"Just lost another customer due to shipping delays."
"Why are my fulfillment costs eating all my profits?"
"I'm tired of inventory discrepancies."
If these sound familiar, you're not alone. As ecommerce fulfillment experts who've helped hundreds of businesses scale their operations, we know choosing the wrong 3PL can devastate your business. This comprehensive comparison breaks down everything you need to know about ShipBob, ShipMonk, and Simpl Fulfillment - based on real data, user experiences, and expert analysis.
Before diving into ShipBob vs ShipMonk, let's make sure you're ready for a 3PL. Based on our experience helping businesses scale, here's a quick self-assessment:
✓ You're ready for a 3PL if:
✗ You might want to wait if:
We've analyzed hundreds of recent reviews from Reddit, Trustpilot, and direct customer interviews to bring you the unfiltered truth about both providers. Here's what actual users are saying:
The eCommerce fulfillment landscape has transformed dramatically in recent years. With the surge in online shopping, businesses face mounting pressure to deliver faster while maintaining profitability. ShipBob and ShipMonk have emerged as prominent players, collectively raising over $700 million in funding to scale their operations. Meanwhile, Simpl Fulfillment has focused on growing alongside our client's with our partnership first approach.
But rapid growth often comes at a cost. Many heavily-funded 3PLs prioritize expansion over service quality, leading to inconsistent performance and frustrated customers. Understanding these market dynamics is crucial for making an informed decision about your fulfillment partner.
While base rates and "free pick and pack" marketing might seem straightforward, the reality of total fulfillment costs with ShipBob and ShipMonk can be unpredictable. ShipBob particularly has become known for variable shipping rates - even marking up standard USPS prices - making it nearly impossible for businesses to forecast their true fulfillment costs. What looks like an attractive pick fee quickly becomes overshadowed by fluctuating shipping rates that can change dramatically month to month.
At Simpl Fulfillment, we've taken a different approach with transparent, flat-rate pricing. Our clients know exactly what they'll pay for shipping before they send each order, eliminating the surprise fees and shipping rate markups that plague other 3PLs. This predictable pricing model helps businesses better forecast their costs and maintain consistent margins, rather than dealing with the constant uncertainty of variable shipping rates.
After helping hundreds of businesses find the right fulfillment solution, we've seen companies repeatedly fall into several costly traps when choosing a 3PL:
Many businesses assume more locations equals better service. In reality, most businesses under $10M in revenue only need 1-2 strategic locations to reach 95% of their customers within 2 days. Multiple locations often mean higher costs, complex inventory management, and the headache of split shipments - all without proportional benefits.
Large 3PLs like ShipBob and ShipMonk often attract businesses with impressive facilities and funding numbers. But once you sign, you'll quickly discover these providers focus primarily on their enterprise clients shipping tens of thousands of orders monthly. Smaller businesses often find themselves ignored or dealing with rotating support staff who barely know their account.
It's a common story: A charismatic salesperson promises the world during the sales process, but disappears once you've signed. Even worse, many of these salespeople don't even work at the fulfillment center - they're in remote offices and have never seen the operation they're selling. How can they truly understand your needs?
Many businesses don't realize until it's too late that they'll never be able to visit their inventory or meet their fulfillment team in person. At Simpl Fulfillment, we take a different approach - our sales team works on-site at our facility, clients can visit their inventory, and you'll know exactly who's handling your products.
Large 3PLs often push businesses to store inventory across multiple locations "for faster shipping." This usually results in higher storage fees, more complex inventory management, and minimal actual shipping time benefits. A single, strategically located facility can serve most businesses more efficiently and cost-effectively.
The key is finding a 3PL that matches your business's current needs while supporting your growth - not one that's trying to sell you enterprise-level services you don't need yet.
When evaluating 3PLs, understanding their Service Level Agreements (SLAs) is crucial - but there's often a significant gap between what's promised and what's delivered. Both ShipBob and ShipMonk have notably relaxed their SLAs over the years as they've grown, often leaving clients without clear accountability measures.
