturals moved to a 3PL in weeks

RushRiver Naturals decided that the next quarter was not going to look like the last one. They started looking for a partner whose core business was running fulfillment for brands like theirs.

The “before” picture, every day a fire drill

When we first spoke with their team, a few themes kept showing up:

• Warehouse staff manually keying orders from multiple sales channels
• Inventory tracked in spreadsheets that never quite matched reality
• Carrier pickups missed because pallets were still being built at the dock
• Leadership spending more time chasing tracking numbers than planning growth

No one was lazy. The system was broken.

Choosing a 3PL with a proven quick start playbook

RushRiver did not have time for a long, open ended search. They needed a partner with experience moving small, light, non fragile products quickly into a new network.

That search led them to
Product Fulfillment Solutions and our central
Cincinnati, Ohio fulfillment center.

Instead of starting with a huge questionnaire, we started with one simple question.

“If we had to be shipping your core orders accurately from our building in a few weeks, what absolutely has to be in scope, and what can wait”

Starting small to move fast

Together, we broke their business into layers:

• Core direct to consumer SKUs that drove most of the revenue and headaches
• Key retail orders that needed to be protected
• Lower priority long tail SKUs that could move later

The first go live focused on the core. Once that was stable, we expanded the scope.

Signs you are ready to move to a 3PL right now

Not every brand needs to sprint into a 3PL. Some do. If three or more of these feel familiar, you are probably in that group.

• Your team is working nights and weekends just to keep up with normal order volume
• Order accuracy or on time ship rate has dropped and is not recovering
• You are turning down growth opportunities because you cannot ship reliably today
• Inventory counts surprise you more than they match your expectations
• Your current 3PL cannot or will not commit to clear service levels

In that situation, the cost of staying put is usually higher than the cost of moving quickly.

How fast can you really get started with a 3PL

There is no single timeline for every brand, but real world quick starts usually follow a few patterns.

What drives onboarding speed

The time it takes to start shipping from a new 3PL depends on:

• How many SKUs and channels you include in the first wave
• How clean your product data, barcodes, and packaging standards are today
• How quickly inventory can be moved or received into the new facility
• How well your systems can integrate with the 3PL’s WMS

Why a minimum viable go live helps

Brands that move quickly almost always define a minimum viable go live:

• Start with core DTC SKUs that drive most of your orders
• Route one or two key channels into the new 3PL first
• Add secondary SKUs, markets, and programs after the basics are solid

This focused approach lets you start seeing relief fast, instead of waiting until every edge case is perfect.

A fast track 3PL onboarding plan

A good partner will already have a repeatable onboarding framework. Here is how a fast track plan often looks when we work with brands like RushRiver Naturals.

Step 1, Clarify scope and service levels

• Define which SKUs and channels must move in the first wave
• Set clear expectations for on time ship, accuracy, and cutoffs
• Agree on packaging standards and any special handling rules

Step 2, Align data and systems

Fast onboarding does not mean skipping the data work. It means focusing it.

• Clean and confirm product data, including barcodes and carton details
• Connect your ecommerce platforms or order sources to the 3PL’s WMS
• Test a small batch of orders end to end before you open the tap

Step 3, Move and receive inventory

At Product Fulfillment Solutions, we:

• Schedule inbound shipments into our Cincinnati facility
• Target tight dock to stock times so product becomes available quickly
• Slot fast moving SKUs near pick and pack for immediate use

Step 4, Go live with controlled volume

• Turn on a defined portion of orders to the new 3PL
• Monitor on time ship, accuracy, and exceptions daily
• Ramp up to full volume as soon as numbers prove the system is stable

Why a central Cincinnati fulfillment hub matters when time is tight

When you are trying to fix fulfillment fast, location is not just a nice to have. It is a multiplier.

