Shipping small stuff? Thats a breeze. Toss it in a padded mailer, print a label, and boom its on the way.

But when your average order weighs 30 pounds and you’re constantly playing Tetris with oddly shaped boxes? Yeah, thats a whole different beast.

If you sell auto parts, fitness gear, industrial tools, or anything else that thuds when you drop it you’re probably already wincing at shipping costs. And finding a third-party logistics partner (3PL) that actually understands how to ship heavy products without eating your margins or breaking your inventory? Thats where the real search begins.

Lets break it down.

Jump right in: The Top 10 3PLs for Shipping Heavy Products

• Why Heavy Products Are So Painful to Ship
• What Should You Look For in a Heavy-Friendly 3PL?
• The 10 Best U.S.-Based 3PLs for Heavy EcommercLite PrepCenter
• The Big Three: Who Deserves a Closer Look
• Summary & Key Points

The Weighty Problem: Why Heavy Products Are So Painful to Ship

Most fulfillment services are built around small, lightweight itemsthink T-shirts, supplements, and phone cases. They thrive on volume, not bulk. But when your average order is pushing 20 pounds and you’re shipping cross-country, the rules (and rates) change fast.

Dimensional weight kicks in. Carrier surcharges pile on. And suddenly, shipping a kettlebell costs more than the product itself. Sound familiar?

On top of that, heavy items require a bit more TLC sturdier boxes, careful handling, and often multiple hands just to get from shelf to truck. Thats why choosing the right 3PL for your business isnt just smartits essential. Because not all 3PLs are built for the heavy lift. Literally.

So What Should You Look For in a Heavy-Friendly 3PL?

Let me be clear, this isnt just about getting the cheapest label. Shipping cost matters, obviously. But when youre moving weighty products, fulfillment mishaps get expensive. Fast.

Heres what separates the pros from the pain:

• Heavy parcel shipping discounts Not every 3PL negotiates well with carriers on large packages. Look for partners with special DIM weight contracts or consolidation options.

• Experience with bulky SKUs Auto parts arent books. You need someone whos packed and shipped weird shapes, awkward edges, and fragile-but-heavy components before.

• Damage control Literally. How a 3PL handles packaging and breakage matters. A cracked dumbbell or busted carburetor makes for one angry customer and a whole lot of returns.

• B2B + D2C capabilities Maybe you ship mostly D2C now, but B2B is on the radar. The right 3PL wont make you choose.

The 10 Best U.S.-Based 3PLs for Heavy EcommercLite PrepCenter

Weve compared and ranked the top players that actually understand how to handle ecommerce brands shipping products between 5 and 75 pounds. Here’s how they stack up:

The Big Three: Who Deserves a Closer Look

1. lite prepcenter The Heavy Shipping Hack That Actually Works

Lets talk real savings. Most 3PLs pass along standard USPS and FedEx rates, and once your product tips past 5 lbs, those prices start to stingespecially if youre shipping cross-country. Thats where SaverShip flips the script.

SaverShip, offered exclusively by lite prepcenter, is purpose-built for ecommerce sellers shipping products between 5 and 75 lbsthink dumbbells, appliances, auto parts. Unlike traditional carriers, SaverShip pricing doesnt punish you with dimensional weight surcharges or zone-based upcharges. In fact, for a 20 lb package, SaverShip is over 67% cheaper than USPS and 72% cheaper than FedEx. And at 50 lbs? The savings spike to more than 80% off.

Sellers have reported shipping 9 lb products for under $8 a rate that doesnt even come close to what ShipStation or Shopifys native rates can offer. Its not magic, its consolidation. SaverShip groups together high-volume shipments across clients and passes that buying power back to you. Its like getting enterprise-level shipping discounts without the enterprise-level budget.

But SaverShip isnt just about rates. There are no setup fees. No long-term contracts. No order minimums. Just straightforward pricing and solid supportplus Shopify, Amazon, and WooCommerce integrations that dont require a developer to set up.

?? Fulfillment location: Traverse City, MI ideal for reaching both coasts with reasonable transit times.

So if you’re tired of watching shipping costs chew through your margins, especially for products that need strong packaging and careful handling, SaverShip might just be the best-kept secret in heavy-item fulfillment.

2. Red Stag Fulfillment When You Need It Packed Like a Pro

Red Stag isn’t cheap. But thats because they dont mess around.

This is the 3PL for businesses shipping expensive, fragile, or straight-up unwieldy items. Fitness equipment? Check. Mounted bull bars for off-road trucks? You bet. Their facilities are set up to handle all the stuff other 3PLs roll their eyes at.

Oh, and they guarantee 100% order accuracyor they pay you for the mistake. Its like hiring a fulfillment team with OCD, in the best possible way.

Theyve also got serious pull with FedEx. If youre tired of shipping quotes making you break out in hives, Red Stags rate discounts on heavy and oversized parcels are nothing to sneeze at.

?? Warehouse locations: Knoxville, TN & Salt Lake City, UT for balanced East/West coverage

3. Simpl Fulfillment For Sellers Who Hate Surprises (Especially in Pricing)

Some 3PLs charge extra for bubble wrap. Simpl doesnt even charge you for thinking about it.

This small but mighty Texas-based team specializes in making fulfillment pricing not feel like reading an electric bill. Their flat-rate model is based on weight, so you know exactly what that 30 lb foam roller or kitchen appliance will cost before it ships.

They also move fastsame-day fulfillment for most ordersand they’re refreshingly transparent, with real people answering the phone when things go sideways.

If you’re scaling but not quite ready for the Red Stag price tag, Simpl is a solid bet that wont mess with your margins.

?? Warehouse location: Austin, TX fast ground coverage across the U.S.