ShipBob notably offers no formal SLA documentation, meaning there's no guaranteed same-day shipping and no liability for mishandled orders. This "best effort" approach has led to numerous client complaints about delayed processing and inconsistent service levels. Their support response times, particularly for businesses shipping under 400 orders monthly, can stretch from 24-48 hours - a lifetime when dealing with urgent shipping issues.
ShipMonk, while providing basic SLA terms, has recently implemented their "Spike Protection" program, which essentially allows them to pause their service guarantees during high-volume periods - exactly when you need reliable fulfillment the most. Their standard processing times are "typically" 1-2 business days, but this isn't guaranteed.
At Simpl Fulfillment, we believe in clear accountability. Our SLAs include same-day shipping for all orders placed prior to 12pm CST, 1-3 day inventory receiving, and compensation for any misships or order mistakes caused by us. Most importantly, we stand behind these commitments as part of our partnership with our client's and work to resolve issues fast.
Choosing between ShipBob, ShipMonk, and Simpl Fulfillment ultimately comes down to understanding your business's unique needs and growth trajectory. While ShipBob and ShipMonk have built their businesses on rapid expansion and serving enterprise clients, this growth has come at the cost of personalized service and consistency.
If you're shipping thousands of orders daily and need immediate international expansion, ShipBob's network might make sense despite their service limitations. If you're focused on subscription boxes and can meet their minimums, ShipMonk could be a fit. However, for businesses prioritizing reliability, transparent pricing, and direct access to their fulfillment team, Simpl Fulfillment offers a more straightforward and accountable partnership.
The key is looking beyond the marketing promises and understanding what matters most for your business's growth. Do you need multiple locations right now, or would you benefit more from predictable costs and reliable service? Are you willing to be a small fish in a big pond, or would you prefer a partner who sees your business as a priority?
While ShipBob and ShipMonk have their place in the market, their rapid growth and focus on enterprise clients have created gaps in service that affect growing businesses. Simpl Fulfillment fills these gaps by providing [your key differentiators - e.g., guaranteed same-day shipping, flat-rate pricing, direct access to your fulfillment team]. Our approach isn't about being the biggest - it's about being the most reliable partner for your business's growth.
If you're ready to experience fulfillment that puts your business first, let's talk about your specific needs and how we can help you achieve your growth goals.
Need expert guidance in choosing the right fulfillment partner? Our team at Simpl Fulfillment has helped hundreds of businesses like yours find their perfect solution.
Schedule your free consultation today and let us help you make the right choice for your business.
Last Updated: December 2024 - Data compiled from public sources, user interviews, and platform documentation. Pricing and features subject to change.
We run a 3PL. We ship boxes every day for Shopify brands. So when store owners ask us "is ShipBob good?" we can give a ShipBob review based on real experience with the fulfillment industry, not recycled marketing copy. We've been running our own warehouse in Austin for over 8 years. We quote against ShipBob on multiple sales calls every week. We know their fee structure because we're constantly fielding questions from brands trying to figure out what they'll actually pay at ShipBob versus with us. This review is based on that as well as publicly available pricing, customer reviews from Trustpilot, G2, BBB, and Capterra.
Here's what ShipBob actually costs in 2026, where they deliver, and where small brands get burned.
TL;DR: ShipBob is a strong 3PL for brands doing 500+ orders/month that need multi-warehouse distribution across 60+ locations. For Shopify brands under 500 orders, the $275 monthly minimum, $975 onboarding fee, 400-order requirement, and ticket-based support make it expensive relative to what you get. Smaller brands consistently report costs 2-4x higher than initial quotes and support response times measured in weeks, not hours.
ShipBob is a strong 3PL for brands shipping 500+ orders per month that need inventory spread across multiple US warehouses or international fulfillment centers. The technology is genuinely good. The fulfillment network is hard to match.
For Shopify brands doing under 500 orders a month, ShipBob is not the right fit. The $275 monthly minimum, $975+ onboarding fee, 400-order minimum, and ticket-based support create a pricing structure that punishes low volume. Brands in that range consistently report costs 2-4x higher than initial quotes and support response times measured in weeks, not hours.
