ShipBob: A Comprehensive Comparison of Fulfillment Pricing Models

As a leading provider of fulfillment services, Atomix Logistics understands the importance of choosing the right fulfillment partner to help businesses streamline their shipping and logistics. That's why we believe it's essential to compare the services of various fulfillment providers, including our own, to help business owners find the best fit for their needs. 

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In this blog post, we'll be outlining the pricing and services provided by ShipBob, a well-known 3PL in the fulfillment industry. By examining each pricing plan, shipping/fulfillment costs, and other important factors, we'll help you determine which service is right for your business. While we are confident in the services we offer, we believe that an informed decision is always the best decision, and we're here to help you make that choice. So, let's dive in and compare Atomix Logistics and ShipBob!

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ShipBob's Pricing Plan

The ShipBob pricing page allows businesses to request a quote based on their specific needs. It is based on the weight of the products being shipped and the distance they need to travel, in addition to the associated picking and packing fees.

While ShipBob offers a pricing model based on weight and distance, Atomix takes a more personalized approach to pricing. We understand that every business has unique needs, and that's why we offer a fully customizable pricing model. Our plans are designed to meet your specific requirements, including package dimensions, shipping destinations, etc. This allows us to offer more flexibility and cost savings compared to other providers like ShipBob. 

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Shipping and Fulfillment Costs

With their sheer size and tenure, ShipBob has access to a robust network of carriers, suppliers, and more fulfillment centers. Depending on the size and direction for your business, this can be either a benefit or a hindrance - a question can only be answered by the business owner. Being such a large fulfillment center, ShipBob moves hundreds of thousands of packages every week - and may need to charge small brands more to allocate the required labor for their brand. Make sure to keep this in mind as you select a fulfillment partner, as order fulfillment can take up to 70% of an order’s value.

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By contrast, Atomix can leverage its flexibility as a startup 3PL to offer competitive shipping costs to clients of all sizes. We work with each client to find the most cost-effective shipping option(s), whether it's through negotiated rates with carriers, regional carriers, or a combination of both.

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Additional Services

In addition to their core fulfillment service, ShipBob offers a variety of additional services to help businesses streamline their operations. One core offering is returns services, allowing businesses to process and manage returns in real time. In addition, ShipBob offers custom branding options such as branded boxes/poly mailers, helping create a more memorable unboxing experience for customers. However, many of these services come with an extra cost.

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Atomix Logistics offers a range of additional services as well, such as custom packaging and kitting, that can help businesses stand out and leave a lasting impression on both new and existing customers. When it comes to choosing a fulfillment partner, it's important to consider not only pricing, but also the level of support and services offered. ShipBob may be able to provide some services at a lower cost due to their available resources, but again - the quality of the support is crucial to consider. For smaller brands, a boutique 3PL like Atomix could be a better choice as a more modular service provider, allowing brand owners to pay only for the services they use.

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Customer Service/Support

Overall, ShipBob and Atomix share a relatively similar customer support model. The main difference is that ShipBob has the resources to provide 24/7 support, whereas Atomix (currently) operates around typical business hours in CST (Central Standard Time). That’s not to say that one is better than the other - that depends on brand owner preference. 

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In addition to providing support over the phone, Atomix employs the use of Slack messenger to implement instant messaging both internally and with clients. This eliminates the need to wait on emails to arrive, and ensures that any issues brought up can be taken care of right away. Both Atomix ShipBob offer a dedicated account manager, and Atomix also includes a Pod Manager to serve as your human interface with your product even if it isn’t right in front of you. 

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Conclusion

Atomix and ShipBob both offer fulfillment solutions to ecommerce businesses with different pricing models. While ShipBob's pricing is mostly based on weight and location, Atomix provides fully customizable pricing tailored to the specific needs of each business. 

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However, pricing is just one factor to consider when choosing a fulfillment partner. To help business owners make an informed decision, we created a guide on what to consider when selecting a new partner! Ultimately, the decision should be made based on what is best for your brand and customers. Whether it's ShipBob or Atomix, both options provide reliable and effective fulfillment services to help businesses grow and succeed in the competitive world of ecommerce. 

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Feel free to reach out to our team for more tips!

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