From packing at home to fully live in 14 days
Switching fulfilment provider, or handing it over for the first time, sounds like the frightening part. It is not. Our onboarding plan runs to 14 days, there is no setup fee, and we do the integration work rather than sending you a manual. Here is what happens, day by day, so nothing arrives as a surprise.
No setup fee. Free integration setup. Stock booked in within 48 hours.
Get my quote See the full rate cardThe two real objections
Why switching feels risky, and what we do about it
Two things stop sellers moving: fear of downtime, and fear of the bill that appears once you have said yes. Onboarding is built around removing both.
On downtime: we run a phased cutover. Your channels are connected and your stock is received and counted before dispatch moves across, so there is never a window where orders sit unshipped between two providers. You pick the moment the switch happens.
On cost: there is no setup or onboarding fee, and connecting your sales channels is free. Everything you will pay is on the published rate card, and you have your price per order in writing before a single carton leaves your address.
The plan
Your 14-day timeline, step by step
Days 1 to 2: kick-off and rate card
We agree your quote and rate card, assign your named contact, and map your SKUs, product dimensions and packaging preferences. You know your price per order before anything ships.
Days 3 to 5: we connect your channels
We build the connections to Shopify, Amazon, eBay, Etsy and TikTok Shop for you, free. Orders start flowing into our system in test mode so we can confirm every SKU maps correctly before go-live rather than after it.
Days 6 to 10: send us your stock
You ship cartons or pallets to our Rochdale warehouse by courier. Book the delivery in with us before it travels: an unannounced pallet arrives with no paperwork attached and sits in goods-in instead of going to a shelf. We inspect, count and book everything into stock within 48 hours of arrival, and you see it in your dashboard.
Days 11 to 13: test dispatch and sign-off
We run test orders end to end: pick, pack, label, and tracking pushed back to your store. You sign off that the packaging and presentation are what you want before a real customer sees them.
Day 14: go live
We switch you on. Orders in before our 5pm cut-off dispatch the same working day, your customers get tracking automatically, and you stop touching labels.
The 14 days assume your stock reaches us in the window above. Everything on our side is ready before it arrives, so the timeline moves if your inbound does. If your catalogue needs work first, we will tell you during kick-off rather than halfway through. Our 3PL onboarding checklist covers what to have ready, and it is written to be used against any provider, not just us.
Cost
What onboarding costs you
Setup and onboarding fee: £0. We do not charge to bring you on board, at any volume.
Integration setup: free. We build the technical connection rather than handing you documentation.
Booking your stock in: within 48 hours of arrival, included.
Contract: rolling monthly, 30 days' notice, no exit fee. If you leave, your stock comes back at the published goods-out rates on the rate card.
That is worth comparing against the pattern at larger fulfilment houses, where an onboarding fee, a twelve-month commitment and several working days to book stock in are all common. We are not going to quote you a competitor's number we cannot evidence. Ask any provider you are considering for those three figures in writing, ours included, and compare what comes back.
Coming from another 3PL
Switching from another fulfilment provider
We move you across in parallel rather than in one jump. Your channels are connected and your stock transfer is received here while your current provider is still shipping, then dispatch switches over once test orders have passed. You choose the cutover moment, so there is no gap where orders sit unshipped between two warehouses.
Two practical points worth raising with your current provider before you start: what their notice period is, and what they charge to hand your stock back. Both are usually in the contract you signed and both are easier to deal with in week one than in week three.
Coming from your spare room
Moving from packing at home
If you are packing 100 or more orders a month from the kitchen table, this is the jump Angler was built for. You courier your stock to us once, we book it in, and from go-live you do not pack another order. There is no minimum volume and no monthly commitment, so the decision is reversible if it turns out you were not ready.
Questions sellers ask before switching
Onboarding, answered straight
How long does onboarding really take?
Our onboarding plan runs to 14 days from kick-off to go-live. The variable is how quickly your stock reaches us: everything on our side is ready before it arrives, so if your inbound slips, the go-live date moves with it. You get the plan in writing with dates on it, not a vague promise.
Is there a setup or onboarding fee?
No. Onboarding is free and so is connecting your sales channels. You pay per order and for the services you actually use, on the published rate card.
Will my orders stop while I switch?
No. We run a phased cutover: channels connected and stock received and counted before dispatch moves across. You choose when the switch happens, so orders keep flowing throughout.
Do I have to connect the integrations myself?
No. We build the Shopify, Amazon, eBay, Etsy and TikTok Shop connections for you, free, during onboarding. There is more detail on how they work on our platform integrations page.
Am I tied into a contract afterwards?
No. Billing is rolling monthly with 30 days' notice and no exit fee. If you leave, your stock is handed back at the published goods-out rates.
How fast is my stock ready to sell?
We inspect, count and book goods into stock within 48 hours of arrival at the warehouse, and it appears in your dashboard as it is booked. Booking your delivery in with us in advance is what keeps that to 48 hours.
Start onboarding
Send us your volumes, your channels and what you sell. An itemised quote comes back within one working day, and a written onboarding plan with it.
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