Ratings across platforms:
The Shopify App Store scores are high because larger brands with smooth onboarding experiences review there. The BBB scores are low because that's where brands go when they're frustrated and feel unheard. Where you land depends on your order volume and whether you get a dedicated rep.
ShipBob earned its reputation for a reason. Their global infrastructure, technology, and fulfillment accuracy are genuinely strong — especially for brands at scale.
60+ fulfillment centers across the US, plus locations in Canada, the UK, Europe, and Australia. They opened new 250,000+ sq ft facilities in North Aurora, Illinois and Fort Worth, Texas in 2025, and are expanding into Madrid for Southern European coverage in 2026. You can split inventory across regions so orders ship from the closest warehouse, cutting transit to 1-2 days for most of the continental US. Most 3PLs built for small brands run one or two warehouses. ShipBob gives you geographic reach that would otherwise require managing multiple providers.
One caveat: the multi-warehouse network is a clear advantage at 5,000+ orders per month, but it can actually work against brands in the 1,000-4,000 order range. Storage fees accrue at each location separately, so splitting 500 units across three warehouses means three sets of storage charges instead of one. You also end up with split shipments when inventory at one location runs out, which means higher shipping costs and more complexity to manage. At mid-volume, a single well-located warehouse often delivers better economics than a distributed network you can't fully utilize.
ShipBob's software is free with your account. Real-time inventory tracking across all locations, order status updates, and analytics that show shipping costs by zone and SKU velocity. The Shopify app syncs orders and pushes tracking numbers back automatically. They also integrate with WooCommerce, BigCommerce, Amazon, Walmart, Etsy, eBay, Klaviyo, Gorgias, and Loop Returns.
99.95% order accuracy rate and 99.89% on-time shipping. Orders placed before noon ship the same day. The accuracy rate holds up across customer reviews. Mispicks happen but they're rare.
Standard boxes, poly mailers, bubble mailers, tape, dunnage, and labels are included. You only pay extra for custom branded packaging. Some competitors charge $0.15-0.50 per box, so this adds up.
Over 1 billion units fulfilled, backed by $330 million in venture funding. They handle Black Friday spikes without shutdowns. If you're growing from 500 to 5,000 orders per month, the infrastructure absorbs it. They've also launched ShipBob Plus for enterprise brands, which tells you where their focus is heading.
ShipBob's biggest weaknesses are pricing complexity, high minimums that punish low-volume brands, and a shift to AI chatbot support that has frustrated long-term customers. The complaints follow a clear pattern, and they hit hardest for brands doing under 500 orders a month.
ShipBob removed published pricing from their website. You have to request a custom quote through a sales call. You can't compare costs upfront. (We maintain an updated ShipBob pricing breakdown if you want the full details.)
The problem: ShipBob's invoices have more line items than most brand owners expect. Monthly minimum, pick and pack, three storage tiers, hourly receiving, shipping with carrier markups, plus surcharges. One brand owner described their first ShipBob invoice as "a spreadsheet I needed 20 minutes to understand."
That $275 per month does not include storage, receiving, or shipping. It covers only fulfillment service fees (pick and pack). If your fees don't hit $275, you pay the difference.
A brand doing 75 orders a month at $0.30 per unit generates only $22.50 in pick fees. You still pay $275. Add storage, receiving, and shipping on top. Actual monthly cost for 75 orders: $600-1,000.
ShipBob also requires 400 orders per month in the US (1,000 in Europe). New accounts get a 90-day grace period. After that, accounts below the threshold face review. This alone disqualifies most Shopify stores doing fewer than 400 orders monthly.
Pick and pack recently increased from $0.25 to $0.30 per unit. A brand shipping 300 orders averaging 2 items each pays $180 per month in pick fees alone.
Setup starts at $975 for a 30-day implementation specialist. Used to be in the $500 range. Complex accounts run higher. For a brand testing its first 3PL, that's a thousand dollars before you've shipped a single box.
