ShipBob vs Red Stag Fulfillment Comparison: Pricing & Features

There’s no onboarding fee required to start using Red Stag, and your account representative will assist you with stock migration, platform integration, and account setup.

ShipBob’s Growth Plan, which aims to be a cheaper option geared toward startups, also offers free onboarding—but many of the tasks involved in the process must be handled by the seller independently.

ShipBob’s full implementation package costs $975 and employs a dedicated implementation specialist who even stays with you for 30 days after going live. This option is less affordable but can create a more hands-off experience and help avoid bumps in the road.

Both ShipBob and Red Stag charge for receiving, whereas some of their biggest competitors, such as ShipMonk and FBA, perform receiving for free.

ShipBob and Red Stag both offer full-service receiving, but the two companies charge for it differently as ShipBob charges per hour of labor while Red Stag charges per pallet.

ShipBob’s storage costs are higher than many competitors (including Red Stag). That said, it uses a storage-optimization service that regularly evaluates and improves the efficiency of how goods are stored, helping to keep usage down.

Red Stag’s storage costs are much lower than ShipBob’s, which helps make the service affordable for large products. However, products that sit in Red Stag’s warehouses for longer than 180 days incur an additional long-term storage fee.

ShipBob charges $40 per pallet/month for storage, along with smaller bin and shelf options. If a pallet averages 31.1 cubic feet of space, this evens out to a cost of about $1.29 per cubic foot. Red Stag charges 75 cents per cubic foot.

ShipBob charges one variable fulfillment fee for each order, which includes pick and pack (up to four items), basic packaging materials, and shipping costs. Meanwhile, Red Stag charges for each of these cost centers individually. Both companies offer volume discounts.

Red Stag’s pick-and-pack fees are pretty steep, which reflects the company’s focus on special handling. However, ShipBob’s fulfillment fees are custom-quoted, so it’s difficult to directly compare.

Red Stag charges a Small Package Fee of $1 for parcels that weigh less than 16 ounces. This cost would add up fast for sellers dealing in small, lightweight goods with low-to-moderate margins, making ShipBob a less expensive choice in these scenarios.

Both companies provide similar discounts for major shipping carriers, although ShipBob delivers consistently more aggressive two-day rates.

ShipBob reports high levels of accuracy but does not offer a 100% guarantee like Red Stag. The company uses sophisticated in-house technology throughout its packing and shipping workflows to achieve 99.96% of orders shipping on time and a 99.95% accuracy rate. It also promises to complete inbound inventory receiving within five days of arrival.

It’s worth noting that ShipBob receives a large number of negative reviews citing frequent processing delays and order errors, which don’t align with the company’s reported accuracy rates.

ShipBob clients have the flexibility to choose from multiple fulfillment centers within the company’s network of 35 locations, enabling strategic placement of inventory close to their customer base. This results in low shipping costs and fast delivery times.

Additionally, merchants can use any of the company’s global warehouses to provide their target foreign markets with fast and affordable shipping through local fulfillment.

ShipBob operates fulfillment centers in the following non-US regions:

• Melbourne, Australia
• Sydney, Australia
• Toronto, Canada
• Western Poland
• Manchester, UK
• Birmingham, UK
• Swindon, UK
• Dublin, Ireland

ShipBob enables users to offer two-day shipping across the US using just one of its fulfillment centers. The company partners with nine US carriers and also facilitates cross-border international shipping. Additionally, ShipBob provides DDP (Delivered Duty Paid) shipping services for international orders, ensuring transparent costs for shipping, tax, and duties at checkout, which can avoid unexpected fees upon delivery.

ShipBob has a larger number of prebuilt native integrations than Red Stag. This is especially helpful for sellers wishing to branch out into additional marketplaces:

• Ecommerce platforms and marketplaces: Shopify, Shopify Plus, Amazon, BigCommerce, eBay, Magento, Squarespace, Square, Walmart, Wix, WooCommerce, and NetSuite
• Operations, inventory and order management: Brightpearl, Brij, ChannelApe, Cin7, Cogsy, Cymbio, Fulfil.io, Inventory Planner, Linnworks, Logicbroker, Order Desk, PackageBee, Shypyard, Skubana, SPS Commerce, and Zentail
• Returns management platforms: Happy Returns, Loop Returns, and Returnly
• Freight and shipping solutions: DHL, FedEx, UPS, USPS, AfterShip, Anvyl, Echo Global Logistics, EasyPost, FlavorCloud, Flexport, Freightos, Route, Rush, Shippo, and ShipStation
• Ecommerce marketing, customer relationship management (CRM) and customer support: CartHook, CheckoutChamp, EcoCart, Gorgias, Klaviyo, Octane AI, Okendo, Omnisend, Ordergroove, PageFly, Privy, Quartile, Recharge, Rise.ai, Sezzle, Shop Circle, Simplr, Skio, Smartrr, TalentPop, Tydo, Zaius, and Zip
• Custom packaging and design solutions: Arka, Noissue, Packhelp, and Packlane
• Branding, marketing and web development agencies: adQuadrant, Blanka, BVACCEL, eHouse Studio, Envoy, Eventige, Hawke Media, Priceless Consulting, The Stable, MuteSix, ROI Revolution, and SeaMonster Studios
• Accounting, tax, and financing: Avalara, Avask, Bookkeeper360, Canusa Logistics, Clearco, DSP Insurance Services, Firstbase.io, Go Global Ecommerce, Kickfurther, Mercury, OFX, Rho, SimplyVAT, TaxJar, and ZonKeepers

Red Stag offers a 100% guarantee for on-time fulfillment, as well as the most aggressive same-day fulfillment cutoff time in the industry (5 p.m. local time on the same day).

The company has a 0.02% error rate—meaning just one out of every 5,000 orders they fulfill experiences a mistake. On top of that, Red Stag offers a 100% accuracy guarantee: If an order is shipped with the wrong item or quantity, the company will fix the mistake for free, comp the shipment for you, and pay you $50 for the inconvenience.

Red Stag’s inbound order receiving has a 48-hour guarantee, which is much speedier than ShipBob.

Red Stag has just three warehouses in two general locations (Memphis, Tennessee, and Salt Lake City). While it achieves two-day ground shipping to 96% of US addresses, it’s not ideal for distribution or expansion.

The company plans to open future fulfillment centers in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and Los Angeles.

Unlike ShipBob, Red Stag doesn’t have any non-US fulfillment centers to achieve local international fulfillment.

Red Stag works with five US shipping carriers to achieve two-day shipping. International orders can be sent using cross-border shipping to non-US addresses but, unlike ShipBob, DDP services are not available.

Red Stag offers fewer integrations than ShipBob, but all come with plug-and-play connectivity that requires no technical skill to use. The company also offers application programming interface (API) capabilities for custom integrations with new platforms:

• Ecommerce platforms, marketplaces, and shopping carts: 1ShoppingCart, 3dcart, Adobe Business Catalyst, Amazon, BigCommerce, Buy.com (Rakuten), Choxi, Ecwid, FoxyCart, Goodsie, Linio, Magento, Newegg, Nexternal, OpenCart, Overstock, PrestaShop, Sears, Shopify, UltraCart, Volusion, Wayfair, Weebly, WooCommerce, Yahoo Stores, and eBay
• Freight, shipping, and supply chain solutions: CommerceHub, ReadyShipper, ShipStation, and SPS Commerce
• Multichannel software: Brightpearl, Channel Advisor, Linnworks, Monsoon, Solid Commerce, and TradeGecko
• Operations, inventory, and order management: Hybris, OrderMotion, osCommerce, and Spree Commerce
• Payments, accounting, tax, and financing: Celery, NetSuite, PayPal, and QuickBooks
• Marketing and CRM: Brandboom, ClickBank, Keap (InfusionSoft), and Salesforce (Demandware)

ShipBob delivers sophisticated fulfillment software packed with easy-to-use features as well as a wide range of integrations.

Its fulfillment software can generate reports on peak fulfillment times, promotional impact, expense breakdowns, revenue from orders shipped by day, sales by channel, forecasted demand, sales and quantity of orders by zone, and much more.

In addition to helping you track your stats, it maintains up-to-date reports on the company’s own performance and that of major shipping carriers for accountability and market research purposes.

ShipBob gives its customers itemized invoices on its easy-to-use billing portal, making them generally easier to manage. However, ShipBob users have reported experiencing hidden charges and overcharges.

ShipBob has the makings of a high-powered customer service setup. Its support hours are much better than that of Red Stag, and the average response time reported by the company is incredibly fast.

But many ShipBob users report poor issue resolution from the provider’s client support team. Reviews sometimes mention that customer service is partially outsourced and communicating with ShipBob’s hired call center (reportedly in India) is often difficult.

Red Stag’s multipurpose fulfillment software is mobile-friendly and all information is updated in real time. But users criticize the software for being unintuitive and less user-friendly than they would like. It’s sometimes described as being too data-forward, with an interface that prioritizes function over form.

You can use Red Stag’s cloud-based dashboard for insights into demand forecasting, inventory planning, shipping stats, and upstream production.

Unlike ShipBob, Red Stag only provides itemized invoices upon request. Moreover, the act of preparing itemized invoices is charged at a “special projects” rate.

The company has a “No Hidden Fees” guarantee and a clear pricing structure, helping make this barrier less inconvenient. From what we can see, no Red Stag users have reported experiencing hidden fees or being overcharged by the company.

Red Stag pairs each account with its own dedicated customer service rep. This allows the employee to get to know your business, inventory, staff, and customers, which encourages smoother interactions.

Red Stag’s customer support is only available during regular business hours only. That said, user reviews commend Red Stag for its impressive customer service team, and so far there isn’t a single criticism of Red Stag’s customer support in any published review.

The more expensive option depends on your business’ needs. Red Stag is more cost-effective for large, oversized, and fragile items while ShipBob is better for smaller and more manageable goods. Red Stag charges more for pick-and-pack services because the company prioritizes special handling. Meanwhile, ShipBob charges higher storage fees.

ShipBob and Red Stag are third-party order fulfillment providers that manage storage, order processing, and shipping for retail businesses. Their process involves receiving and sorting inventory at the fulfillment center, storing it, processing customer orders, picking, packing, shipping each order, and handling customer returns.

ShipBob offers third-party fulfillment with a tech-driven, enterprise-level infrastructure suitable for all business sizes, boasting a global warehouse network and various programs for importers, dropshipping, and independent warehouses. In contrast, Red Stag, a smaller company, focuses on personalized customer experiences with a 100% accuracy guarantee and specializes in handling high-value, hazardous, or oversized merchandise.