Canada Fulfillment Services for Brands Inside Canada (And Shipping there)

Whether your company is in Canada or you'd like to ship to Canadian customers, it's important to find a Canada-focused fulfillment service that provides fast shipping, high-quality storage environments, and affordable rates. The goal of this article is to identify fulfillment services with a solid presence inside Canada. That means warehouses in Canada, or at least fulfillment centers on the American border. The ideal situation is to find a fulfillment service with both US and Canada locations, so you can split up your inventory and skip tedious customs processes for every order.

The best Canada fulfillment services offer US and Canadian warehouses so that it doesn't matter where your online business is headquartered. Are you in Chicago? That doesn't matter because a quality fulfillment service stores products in both the US and Canada for all of your customers. We can say the same for online stores in Canada. It's natural that Canadian companies have US and Canadian customers, so why not cater to both?

We've done the research for you. There are plenty of fulfillment companies out there, but it's important to locate the absolute best Canada fulfillment services to ensure rapid shipping options, lower storage fees, and integrations for expediting the entire fulfillment process.

Keep reading to learn about our favorite Canadian fulfillment brands and why they make the top list. We cover everything from pricing to locations, and services to software features.

Best Canada Fulfillment Services

We encourage you to start your search at the top of this list and move through it in order. This way, you explore the benefits of each one, visit their websites, and get a feel for what each Canadian fulfillment service offers.

1. ShipBob: The Best Canada Fulfillment Service

ShipBob makes the top of our list for several reasons. First, it's an international third-party logistics company with fulfillment centers across the world. From Canada to the US, and Europe to Australia, there are no limits to where you store and ship products. They also have a powerful presence in Canada with a bustling warehouse in Ottawa, Canada, and another fulfillment center in the Greater Toronto Area planned, along with a handful of northern US facilities that also cater to Canadian provinces. Overall, ShipBob makes shipping to and from Canada painless, cutting out the need for constant customs forms, fees, and hold-ups. It all works by deciding to place some or all of your inventory in the Ottawa location (and if you want, in other warehouses across the globe). 

With an automated inventory software that integrates with your online store, and optimized shipping routes, you avoid some of the pain points that come when shipping orders. Postage, fees, and delivery timelines all get simplified; you get to use the proprietary ShipBob software to monitor your shipments, understand where products go, and distribute inventory to specific warehouses.

And ShipBob walks you through the entire onboarding process, launches the inventory management software for you, and completes a receiving process for seamlessly transferring products to their possession. After that, all orders automatically go to ShipBob, where they pick, package, and ship orders directly to your customers—with custom packages and promotional inserts if you want. From an ecommerce perspective, ShipBob is one of the best Canada fulfillment services in the industry today for domestic Canadian orders, so we suggest checking them out prior to any other service.

Advantages

• ShipBob has warehouses and shipping centers in Canada and across the globe, allowing for you to store products in one or many countries and get them to customers fast. 
• They connect to your online store to import products on demand. The ShipBob dashboard comes with your partnership for syncing any type of online shop tool like Shopify, Bigcommerce, or WooCommerce.
• You're able to store products in multiple fulfillment centers and distribute them with data-driven insights based on past sales. ShipBob provides data on where to send inventory, cutting out most of the work for you.
• ShipBob ships out products from the nearest fulfillment center to your customer.
• They offer fast shipping, along with discounts from all the major mail carriers.
• You can sign up for standard ecommerce fulfillment or opt for something unique like B2B shipping, subscription fulfillment, kitting, or customization like creating using custom branded boxes, mailers, and inserts.
• The free fulfillment software gives you powerful analytics and reports for understanding your supply chain, giving you a competitive advantage, and clarifying the movement of your products.
• The software integrates with other types of business tools like Square, ShipStation, and Happy Returns. There's a long list of integration partners in multiple spaces, like freight, accounting, branding, marketing, and packaging.
• You get to take advantage of international fulfillment locations in the UK, EU, and Australia, along with the one in Canada and many across all regions in the US.
• ShipBob's end-to-end customer experience system allows you to offer returns to customers, while also controlling the unboxing experience with custom packaging. All shipments and returns get tracked, and the tracking number sent to the customer.

Fees

Most fulfillment services don't have pricing listed on their websites. ShipBob takes a different approach. Although it's impossible to get an exact price for your fulfillment services online, ShipBob details its standard storage, fulfillment, and shipping fees to give you a better idea of what you may have to spend in the future. They call these their “core costs,” covering everything from storage to shipping and standard packaging. They even have a pricing calculator to get an idea of what potential costs might be, which build in picking and packing costs. Either way you must still contact a fulfillment representative from ShipBob to customize your plan and get exact rates.

Here are the core costs as outlined on the ShipBob website (all in USD):

• Receiving costs: There's a flat rate of $25 for the initial two hours of receiving. After the first two hours, you must pay a $40 per man hour fee.
• Storage costs: All storage fees from ShipBob get figured by the storage units used. For instance, a pallet costs $40 per month. A shelf costs $10 per month. A bin costs $5 per month.
• Picking and packing fees: You receive four free picks per order. A fee of $0.20 per pick (after the fifth pick in an order) gets tagged onto the cost.
• Standard packaging materials: Free for all basic packaging materials like regular dunnage, mailers, tape, and boxes. Custom orders have a fee.
• Shipping fees: It all varies based on the shipping carrier, destination, dimensions of the package, and weight. This primarily depends on the shipping carrier and their fees, but it's nice that ShipBob offers discounted rates for all the major carriers like USPS, UPS, Canada Post, and FedEx.

2. Shopify Fulfillment

The Shopify Fulfillment Network comes in handy for all current and future Shopify platform customers. Essentially, it allows you to combine your ecommerce platform (the thing you use to present products, make sales, and advertise) with the fulfillment service. Initially, the Shopify Fulfillment Network only allowed US brands. Yet it has now opened up to all US and Canadian businesses. That means all US and Canada-based companies can avoid consistent customs, fees, and postage on all of their orders. Instead, you simply send large shipments of your products across the border. When a Canadian customer purchases a product, it gets shipped out from the Canadian warehouse; it's no different in the US.

The network keeps growing, but as of right now, merchants gain access to fulfillment centers and warehouses in Ottawa, Ontario, along with close to ten locations in the US: California, Georgia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Texas, and more. That means you can offer speedy shipping to all the US states and Canadian provinces. The only restrictions are that you must ship a minimum of three orders per day, and it's not allowed to sell regulated or perishable products; Shopify keeps a list of regulated products to ensure you don't break the rules.

From a partnership perspective, the Shopify Fulfillment Network makes life easier for your entire business. You can maintain accurate inventory levels and track where everything goes; it's possible to remain close to customers and offer 1-2 day shipping options; and you manage every aspect of your business from one dashboard. Not only that, but The Shopify Fulfillment Network provides support for flexible exchanges and returns. Customers simply print out a prepaid mailing slip and send the items back to the nearest warehouse. That way, you don't need to store a bunch of returns in your office.

Advantages

• Shopify provides a complete inventory and order management software for you to take full control of your fulfillment operation, link to your online store, and guarantee fast deliveries. It's also ideal for keeping an eye on where your products go and in which warehouses you want to place them.
• You get 2-day shipping options to put on your website.
• All Shopify essentials get stored on one dashboard instead of having to switch from your online store to the fulfillment software. The invoices also get merged into one page.
• You receive real-time updates about all movements within the supply chain. Customers also get a tracking email whenever they purchase an item.
• Automated inventory SKUs tell you whenever the Shopify fulfillment centers run low on items.
• Shopify offers bundling services if you either need to sell a subscription box or assemble a product before sending it out.
• You can place SKU-specific rules on products that require special handling.
• You own all customer data, regardless of the sales channel in which they come in from. This allows you to export the data and maintain complete control over it.
• Connect to as many sales channels as you want and have products in the US or Canada fulfilled, regardless of which channel makes the sale.
• Shopify offers fulfillment for some special situations like subscriptions, B2B wholesale, and flash sales.
• You can tap into automated distribution tools to send products to Canada or the US warehouses based on their needs.
• Reporting and analytics come in handy to see where replenishments are needed in inventory. They also offer smart replenishments based on seasons, holidays, or sales.
• There are no contracts, so merchants can opt out of the Shopify Fulfillment Network whenever they want.
• You receive dedicated customer support through phone or email, allowing you to get in touch with someone if you need to talk about a shipment, locate a product, or if you have questions about the process in general.

Fees

There's no way to get an accurate read on what you'll pay with the Shopify Fulfillment Network prior to going through the application process and speaking with a customer support rep. We will say that Shopify is less flexible when it comes to special fulfillment needs, like you would find with ShipBob. So, they may not offer fulfillment of things like perishable products, crowdfunding projects, or even complicated kitting jobs.

Your best bet is to walk through the application process to see if you're even able to use the Shopify Fulfillment Network. After that, explore your customization options with a client support representative to get a clearer picture of what it'll cost your business. Overall, Shopify states that all pricing is based on fulfillment rates, storage, and special projects.

3. ShipHype

ShipHype boasts a substantial number of features with its US to Canada and Canada to US fulfillment service. The company specializes in storing inventory in either country, helping brands reach both countries at one time, all without spending too much time or money on customs, fees, or postage. They offer standard ecommerce fulfillment along with FBA (Fulfilled By Amazon) preparation. All of this comes together through its partnerships with Canada Post, UPS, and USPS.

ShipHype offers an online software for managing inventory, returns, and shipping. That software integrates directly with your ecommerce platform, seeing as how they have integrations for Shopify, WooCommerce, Magento, Bigcommerce, and any platforms through the ShipHype API. Not only that, but you can tap into multi-channel selling, while still fulfilling products through ShipHype, all with help from integrations like eBay, Amazon, Walmart, and Etsy. They require no contracts to partner with ShipHype, and they offer discounted rates for all major mail carriers. You simply send all of your products to the Canadian and US warehouses, then ShipHype picks, packs, and ships the orders when they come through. They state that you can save up to 76% on shipping because of their partnerships.

Some of the special fulfillment options include FBA prep, subscription box fulfillment, and B2B fulfillment, all offered for the US and Canada. It's definitely one of the best Canada fulfillment services because of its competitive shipping rates in Canada, a calculator for seeing those rates to and from Canada, and the fact that they have two fulfillment centers in Canada, which is more than most of the other services on this list. The locations are in Vancouver and Toronto, allowing you to reach most of the country with 2-day shipping. As for the US, ShipHype owns a few centers in Los Angeles and another in New Jersey, making it one of the top Canada fulfillment services.

Advantages

• ShipHype provides access to two shipping centers in Toronto, along with another in Vancouver. That pairs well with the two they have in Los Angeles and the other in New Jersey.
• The world-class support involves onboarding, a dedicated representative, continuous improvements, and a full knowledgebase.
• You can opt for standard ecommerce fulfillment or use ShipHype for FBA prep, kitting services, subscriptions, or B2B orders.
• Storage options include pallets, bins, and shelves, all of which have affordable pricing.
• They're known for their accuracy in picking and fulling orders with 99% accuracy.
• They display full reports about every order with information about picking, packing, holds, shipments, and pending orders. You can also explore charts to see weekly, monthly, and yearly orders fulfilled by ShipHype.
• The ShipHype fulfillment software provides information about products, returns, orders, customers, and even an area to make special requests at the warehouses.
• You're able to offer 1-day and 2-day shipping to many of your customers. This all depends on the destination, but it appears that Canadian and US customers almost always have those options. They also provided international shipping, along with the standard shipping options from all the major carriers.
• There are a few value-added services to opt into, like kitting, labeling, and inspecting.

