What are the different types of eCommerce fulfillment?

In-house, third-party, and dropshipping are the three main forms of eCommerce fulfillment.

When creating your online store, you must consider how you want your order process to look. Do you have the capacity to fulfill orders on your own or are you looking to hire help? Defined below are the three main forms of eCommerce fulfillment.

In-House Fulfillment/Self-Fulfillment

This is a common method for merchants in the early stages and post-launch. In-house fulfillment happens when inventory management and packing orders is handled internally. House doesn’t always mean a literal home either (although it can). Self-fulfillment can include purchasing a warehouse, hiring employees and acquiring equipment. This just means all fulfillment operations are handled internally/without the help of a third-party.

Dropshipping

Dropshipping is often referred to as the least involved method. This fulfillment process is when the manufacturer oversees all inventory and shipping while the seller acts as a middleman. The seller never sees the product or takes part in the order process. 

Outsourcing Fulfillment

Once a business has reached a point of being overwhelmed with orders, many look to a third-party to manage their logistics. eCommerce fulfillment by aThird-party logistics (3PL) is a service offered by fulfillment companies, and their intention is to handle every movement your product makes after manufacturing. More specifically, they usually offer warehousing, picking, packing and shipping. 

Here at Fulfyld, we offer services designed to let our customers focus on building their brand instead of shipping orders. Reach out to us if you are interested to hear more about what we can offer your brand!