Originally founded in 2001 by John Lindberg, eFulfillment Service began when Mr.
Lindberg sold off his book distribution company and began using his Michigan warehouse to handle direct consumer fulfillment for self-publishers.
This operation has grown into a successful e-commerce fulfillment service that handles about 700 e-tailers, about 40 percent of whom are outside of the United States.
Your costs for the service can be best determined by contacting the company directly.
eFulfillment Service is focused on small to midsize e-commerce retailers, including many that are startups.
The service handles a variety of products, mostly small-parcel shipments, although some clients deal with larger orders.
There are no minimum-order volume requirements or extra fees for smaller order amounts.
Everything is handled in-house, including customer support.
In a move that sets it apart from most of the field, including e-commerce-focused fulfillment operators, such as ShipBob (Free at ShipBob) , eFulfillment Service also works with clients that require cross-docking.
Cross-docking is a type of fulfillment where orders come into the warehouse and are immediately shipped out without being stored.
This strategy is often used by crowdfunders who need to immediately ship a new product to their backers.
Prices
eFulfillment Service starts with an initial weekly fee of $23.50 that pays for the initial onboarding process (inventory setup and integration with an online shopping cart) and covers any follow-up support.
Its storage fees are based on the cubic foot rather than per pallet.
This sets the service apart from competitors that specialize in larger shipments, such as Red Stag (Free at Red Stag Fulfillment) .
There is also a pick-and-pack process fee charged on a per-unit basis, with different tiers depending on how many orders are shipped out per month.
Clients that have much larger orders can choose to be charged by time instead.
Other fees cover receiving, based on the time taken, and returns.
Ancillary fees include assembly and kitting, using special packaging for fragile or branded items; and including coupons, brochures or other materials in the packages.
eFulfillment Service offers a standard terms-of-service agreement with no long-term commitment; clients can cancel anytime without penalty.
eFulfillment Service also offers its customers a 30-day Test Drive Program.
According to its website, the way it works is, you send them a portion of your inventory so you can experience how eFulfillment Service's receiving process works.
The company integrates your shopping cart with its web-based system, giving you "complete visibility over your orders and inventory." If you're not satisfied afer 30 days, the company will refund you up to $250 in incurred costs and fees.
Facilities
eFulfillment Service owns two warehouses in the area of Traverse City, Michigan.
It manages and distributes inventory primarily out of one of them and uses the other for slow-moving stock or longer-term storage.
Software
Even moreso than Shipfusion, eFulfillment Service's online user interface (UI) is well-designed and easy to navigate.
The opening dashboard offers alerts at the top of the screen (for, say, problematic weather conditions), quick links to often-used pages, links to recent announcements, and lists of the latest orders and shipments.
Drop-down menus across the top give access to Orders, Reports, Billing, and Integration.
eFulfillment Service offers about 40 different shopping-cart integrations with services such as 3dcart, Amazon, BigCommerce, eBay, Ecwid, Infusionsoft, Magento Commerce, PinnacleCart, Shopify, and Volusion.
It also provides services for retailers that sell through larger companies such as Amazon or Costco but would rather do their own fulfillment.
There are separate pages for lists of orders and inventory.
By clicking an order number, clients can dig down to more detailed information, including a tracking number that links to the shipping company's information.
A variety of shipping models are available, including a "Best Rate" option that will automatically choose the least expensive rate for an order's weight, dimensions, and destination.
Changes, such as using a different address or fixing a mistake in the order itself, can be made if the order has not yet shipped.
A variety of reports are available, including inventory, transactions, and an inventory forecast that uses the history of the product and projects how many might be needed in future.
Clients can also set low-stock alerts.
A dedicated client care team manages the initial onboarding process.
After that, a customer support team fields day-to-day inquiries from clients.
Most problems are handled by phone.
There is also a helpdesk trouble-ticket system.
Final Thoughts
There aren't a lot of user comments available for eFulfillment Service.
But those that we did find—especially from startups—tended toward the positive.
Because eFulfillment Service distributes inventory primarily out of one warehouse, it may not be appropriate for large companies, especially those that are expanding into international sales.
However, the company is very flexible when it comes to startups, retailers using crowd-funding to (excuse the expression) kickstart their companies, and vendors that market through large online venues such as Amazon and Walmart.
If your company fits into one of these categories, then eFulfillment Service should be on your list.
Cons
Because the service distributes inventory primarily out of one warehouse, it may not be appropriate for large companies.
Not ideal for companies that are expanding into international sales.
The Bottom Line
eFulfillment Service specializes mostly in small to midsized e-tailing operations that deal in small parcel shipments.
Within that range it can handle a wide variety of products and has an excellent pricing reputation.
