UK fulfilment, explained plainly.

• 6 min read

  When is it time to move from your garage to a 3PL?

  The signals most founders notice too late: late dispatches, weekend packing, and stock you can no longer count accurately.

  • You are packing in the evenings or at weekends just to stay on top of the day's orders.
  • Stock counts no longer match your store, and oversells are becoming normal.
  • Storage has spread across a spare room, a garage and a friend's unit.
  • A rough rule: past roughly 300–500 orders a month, outsourcing usually costs less than your own time and space.

• 8 min read

  How UK pallet storage is actually priced

  Pallet rates, handling fees and the extras that turn a cheap quote into an expensive month. What to ask before you sign.

  • Storage is charged per pallet per week — ours starts from £9.50.
  • Receiving and putaway is a separate one-off charge per pallet on arrival (from £12).
  • Watch for the extras: minimum monthly spend, pallet rebuilds, oversize surcharges and long-term storage fees.
  • Ask any 3PL for a worked monthly example on your real volumes before you sign anything.

• 7 min read

  Fulfilment for TikTok Shop: surviving a viral week

  How to prepare stock, cut-offs and packing capacity for order volumes that jump 10× overnight.

  • Hold buffer stock for your top 5 SKUs — viral demand is rarely spread evenly.
  • Agree a dispatch cut-off time and what happens to orders placed after it.
  • Pre-agree surge packing capacity so a 10× day does not become a 5-day backlog.
  • Plan the returns tail: fast-moving viral products come back at higher rates.

• 9 min read

  Importing stock into the UK: a seller's checklist

  Paperwork, delivery bookings and labelling that stops your container sitting on the dock — written for overseas brands.

  • Send us the packing list and expected arrival date before the container leaves.
  • Book a delivery slot — unbooked containers wait, and waiting costs money.
  • Label cartons with SKU and quantity; mixed unlabelled cartons slow putaway down.
  • Make sure duties, VAT and customs paperwork are cleared in your name, not ours.

• 5 min read

  Returns that don't eat your margin

  Inspection, grading and restocking done properly — plus what to do with the stock that can never be sold online again.

  • Every return is received, inspected and graded — not thrown back on the shelf.
  • A-grade goes straight back to sellable stock; B-grade is quarantined for review.
  • Returns processing starts from £1.50 per return, so the cost is predictable.
  • Anything unsellable can go into a clearance buy-out instead of sitting in your unit.

• 6 min read

  Clearing dead stock without damaging your brand

  Why offline clearance protects your pricing, and how an outright buy-out compares to discounting on your own store.

  • