9 Questions To Ask a Potential E-commerce Shipping Partner

Choosing the right e-commerce shipping partner is one of the most important decisions a growing small to midsized business (SMB) can make. The wrong fit slows you down. The right one becomes a force multiplier that improves your operations, strengthens your customer experience and keeps your business moving at the pace your shoppers expect.

If you're comparing third-party logistics providers (3PLs) for your e-commerce shipping solutions and not sure where to start, these questions will help you cut through the noise and find a partner built for long-term growth!

1. How can your transportation management system (TMS) help my e-commerce business?

A strong TMS should simplify your e-commerce shipping solutions. Your provider's TMS needs to handle everyday tasks like selecting shipping speeds, generating labels, managing returns, resolving delivery issues, sending email notifications and building custom reports. It should be designed to remove complexity, not create more of it. Learn about our myUnishippers™ TMS platform!

2. Is your e-commerce technology platform compatible with my current technology?

If you already use specific tools, compatibility becomes the first box to check. Your 3PL's TMS should integrate with your e-commerce platform (like Magento, Woo Commerce and Shopify), payment processor and accounting software. In many cases, a provider can help you integrate without using a third-party tool. For example, Unishippers offers API connections and simple plugins that display real-time rates at checkout and keep everything synced behind the scenes.

3. How fast and easy is it to get started with your e-commerce shipping solutions?

Ask about the onboarding process,including setup, training and implementation. Look for:

• A user-friendly interface your team can manage
• Onboarding support for setup or migration
• Tutorials, walk throughs or live help
• A clear time line for going live

Request case studies or testimonials from businesses like yours to understand what onboarding will actually feel like.

4. Can you support my business across multiple sales channels?

If you sell on several platforms, choose a 3PL that supports multi-channel syncing. This lets you manage all shipments in one dashboard and centralizes tracking and reporting.Your provider's technology should eliminate duplicate work and help you create a consistent customer experience no matter where people shop.

5. How will your e-commerce shipping strategies help me manage returns?

Returns are part of doing business, and your 3PL should help you manage them easily. Look for features that let you:

• Generate and track return labels
• Sync return details with your customer service tools
• Automate return rules so your policies are followed every time

Our plugins make it possible to generate return labels at the same time you create a shipment, reducing steps and improving workflow.

6. What e-commerce international shipping support do you offer?

If you ship globally, choose a provider with experience in e-commerce international shipping. They should offer tools such as:

• Automated customs forms
• Duty and tax calculators
• International tracking
• Multi-language and multi-currency support

International shipping is complex. Your 3PL should make it easier, not harder.

7. What support can I expect day to day?

Strong support influences your team's efficiency and your customer experience. Ask about:

• Availability by chat, phone and email, including expected response times
• Escalation paths for urgent or complex issues
• Guides, FAQs and self-service documentation

Support should be reliable, responsive and ready when peak season hits.

8. Do you offer reporting tools to help improve e-commerce shipping operations?

Your provider should give you clear and convenient access to data that helps you run your business. Our TMS lets you build reports and set up notification emails, so you always have the insights you need. From spotting regional sales trends to planning staffing around shipping volume, your reports should support smarter decisions every day.

9. How do you stay ahead of e-commerce industry changes?

A forward-thinking 3PL should adapt as technology and shipping standards evolve. Ask how often they update their platform, whether they add new integrations, and if they're starting to adopt AI-driven tools. A proactive provider helps you prepare for what's next instead of reacting to it.

Quick Cheat Sheet: Top Questions to Ask a E-commerce Shipping Provider

Need help with your e-commerce shipping? Unishippers is your partner!

At Unishippers, we pride our selves on helping SMBs like yours create custom shipping solutions and optimize their logistics processes. As a 3PL provider of choice for 113,000+shippers across the nation, we offer top solutions and support to help your business thrive. And as part of the nation's largest non-retail authorized reseller of UPS, Unishippers gives you access to affordable rates and UPS e-commerce shipping options to meet your unique business shipping needs!

See how Unishippers can help you optimize your e-commerce shipping for cost savings and better logistics outcomes through logistics technology and expertise. If you are ready to talk to an expert about our parcel solutions, reach out for a free consultation today!