There's a difference between "should I outsource fulfilment" and "is my current setup actually built for the volume I'm doing." Brands asking the first question are usually still packing orders themselves. Brands asking the second are already doing 100, 300, sometimes over 1,000 orders a month — and starting to notice that the small inefficiencies that didn't matter at low volume are now costing real money every single week.
What actually breaks at volume
At 20 orders a month, it barely matters which carrier you use, whether your stock count is 100% accurate, or how quickly returns get processed. At 100 or more, all three start to compound. A carrier that's £1 more expensive per order doesn't register as a rounding error anymore — multiplied across a few hundred orders a month, it's a real, recurring cost. The same goes for stock inaccuracy: a small discrepancy that used to mean checking one shelf now means investigating across multiple channels and hundreds of SKUs moving simultaneously.
Carrier costs are the clearest example
Comparing carriers on every single order — rather than defaulting to one for everything — is one of the simplest ways to reduce delivery costs, and the saving compounds directly with volume. At low volume, the difference between the cheapest and most expensive suitable carrier on any given order is barely worth the effort of checking. At a few hundred orders a month, that same comparison, done automatically on every order, adds up to a genuinely different number on your monthly delivery spend.
Multi-channel stock accuracy stops being optional
A brand selling on one platform can get away with manual stock updates. A brand selling across Shopify, Amazon, TikTok Shop and eBay simultaneously, doing real volume on each, cannot — a stock discrepancy on one channel at low volume is an annoyance; the same discrepancy at higher volume, spread across several channels at once, means overselling, cancelled orders and refunds. Live stock visibility that updates the moment an order is picked isn't a nice-to-have at this stage, it's what stops the wheels coming off.
Returns become a real operational line, not an afterthought
At low volume, returns are rare enough to handle one at a time as they come in. At higher volume, they're a steady, predictable stream that needs its own process — checking condition, reinstating viable stock, and doing it fast enough that it doesn't become a backlog sitting in a corner of a warehouse. A fulfilment partner who treats returns as a proper process rather than an inconvenience matters a lot more once you're doing real numbers.
What to actually look for at this stage
- Automatic multi-carrier comparison on every order, not a single default carrier
- Live stock visibility across every channel you sell on, updated in real time
- A proper returns process, not an ad-hoc one
- Pricing that's transparent at volume — no hidden per-order fees that only show up on the invoice
- No punishment for having outgrown your last provider — some 3PLs are built for small brands and start to creak at real volume
Scale shouldn't mean starting again
Some fulfilment providers are genuinely built for low-volume, early-stage brands and simply aren't set up for a few hundred or a few thousand orders a month — you find out the hard way, usually during a busy period. Reilly's works with brands across the full range, from their first order through several thousand a month, with the same automatic multi-carrier selection and live stock visibility regardless of scale. No minimum order volume in either direction means you're not penalised for growing, and you're not turned away for being small either.
Frequently asked questions
Already doing real volume and want a partner who can keep up?
Call 0116 444 0444 or visit our eCommerce fulfilment page for a free quote.