Choosing a 3PL abroad (when you can't visit the warehouse)
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Expanding into a new market means finding a fulfilment partner you've never met, in a facility you've never seen, operating under logistics infrastructure you may not fully understand yet. The due diligence that's straightforward when you're choosing a domestic 3PL becomes significantly harder when there's a time zone, a language barrier, or an ocean between you and the warehouse. Below we explain how to make finding a 3PL in another region, just that little bit easier.
Market-specific due diligence matters
A 3PL that performs well in your home market isn't automatically a good choice in a new one. Carrier relationships, last-mile infrastructure, returns expectations, regulatory requirements, and even customer delivery standards vary significantly between regions.
The due diligence process for a new-market 3PL needs to account for these variables specifically, and not just assess the provider against your existing criteria.
Start with market-specific requirements
Before you evaluate any provider, map the requirements that are specific to the market you're entering.
Carrier infrastructure: Which carriers dominate last-mile delivery in this market, and does the 3PL have established relationships with them? In the US, the major players differ from those in the UK and EU. In Australia, geographic spread creates different carrier requirements to a densely populated European market. A 3PL without strong relationships with the right carriers in that market will struggle to give you competitive rates and reliable delivery times.
Returns expectations: Customer return expectations vary significantly by market. Some markets have higher return rates and shorter tolerance for slow refund processing. Understand what the standard looks like in the market you're entering and confirm the 3PL can meet it.
Regulatory and compliance requirements: Each market has its own import regulations, labelling requirements, and product compliance standards. A 3PL operating in that market should understand these as a baseline, not as something they're figuring out alongside you. Ask specifically what compliance infrastructure they have in place for your product category.
Customs and cross-border handling: If you're shipping inventory into the market from your home country, understand how the 3PL handles inbound customs clearance, import duties, and the documentation requirements for your product type. A provider with no experience handling international inbound inventory is a risk worth identifying early.
Language and customer communication: In non-English-speaking markets, customer-facing communications, including delivery notifications, returns instructions, and customer service touchpoints, may need to be localised. Confirm whether the 3PL supports this or whether it sits entirely with your team.
Build your shortlist without relying on Google
A Google search for 3PLs in an unfamiliar market will surface the providers with the best SEO, not necessarily the best operations. In a new market, your shortlist methodology needs to be more deliberate.
Use a fulfilment matching platform
A platform with vetted providers across multiple markets (such as fulfilment.com) gives you a pre-qualified starting point. The providers on a reputable platform have already been assessed on capacity, technology, and operational standards, which removes a significant portion of the early-stage risk in an unfamiliar market.
Ask your existing network
Other brands that have already expanded into the market you're entering are your best source of on-the-ground intelligence. Their experience with specific providers, positive and negative, is more valuable than any sales deck. If you don't have direct contacts, ecommerce communities and founder networks often surface this kind of insight quickly.
Speak to your ecommerce platform's partner network
Shopify, WooCommerce, and similar platforms have partner directories that include fulfilment providers by market. These providers have been through a vetting process and have demonstrable integration experience with the platform you're already using.
Ask your existing 3PL
If you have a strong relationship with a current provider, they may have partner relationships or recommendations in the markets you're expanding into. A trusted referral from an operator you already know carries more weight than a cold introduction.
Run a structured remote evaluation
Without a site visit, your evaluation has to work harder on every other dimension. A structured remote process can surface most of what a warehouse tour would reveal, if you ask the right questions in the right order.
Request a live video call: A live call with screen sharing gives you the equivalent of a WMS demo on a warehouse tour. Ask them to pull up a client dashboard in real time, show you a live order in the system, and walk you through what a standard pick and pack instruction looks like. If they need to prepare a separate demo environment, that tells you something.
Ask the same operational questions you'd ask on a site visit: Pick accuracy rate, dock-to-stock time, cycle counting methodology, shrinkage rate, Q4 performance data. The absence of a physical visit doesn't change what you need to know. A well-run operation will have this data readily available regardless of whether you're in the room.
Request video of the facility: A walkthrough video recorded during a normal operating day, not a polished facility tour, shows you the condition of the warehouse, the organisation of storage, and the general operational discipline of the team. Ask specifically for footage of the receiving dock, the pick and pack area, and the returns processing zone.
Speak to references in your market/product category: References from brands based in your home market who use a 3PL in the target market are particularly valuable. They've navigated the same cross-border dynamic you're about to face and can speak to how the provider handles it in practice.
Ask about their existing client base in the market. How many brands do they currently serve in this market, at what volumes, and in what product categories? A 3PL with a strong existing client base in your target market has solved problems you haven't encountered yet. One that's relatively new to that market is learning alongside you.
Technology and integration in a new market
The technology requirements for a new-market 3PL are the same as any other, but with an additional layer of complexity if you're managing inventory across multiple markets simultaneously.
Real-time inventory visibility across markets. If you're fulfilling from both your home market and a new one, you need a unified view of stock across both locations. Confirm whether the 3PL's client dashboard aggregates inventory data across multiple facilities or whether you'd be managing two separate systems.
Integration with your existing tech stack. A 3PL in a new market needs to connect to the same Order Management System (OMS) and ecommerce platform you're already using. Confirm this is a pre-built integration, not a custom development project, before you commit.
Carrier tracking in the local market. Tracking visibility for customers in a new market depends on the carriers used for last-mile delivery. Confirm that the 3PL's system surfaces carrier tracking in a format that integrates with your customer notification workflow, not just their own internal reporting.
What your contract needs to cover in a new market
A contract with a new-market 3PL needs to address a few things that domestic contracts sometimes leave vague.
SLA definitions that reflect local standards. Delivery time commitments, returns processing windows, and inventory accuracy targets should reflect what's achievable and expected in that specific market, not your home market's benchmarks.
Liability for customs and compliance failures. Be clear in the contract about who bears responsibility if an inbound shipment is held at customs, if compliance documentation is incomplete, or if a product fails a local regulatory requirement. These risks are real in cross-border fulfilment and need to be assigned explicitly.
Inventory ownership and data rights on exit. In a market where you have no physical presence, your ability to retrieve your stock or your data if the relationship ends is entirely dependent on what the contract says. Make sure both are explicitly protected.
Currency and invoicing terms. Confirm which currency invoices will be issued in, how exchange rate fluctuations are handled, and what the payment terms are. Cross-border billing adds a layer of financial complexity that's worth resolving before you onboard rather than after the first invoice arrives.
Running a virtual site visit
If a physical visit isn't possible before you sign, a structured virtual site visit can replicate most of what you'd observe in person.
Ask the operations team, not the sales team, to lead the call. Request that they walk you through the facility live on video rather than presenting slides. Ask them to show you a real order being picked and packed in real time. Ask to speak with a client services contact who would manage your account day to day, separately from the sales conversation.
The questions that reveal most on a virtual visit are the same ones that reveal most in person: show me your most recent cycle count report, pull up a client dashboard now, describe a fulfilment error from the past six months and walk me through how it was resolved. A confident operation answers all of these without hesitation regardless of whether you're in the room or on a screen.
How we can help
Expanding into a new market is significantly easier when your shortlist starts with vetted providers rather than a cold search. At fulfilment.com, we match brands with 3PL partners across the UK, US, Europe, and beyond, pre-qualified on capacity, technology, and operational standards. If you're entering a new market and need a shortlist, speak with a member of the team using the buttons below.
