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The SHIPMAX blog.

Practical, opinionated notes on fulfilment, shipping and scaling, from the team behind the Lead Exchange.

EU flag backdrop with a checklist of demand, margins, duties, cashflow and 3PL readiness beside a stack of parcels, headlined 'Do this first'.
cross-borderEU expansion

Don't Open an EU Warehouse Yet. Do This First.

Most brands expanding into the EU jump straight to renting local warehouse space. Here's the cheaper, faster first move most of them skip, and how to tell when you've actually outgrown it.

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A returned parcel next to a receipt showing a £50 order, £20.10 in costs, and £29.90 profit left, headlined 'Returns are killing your profit'.
returnsreverse logistics

The Real Cost of Returns (and How to Stop Them Eating Your Margin)

UK ecommerce returns are worth billions a year and most brands still treat returns handling as an afterthought when picking a 3PL. Here's what's actually going on, and what good returns handling looks like.

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Split warehouse graphic contrasting Amazon FBA fulfilment on one side and a 3PL warehouse on the other, headlined 'FBA vs 3PL: which one actually suits your brand?'.
Amazon FBAmarketplace fulfilment

FBA vs 3PL: Which One Actually Suits Your Brand?

Amazon FBA and a dedicated 3PL solve different problems. Here's how to actually decide which one fits your brand, including the hybrid setup most growing multi-channel sellers end up running.

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A simple 3PL rate card totalling £4.20 next to a torn-open bill of hidden costs totalling £1,842.63, headlined 'Read this or pay more'.
3PLpricing

How to Read a 3PL Rate Card (Without Getting Stung on the Invoice)

3PL quotes look simple until month three. Here's how to compare rate cards on true cost per order, not the headline pick fee, so the 'cheap' option doesn't end up the expensive one.

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Bold graphic reading Ecommerce Acronyms Explained, with a parcel in a shopping cart surrounded by glowing tags for acronyms like CAC, AOV, LTV, ROAS and SKU.
3PLFulfilment

LINGO BUSTERS: The Ecommerce and Supply Chain Acronyms Worth Actually Knowing

The plain-English cheat sheet to ecommerce and supply chain acronyms, from 3PL and SKU to IOSS, DDP and COGS. What each one means, and why you'd care.

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US tariffs graphic: shipping containers, a rising red arrow and a 50% tariff tag
Shipping3PL

The last US parcel loophole just closed. Here's what it means for your fulfilment.

As of today, US-bound parcels moving through the postal network lose their duty exemption. Every parcel becomes a formal customs entry. Here's what changes, and the fix.

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