$35 per hour for the first two hours, $45 after that. Inventory can take up to 7 business days to be checked in after it arrives at the warehouse. During that window, you can't sell that stock. Multiple Trustpilot reviewers report that ShipBob's SLA clock doesn't start until they mark a shipment as "received" in their system, not when it physically arrives at the dock. One merchant reported their shipment arrived and sat for over a week with the status still showing "awaiting arrival."
ShipBob marks up USPS, UPS, and FedEx rates by 15-30% for ground shipping, 40%+ for expedited. The markup varies by zone and weight, making costs hard to predict.
This is the biggest change in ShipBob's service over the past year, and the most consistent complaint across Trustpilot (3.9/5 from 945 reviews), the BBB, and G2 (3.7/5).
ShipBob's Trustpilot reviews are strikingly polarized: 73% are five-star, 17% are one-star, and almost nobody is in between. Here's why: nearly every positive review names a specific account rep. Nearly every negative review says they can't reach a human.
Yoni Shenhav, a 6-year ShipBob customer who spent over $500,000 with them, wrote in January 2026: "If you spend less than $10,000 per month, you are effectively locked out of human support. Any issue, no matter how small, goes through AI bots that are unhelpful about 90% of the time."
Karin von Daler, another multi-year customer, wrote in January 2026: "Everything is AI, and slow, non-specific and unhelpful customer service that just refers to itself and to the website."
A Malaysia-based merchant who worked with ShipBob for several years described "marked deterioration in performance, communication, and overall accountability" in the past 12 months, adding that "costs have nearly doubled" while "most replies now appear to be automated or AI-generated."
One UK-based merchant spending GBP 10,000 per month still doesn't have a dedicated point of contact and reported it's "not possible to connect with anyone in the warehouse where our stock is actually held."
The pattern is clear: if you spend enough to get a dedicated rep, ShipBob works well. Below that threshold, you're in a ticket queue.
Multiple reviewers report inventory sitting in limbo for weeks after physical delivery. One US-based merchant had a Warehouse Receiving Order stuck in "Partially Arrived" status for 14 days with no updates. When they finally got a response, ShipBob support told them: "We are unable to locate the WRO in the Hub." The inventory was lost entirely.
Another long-term customer had their entire warehouse relocated without notification. Their inventory was marked as "sold out" across their store, shutting down their business for six weeks. They wrote in February 2026: "My business has not been able to operate for 3 weeks now as their inventory was inaccurate and all of my items have been marked as SOLD OUT."
ShipBob's Shopify app only syncs aggregated inventory counts across Shopify Markets rather than individual market-specific counts. If you sell internationally through Shopify Markets, this is a real operational issue that has driven some merchants to switch providers.
$150-200 per order for Amazon FBA prep or B2B wholesale fulfillment. One BBB complainant was charged item-level pick fees for case-packed FBA shipments, turning a simple pallet transfer into hundreds per order. Get the exact fee schedule in writing before signing.
ShipBob doesn't require a long-term contract. Either party can terminate at any time. However, the fine print matters:
The no-contract structure sounds flexible, but the 30-day inventory removal window is tight — especially if you're also onboarding with a new 3PL. Plan for overlap. Larger or enterprise brands may negotiate custom agreement terms separately.
Every ShipBob fee we've verified through documentation, sales materials, and customer reports as of February 2026:
A Shopify brand doing 150 orders per month with 2 SKUs stored on shelves, averaging 1.5 items per order:
That's before receiving fees or returns. Roughly $7.40-12.40 per order all-in.
These estimates exclude shipping costs, which are the largest line item. At 150 orders averaging $7-12 in shipping per order, add $1,050-1,800/month. To get your true all-in per-order cost, add $7-12 for shipping to each row above.
Compare that to flat-rate pricing: At Simpl Fulfillment, that same 150-order brand pays starting at ~$7/order — one flat rate that includes pick, pack, shipping, and materials. No storage fees, no receiving charges, no carrier markups, and no onboarding fee. You're shipping on day one without spending $975 just to get started. $750/month minimum applies. See current rates on our pricing page.
If you've never used a 3PL before (and about 42% of the brands we talk to haven't), here's what ShipBob's onboarding looks like:
For brands on ShipBob Plus (their enterprise tier), you get a dedicated implementation manager. The process takes longer but is more hands-on.
