{"id":11839,"date":"2020-02-13T21:16:00","date_gmt":"2020-02-13T13:16:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextsmartship.com\/2020\/02\/13\/china-fulfillment-center-5-crucial-factors-to-consider\/"},"modified":"2025-01-06T11:43:43","modified_gmt":"2025-01-06T03:43:43","slug":"china-fulfillment-center-5-crucial-factors-to-consider","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextsmartship.com\/blog\/china-fulfillment-center-5-crucial-factors-to-consider\/","title":{"rendered":"China Fulfillment Center: 5 Crucial Factors to Consider"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n

Order fulfillment is directly related to the shopping experience of consumers, so it\u2019s the key to the success of an online store. Especially when your suppliers are far away in China. Order fulfillment from China can be the most vulnerable part of your e-commerce business, that\u2019s why it\u2019s essential to choose a good China fulfillment service\u00a0before rolling up your sleeves and running a bunch of marketing campaigns. It\u2019s the \u201cmake or break\u201d\u00a0factor.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\"China<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Why use a China fulfillment center<\/h2>\r\n\r\n

People may ask: \u201cWhy to use China fulfillment center<\/a> when I can choose China dropshipping<\/a> or warehouses closer to the consumer?\u201d\u00a0There are a lot of advantages of shipping from China order fulfillment center.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

The first one is near the source. China’s manufacturing industry is developing quickly, tons of quality manufacturers are doing OEM, ODM for global eCommerce companies, China has become a world factory many years ago, not to mention the world-famous platforms like Alibaba, AliExpress, DHGate, etc, are providing easy ways to source all kinds of products. If your suppliers are in China (Yiwu, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Dongguan, etc) and you prefer to entrust China order fulfillment to professionals (a decent China fulfillment company, not the dropshipping suppliers who pay more attention to getting more orders), shipping from China directly will save you a lot of money and time. More than that, your communication costs will be much lower because China’s fulfillment companies will assist you with inventory storage, product exchange, and return, eliminate language barriers and cultural differences.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Second, low budget. China has lower labor costs and more skilled workers. Lots of China-based warehouses provide 90-day free storage and free product receiving, it’s unimaginable in the United States and Europe fulfillment centers. Take ShipBob as an example, the fulfillment company with 4 fulfillment centers in the United States, it charges at least $50 for inventory receiving (detailed fulfillment service price of ShipBob refers to this article<\/a>,<\/a>\u00a0it is not cost-effective for small and medium-sized e-commerce business owners who adopt the strategy of small inventory + fast transfer.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Third, China has a more developed logistics industry. Because of the well-developed eCommerce, Chinese domestic shipping is the fastest in the world. China’s leading intelligent logistics system can easily handle tens of billions of packages every year generated by Taobao and JD. Besides transport many made in China products to the world, there are various shipping methods from China to other countries. Other than DHL, FedEx and other multinational shipping companies, there are many freight forwarders and dedicated line operators. If your products are large in volume or weight, you can also choose high-quality and cheap shipping lines. China’s advantages in the logistics industry are incomparable to any other country.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

So, it\u2019s wise to use a China fulfillment center. The following question is, who to cooperate. These are some considerations when choosing the right order fulfillment center.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Where are the warehouses?<\/h2>\r\n\r\n

In which province? Most of the Chinese factories in these 5 coastal provinces: Guangdong, Fujian, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, and Shandong. They are close to each other, and because Chinese domestic shipping is fast and cheap, it doesn\u2019t matter when your supplier is in Shanghai and you use a Yiwu based fulfillment warehouse. But in these areas, one exception is Shenzhen, Guangdong. As a special economic zone, Shenzhen is very close to Hong Kong, the world logistics hub, so if you have a fulfillment center in Shenzhen<\/a>, it will bring you extra benefits.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Global warehouses or not? In fact, a China order fulfillment company can have more fulfillment warehouses other than the one in China. Warehouses in the USA, Europe, Australia provide more options and opportunities for your online business. For example, during holidays or the time customs clearance slows down because of some unexpected circumstances, the inventory in a place closer to your market will give your online store a greater advantage than your competitors.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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How are\u00a0the\u00a0software and hardware system?<\/h2>\r\n\r\n

Advanced hardware and good\u00a0warehouse management can make order fulfillment more efficient and accurate. If you have selected a potential fulfillment partner, it’s best to check their warehouse by video or field trip. Trust me, spending a little more time in the early stage will help the later cooperation go smoothly.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

The software part is also the key to measuring a fulfillment company’s professionalism. A qualified fulfillment system has to have these features<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Shipping method integration: list all the shipping methods you can use<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

eCommerce platform & shopping cart integration: sync orders from your online store<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Inventory management: show the real-time inventory<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Order management: display the fulfillment status and tracking numbers<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Cost calculation and financial management: easily get a clear bill every month<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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