How to find your total fulfillment partner

What to think about and ask

Finding a fulfillment partner is a complex, high-stakes choice you'll probably make a few times in your career. It's something Dotcom deals with every day because we are always talking with our clients about what they want and how we can make it better.

Here are some of the best questions prospective clients have asked us over the years, plus a few we think it would be smart to add.

Common questions

Where are you located?: Heart of the northeast. More

How big is the facility?: 300,000 sf (6 football fields) under 40' ceilings. More

Who are your clients?: Fashion, beauty, and electronics brands including Kenneth Cole, Think Geek, Sirius, Bliss. More

Other questions you should explore with any fulfillment vendor on your list.

Is top management on site?: If not, where are they? Yes, Dotcom's senior staff offices are in the facility, where we can keep an eye on every detail every day. More

Who is the top person I can reach at 2 am if I have an emergency?: You'll have cell access to senior staff. More

What is your accuracy rate, and how do you calculate it?: Over 99% ontime shipping and error-free.

What is the cutoff time for same-day shipping?: 2 pm. Orders received later are shipped next day. Our contract with UPS provides for Sunday processing, so Saturday orders can arrive as early as Monday.

What is your shrinkage rate?: Almost unmeasurably miniscule. Layers of security including RF monitoring keep your inventory present and accounted for. More

What kind of reporting is available?: Dotcom's many standard reports include orders, shipping, and receipts, by day, month, quarter and year. You can also have custom reports produced. More

How secure are your IT systems? What if they go down?: Dotcom's systems include redundancy, backups, encryption and firewalls. They are tested on a regular basis. More

How long have you been in business? What is your background with fulfillment?: Dotcom was established in 1999, especially to deliver for the new internet world. Our senior managers have been in the business for over 30 years. More

Can you negotiate shipping discounts for me?: Yes. Our clients enjoy discounts based on our total shipping volume. More

What is your package size "sweet spot"?: Up to about a 2 x 2 foot box.

In the heart of the northeast, Dotcom is just 1-2 days ground from over half your customers, and near major transportation hubs by land, sea and air.

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