Fast ground coverage with simple network design

Our Cincinnati, Ohio fulfillment center can reach most US customers in one to three business days by ground. That matters when you are under pressure because:

• You can offer competitive delivery times without building a complex multi node network
• You rely less on expensive air services just to hit reasonable promises
• You keep the onboarding focused on one facility and one inventory pool

One central node for multiple channels

From Cincinnati, Product Fulfillment Solutions supports:

• Direct to consumer ecommerce orders
• Subscription boxes and replenishment programs
• Retail and wholesale orders with routing guide requirements

That gives you one operational engine to stabilize, instead of trying to triage multiple scattered facilities at once.

Risks to avoid when you rush 3PL selection

Moving fast is smart. Moving blindly is not. A few pitfalls are worth avoiding even when you feel behind.

Choosing on price alone

A low pick fee does not help if orders ship late, inventory counts drift, or your brand reputation takes a hit. Look at:

• Service levels, on time ship and accuracy targets
• Experience with products like yours
• How they handled past peak seasons for similar brands

Ignoring fit with your tech stack

Quick starts require clean integrations. Confirm that your platforms and marketplaces can connect smoothly to the 3PL’s systems without a long custom build.

Trying to move everything on day one

The fastest way to slow yourself down is to insist on a “big bang” go live with every SKU and channel. Use a phased approach so you can stabilize core volume first.

A 90 day roadmap from overwhelmed to under control

Even in an urgent situation, a simple 90 day roadmap helps you move fast and calm the chaos.

Days 1 to 30, Triage and choose

• Quantify the pain, late orders, error rates, and overtime trends
• Define a minimum viable go live scope for SKUs and channels
• Select a 3PL partner that can support that scope from a central hub

Days 31 to 60, Onboard and go live

• Align data, systems, and packaging standards with your 3PL
• Move and receive inventory into the new facility
• Turn on controlled volume and monitor performance daily

Days 61 to 90, Stabilize and expand

• Increase volume and add secondary SKUs or channels as results hold
• Refine cutoffs, service levels, and reporting to match your goals
• Document a steady state playbook so future growth feels planned, not reactive

How Product Fulfillment Solutions handles “ASAP” onboarding

Product Fulfillment Solutions is a Cincinnati based 3PL built for brands that ship small, light, non fragile products. Many of the brands we support first came to us when they felt like they were already behind.

Our quick start approach usually includes:

• A focused discovery that separates “must have now” from “can add later”
• Clear, practical SLAs for dock to stock, accuracy, and on time ship
• Proven processes for receiving, inventory control, pick, pack, and ship
• Centralized operations in Cincinnati so you can reach most US customers in one to three business days by ground

You keep control of the brand, the customer experience, and the growth plan. We take on the work of making sure every order that comes in can move through a reliable, scalable fulfillment engine.

FAQs about getting started quickly with a 3PL

How quickly can we start shipping from a new 3PL

Timelines vary, but many brands can move core SKUs and channels into a new 3PL within a few weeks once product data, integrations, and inventory transfers are aligned. A phased approach usually moves faster than trying to launch everything at once.

Will switching 3PLs make our operations more chaotic

There is always some effort involved in a move, but a structured onboarding plan and a clear scope keep disruption low. The goal is to trade ongoing chaos for a short, controlled transition.

Do we have to move all SKUs and channels right away

No. Many brands start with their core direct to consumer catalog and highest impact channels, then layer in additional SKUs, kits, and markets once the base is running smoothly.

What should we have ready before contacting a 3PL

It helps to have a current SKU list with barcodes, an idea of order volume by channel, and a clear picture of where your current process is breaking. You do not need everything perfect before you start the conversation.

How does Product Fulfillment Solutions support urgent onboarding

Product Fulfillment Solutions supports urgent onboarding by focusing on your highest impact SKUs and channels first, aligning data and systems quickly, and using a central Cincinnati hub with proven processes for receiving, inventory control, and pick and pack. We share clear performance metrics so you can see improvement as soon as orders start flowing.