Most onboarding delays are not warehouse delays. They are missing data: a SKU with no weight, a kit with no build sheet, a pallet that arrives with no advance notice. This checklist covers what to send, in order, so your first inbound is received and sellable in days rather than weeks.
It covers the data and stock side of a new 3PL. For how the Shopify connection works under the hood, see How Shopify syncs orders, inventory and tracking with a 3PL. If you are leaving another warehouse, the timeline lives in How to switch 3PLs without a stockout.
Before your first inbound, send your 3PL five things: a SKU master file (SKU, barcode, dimensions, weight, case pack), handling rules for anything fragile, expiring, kitted or regulated, your packaging and insert specs, an advance shipping notice with carton and pallet counts, and a forecast of weekly orders. Then approve a few test orders before real stock arrives. Clean data up front usually decides whether receiving takes days or weeks.
What data does a 3PL need before it can receive your products?
A 3PL needs a SKU master file: one row per sellable item with a unique SKU, a scannable barcode, unit dimensions and weight, and the case pack. Without it the warehouse cannot slot your stock, quote storage accurately or print pick labels.
| Field | Why the warehouse needs it | Common mistake |
|---|---|---|
| SKU | Matches Shopify variants to warehouse stock | Same SKU on two variants, or blank SKUs |
| Barcode (UPC/EAN) | Scanned at receiving and at pack | Barcode on the box but not the unit |
| Unit dimensions and weight | Storage slotting, carton selection, postage rating | Weights in Shopify that are guesses |
| Case pack and cartons per pallet | Receiving counts and putaway | Mixed-SKU cartons with no packing list |
| Lot or expiry rules | FIFO or FEFO picking | Dates not marked on the carton |
| Value per unit | Insurance and customs forms | Retail price instead of cost |
Export the Shopify product list first, since the 3PL connection will read variants from your store, then fix weights and SKUs in Shopify rather than in a side spreadsheet. A mismatch between Shopify and the warehouse is the most common reason early orders get held.
What special handling rules should you document?
Document every item that cannot be picked like a normal box: fragile goods, liquids, batteries, expiry-dated products, serialized items, kits and anything with a regulatory label. One page per product family is enough, and photos beat paragraphs.
- Kits and bundles: list components and quantities, and say whether to pre-build or build at order time. See kitting and assembly services.
- Packaging: stock box, custom box, void fill, tissue, stickers, and where each insert goes.
- Inserts and gift notes: exact insert, which orders get it, and who supplies reprints.
- Do-not-ship rules: countries, PO boxes, or order tags that should stop and ask you.
How should you prepare and notify the first inbound?
Send an advance shipping notice (ASN) before the truck leaves: carton counts, pallet counts, SKUs and quantities per carton, carrier and tracking number. Label every carton with the SKU and quantity on the outside, and keep one SKU per carton where you can. Receiving speed comes mostly from how readable the freight is.
- Number the cartons and put a packing list on the outside of carton 1.
- Send the ASN with expected quantities by SKU.
- Ship a small first inbound, ideally your top 10 to 20 SKUs by volume, so any data issue shows up at low cost.
- Ask for receiving counts and photos, and compare them with your ASN the day it is received.
Orderfy sends photos of each shipment and gives every client direct communication channels for 24/7 access to the warehouse team, so discrepancies can be raised quickly. Ask any 3PL for its standard receiving turnaround after a pallet arrives, and how an ASN is submitted, in writing. At Orderfy, inbound inventory is typically received and sellable the same day.
How much inventory should you send first?
Send enough to cover roughly two to three weeks of sales for your top SKUs, then replenish on a schedule. This keeps the first receiving small and still protects you from a stockout while you check accuracy. The arithmetic is simple.
| Brand | Orders per month | Units per order | Daily units | Two-week cover |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 5,000 | 1.5 | 250 | 3,500 units |
| B | 10,000 | 1.8 | 600 | 8,400 units |
| C | 25,000 | 1.4 | 1,167 | 16,300 units |
Daily units are orders per month times units per order divided by 30. Use your own peak-month figures, not an average, if the first inbound lands within eight weeks of a sales event. If you will be moving stock from another warehouse, do not send everything at once; the staged approach is in the 30-day switching plan.