Originally founded in 2001 by John Lindberg, eFulfillment Service began when Mr.
Lindberg sold off his book distribution company and began using his Michigan warehouse to handle direct consumer fulfillment for self-publishers.
This operation has grown into a successful e-commerce fulfillment service that handles about 700 e-tailers, about 40 percent of whom are outside of the United States.
Your costs for the service can be best determined by contacting the company directly.
eFulfillment Service is focused on small to midsize e-commerce retailers, including many that are startups.
The service handles a variety of products, mostly small-parcel shipments, although some clients deal with larger orders.
There are no minimum-order volume requirements or extra fees for smaller order amounts.
Everything is handled in-house, including customer support.
In a move that sets it apart from most of the field, including e-commerce-focused fulfillment operators, such as ShipBob (Free at ShipBob) , eFulfillment Service also works with clients that require cross-docking.
Cross-docking is a type of fulfillment where orders come into the warehouse and are immediately shipped out without being stored.
This strategy is often used by crowdfunders who need to immediately ship a new product to their backers.
Prices
eFulfillment Service starts with an initial weekly fee of $23.50 that pays for the initial onboarding process (inventory setup and integration with an online shopping cart) and covers any follow-up support.
Its storage fees are based on the cubic foot rather than per pallet.
This sets the service apart from competitors that specialize in larger shipments, such as Red Stag (Free at Red Stag Fulfillment) .
There is also a pick-and-pack process fee charged on a per-unit basis, with different tiers depending on how many orders are shipped out per month.
Clients that have much larger orders can choose to be charged by time instead.
Other fees cover receiving, based on the time taken, and returns.
Ancillary fees include assembly and kitting, using special packaging for fragile or branded items; and including coupons, brochures or other materials in the packages.
eFulfillment Service offers a standard terms-of-service agreement with no long-term commitment; clients can cancel anytime without penalty.
eFulfillment Service also offers its customers a 30-day Test Drive Program.
According to its website, the way it works is, you send them a portion of your inventory so you can experience how eFulfillment Service's receiving process works.
The company integrates your shopping cart with its web-based system, giving you "complete visibility over your orders and inventory." If you're not satisfied afer 30 days, the company will refund you up to $250 in incurred costs and fees.
Facilities
eFulfillment Service owns two warehouses in the area of Traverse City, Michigan.
It manages and distributes inventory primarily out of one of them and uses the other for slow-moving stock or longer-term storage.
Software
Even moreso than Shipfusion, eFulfillment Service's online user interface (UI) is well-designed and easy to navigate.
The opening dashboard offers alerts at the top of the screen (for, say, problematic weather conditions), quick links to often-used pages, links to recent announcements, and lists of the latest orders and shipments.
Drop-down menus across the top give access to Orders, Reports, Billing, and Integration.
eFulfillment Service offers about 40 different shopping-cart integrations with services such as 3dcart, Amazon, BigCommerce, eBay, Ecwid, Infusionsoft, Magento Commerce, PinnacleCart, Shopify, and Volusion.
It also provides services for retailers that sell through larger companies such as Amazon or Costco but would rather do their own fulfillment.
There are separate pages for lists of orders and inventory.
By clicking an order number, clients can dig down to more detailed information, including a tracking number that links to the shipping company's information.
A variety of shipping models are available, including a "Best Rate" option that will automatically choose the least expensive rate for an order's weight, dimensions, and destination.
Changes, such as using a different address or fixing a mistake in the order itself, can be made if the order has not yet shipped.
A variety of reports are available, including inventory, transactions, and an inventory forecast that uses the history of the product and projects how many might be needed in future.
Clients can also set low-stock alerts.
A dedicated client care team manages the initial onboarding process.
After that, a customer support team fields day-to-day inquiries from clients.
Most problems are handled by phone.
There is also a helpdesk trouble-ticket system.
Final Thoughts
There aren't a lot of user comments available for eFulfillment Service.
But those that we did find—especially from startups—tended toward the positive.
Because eFulfillment Service distributes inventory primarily out of one warehouse, it may not be appropriate for large companies, especially those that are expanding into international sales.
However, the company is very flexible when it comes to startups, retailers using crowd-funding to (excuse the expression) kickstart their companies, and vendors that market through large online venues such as Amazon and Walmart.
If your company fits into one of these categories, then eFulfillment Service should be on your list.
Cons
Because the service distributes inventory primarily out of one warehouse, it may not be appropriate for large companies.
Not ideal for companies that are expanding into international sales.
The Bottom Line
eFulfillment Service specializes mostly in small to midsized e-tailing operations that deal in small parcel shipments.
Within that range it can handle a wide variety of products and has an excellent pricing reputation.