Flat-rate pricing that includes pick, pack, and shipping in one per-order fee. Built for Shopify brands doing 100-500 orders per month who want predictable costs and a dedicated account manager. No setup fees, no onboarding fees, no receiving fees, same-day shipping guaranteed by 12 PM CST from Austin, TX. Where ShipBob charges $975+ before you've shipped a single box, Simpl gets you live at $0 upfront. Trade-off: single warehouse, so no multi-location distribution — but for brands under 1,000 orders per month, a single centrally-located warehouse typically costs less than splitting inventory across multiple locations where storage fees accrue separately.
The specialist for heavy, oversized, and fragile products. Highest per-pick fees ($1.80-2.25) but they back it with a $50 payout per error and zero shrinkage guarantees. Two US warehouses (Tennessee, Utah) cover most of the continental US with 2-day ground. Best for brands shipping items over 10 lbs.
Mid-market 3PL with strong subscription box fulfillment and compliance certifications (FDA, GMP). Custom quote pricing that scales with volume. Multiple US locations plus Europe, Mexico, and Canada. Good for brands doing 500-5,000 orders per month that need scale and multi-channel support.
Probably not if you're under 500 orders per month. The $275 monthly minimum, $975 onboarding fee, and 400-order minimum mean you're paying premium prices for infrastructure you can't fully use. Small accounts also report support response times of 30+ days. Shopify brands in the 100-500 range find better value with 3PLs built for their volume.
Realistically $5-12+ per order once you factor in the $0.30/unit pick fee, storage ($5-40/month per location), and shipping markups (15-30% over carrier rates). The $275 monthly minimum inflates your per-order cost at lower volumes: at 100 orders, the minimum alone adds $2.75 per order. ShipBob doesn't publish rates, so you won't know exact costs until you get a custom quote.
The big ones: $150-200 per order B2B/FBA surcharge, $150-200/hour integration troubleshooting, receiving at $35-45/hour, and shipping markups of 15-30% not broken out on initial quotes. The $275 monthly minimum also surprises people because it doesn't cover storage, receiving, or shipping. Those are all separate.
Yes. There's no long-term contract. You can terminate at any time by emailing support@shipbob.com, as long as you don't have an outstanding balance. You'll need to arrange for inventory to ship back to you or to your new 3PL within 30 days — after that, ShipBob is authorized to dispose of your goods at your cost. Expect outbound shipping charges and plan for 2-4 weeks of transition time. One BBB complainant reported $3,000 in pick fees to prepare 3 pallets for outbound freight. Ask about exit costs before signing and get terms in writing. Many brands run both 3PLs in parallel during the switch to avoid fulfillment gaps.
Yes. ShipBob's Growth Plan targets brands doing 400+ orders per month in the US (1,000+ in Europe), with a $275/month minimum spend on fulfillment services. New accounts get a 90-day grace period on the spending minimum. Some very small brands have reported being turned away during the application process. If you're below 400 monthly orders, ask upfront whether you qualify and what your actual costs will look like at your current volume.
For Shopify brands under 500 orders per month, Simpl Fulfillment is the better fit: flat-rate pricing (one fee per order including pick, pack, and shipping), no setup fees, no receiving fees, and a dedicated account manager. ShipBob makes more sense at 500+ orders monthly if you need multi-warehouse distribution or international fulfillment. Both integrate directly with Shopify. The deciding factors are volume and whether you need geographic distribution.
ShipBob built a real fulfillment network backed by solid technology. At the right volume, it works.
But the trajectory is upmarket. Rising onboarding costs, order minimums, and the enterprise-focused ShipBob Plus program all point the same direction. Small brands are no longer the priority.
If you're a Shopify store doing under 500 orders a month and you want someone who'll answer when you call, there are better options at lower prices.
This ShipBob review reflects publicly available information, customer reviews from Trustpilot, G2, BBB, and Capterra, and our perspective as a competing 3PL. We've aimed for fairness and specificity. If anything is inaccurate, let us know and we'll correct it.