Fees

The pricing to fulfill through ShipHype varies based on the type of fulfillment you choose. For example, ecommerce fulfillment is completely different from B2B fulfillment. We can say the same for subscription boxes and Amazon FBA prep.

With all pricing, ShipHype provides estimates for what to expect on its websites. You can check out things like general receiving fees, prices for shipping, and packaging costs. However, it's essential to contact ShipHype once you want a more accurate quote for your business, especially if you have custom requests.

Here are the general prices for ecommerce fulfillment:

• Receiving: Free for the first two hours. $40 per hour after that.
• Storage fees: $40 per month for every pallet, and $30 per month for every pallet after you use over 50 pallets. It's $15 per month for every shelf, and $5 per month for every bin. The website states information about the storage procedures and dimensions.
• Picking and packing fees: It's $2.50 to pick and pack the first item in every order. That pricing is for 0-999 orders per month. You must get a custom quote if you want to go over that. All extra picks (past the first item) in an order cost $0.50 per item.
• Packaging materials: Standard packaging materials like dunnage, tape, mailers, and boxes are all free when you pay for picking and packing.
• Shipping rates: These depend on the shipping carrier, dimensions of the package, weight, and destination. ShipHype offers a shipping rate calculator if you need more specifics.

Additioonal fees:

• Monthly fee: It's $99 per month for running an account, receiving support, and using the ShipHype software.
• Sign up fee: $500, which gets counted towards the first invoices that come in.
• Integrations: All integrations for sales channels and ecommerce platforms are free.
• Unique packaging materials: Items like poly mailers, corrugated boxes, and bubble mailers are free.
• Custom packaging: All branded items cost $0.50 to build and insert.
• Returns: Returns handling costs $3 per return and $40 per hour for handling.
• Kitting: $40 per hour to complete custom kits.
• All extra services: It's clear that ShipHype sticks to a fee of $40 per hour whenever you need something outside of the standard fulfillment services.

4. eShipper

The eShipper fulfillment network offers special options for things like white glove shipping, crowdfunding fulfillment, and courier solutions from Canada and to Canada. You get instant quotes from multiple carriers with the eShipper software. After that, you can print out labels and ship from your own locations with tracking. Or, eShipper provides standard ecommerce fulfillment services where you store products in their warehouses and have them fulfilled when needed. The hassle-free integrations include options like Magento, PrestaShop. Shopify, and WooCommerce.

eShipper handles returns, gives merchants special carrier rates, and processes all orders in its network of fulfillment centers in the US and Canada. With international shipping, 2-day shipping options, and a robust inventory management system, it looks like one of the best Canada fulfillment services for getting products to customers efficiently.

Advantages

• You gain access to an automated fulfillment system spread across dozens of centers in the US and Canada, as well as some options internationally.
• You can ship for special projects and operations like crowdfunding, Amazon FBA, Amazon FMA, next flight out, white glove, and courier shipping.
• They offer integrations with the main ecommerce platforms as well as multiple channels like Walmart, Amazon, and eBay.
• You manage all inventory across all channels on one beautiful dashboard.
• The shipping costs decrease by up to 70% with the many carrier partnerships.
• Each merchant receives a dedicated account manager and 24/7 customer support.
• You can use branded shipping labels or even print out your own labels.
• Use canned responses for customers and offer free returns.
• eShipper has an advanced 4D boxing algorithm that offers one of the most economical methods for packaging orders based on SKUs.

Fees

You must contact eShipper to get an instant quote.

Which of the Top Canada Fulfillment Services is Right for You?

We like ShipBob for its network in Canada and the US, along with its low pricing and beautiful dashboard. Shopify makes the most sense if you already use Shopify and plan to ship to or from Canada. ShipHype actually has the best fulfillment network in Canada, but the pricing may get a little high for some companies. eShipper works well for unique fulfillment situations like next flight out, crowdfunding, courier shipping, and white glove shipping from Canada to US or vice versa.

If you have any questions about the best Canada fulfillment services, let us know in the comments section below. Also, share your thoughts on these services if you have experience with them in the past.