My name is Daniel and I've been in the logistics industry for close to a decade. As a partner in a small business in the past I realized that logistics, warehousing and fulfillment was an extremely vital part of a company but often over looked. As a result I got into the logistics industry to learn more.
I've worked for mid-size logistics companies that have 2 to 3 offices around the world to multi-national companies with hundreds of offices across the globe. Throughout the years I've noticed that although these logistics company has all the resources and capabilities to handle the shipping/fulfillment needs of small business they simply don't have the interest to due to the lack of volume. For the big boys in the industry they simply have too much overhead and it is a business, therefore they are more interested in handling the larger volume customers. As for the smaller guys, they are limited in their resources so they outsource to larger warehouse/fulfillment companies.
Are there ecommerce fulfillment companies that can meet the small business needs? I'm positive there are however it does come at a cost. Based on the reviews I've read and the business owners I've talked to, the results of working with these companies usual results in shipping errors, billing mistakes and customer service headaches. The small business needs usually becomes secondary and just another number in the system. If your business fits into their concepts and mold then you will have no issues, however if you require any special treatment or customization then they won't have the abilities or desire to adjust.
I'm currently in the process of setting up a small business fulfillment center concentrated on working together with small businesses and grow together. When someone else cares about your business as much as you because they rely on your success to succeed, the results will be significantly different.
If anyone is interested in please feel free to contact me. We want to succeed with you.