What should be tested before go-live?
Test the full loop with real products: an order placed in Shopify reaches the warehouse, is picked and packed to your spec, ships, and the tracking number appears on the order in Shopify. Run at least one of each case you sell: single item, multi item, kit, international if relevant, and a canceled order.
- Place test orders in Shopify with a discount code, a gift note and a multi-item cart.
- Confirm the packed box, insert and label match your packaging spec (ask for a photo).
- Confirm tracking and fulfilled status come back to the Shopify order, and the customer email fires.
- Confirm available inventory in Shopify drops when the order is picked and reconciles with the warehouse count.
- Review a test invoice against your signed rate card. See what a 3PL quote looks like for lines worth checking.
What commercial items must be settled before you ship stock?
Sign the agreement, confirm the rate card in writing, and agree service levels before inventory moves, because stock in a warehouse is leverage for whoever holds it. Pay attention to term, rate-increase language and how you get inventory back out; see how to negotiate a 3PL contract.
- Order cutoff time and what happens to orders after it. Ask for the same-day shipping cutoff in writing.
- Pick and pack accuracy target and how errors are credited. Orderfy, for example, can put accuracy commitments in a written SLA with fee credits.
- Who is your day-to-day contact, and how quickly they answer.
- Billing day, how postage is billed, and the fees for onboarding, if any.
Onboarding checklist: the one-page version
| When | Send or do | Owner |
|---|---|---|
| Before contract | Brief with volumes, SKUs, channels, peak month | You |
| Week 1 | SKU master file, handling rules, packaging and insert specs | You |
| Week 1 | Install the 3PL's Shopify app and confirm products map to SKUs | You and 3PL |
| Week 1 to 2 | Ship first inbound with ASN, labeled cartons | You |
| Day of receiving | Counts and photos compared to ASN | 3PL, then you |
| Before go-live | Test orders: single, multi, kit, cancel | Both |
| Day 7 after go-live | Billing and accuracy check against rate card | You |
| Day 30 | Debrief: errors, speed, support response | Both |
This follows the shape of the 30-day checklists published by 3PLGuys (May 2026) and PackemWMS (April 2026), adapted for a Shopify brand sending its own product data.
Where Orderfy fits
Orderfy is a tech-enabled, modern 3PL in the center of the US (Garland, Texas, in the Dallas-Fort Worth area), built for high-volume Shopify and Amazon sellers. For Shopify brands it connects through its own Shopify app, which handles orders, products, fulfillments with tracking and inventory sync. You get same-day shipping, photo records of shipments and direct communication channels for 24/7 access to the warehouse team, with an itemized quote built on your numbers. Inventory syncs in real time, and tracking posts to Shopify as soon as the label is created. Orderfy also helps brands transition in, including all software setup, and has written documentation for onboarding, transitioning and ongoing support on its WMS.
Frequently asked questions
Published estimates vary. 3PLGuys frames onboarding as a 30-day checklist, while Argents puts a full switch at 60 to 90 days from signature to cutover (October 2026). Your data quality is the biggest swing factor. Ask any 3PL for its typical time from signed agreement to first shipped order. At Orderfy, go-live can be as fast as the same day once products and inventory are ready.
No. Connect the app and run test orders against a small first inbound. It is easier to catch SKU or weight mismatches with a few cartons than a full pallet.
An advance shipping notice tells the warehouse what is coming: SKUs, quantities, cartons, pallets and carrier tracking. You do not strictly need one, but unannounced freight takes longer to receive and is harder to reconcile.
The SKU, units per carton and carton number, readable from the outside. Keep a single SKU per carton where possible, and put the packing list on carton 1.
One order of every type you sell: single item, multi item, kit, canceled, and international if relevant. Confirm tracking returns to Shopify and inventory counts reconcile.
It depends on the provider. Argents cites onboarding fees of roughly $2,000 to $10,000 for a full switch (October 2026). Ask for every setup fee in writing.
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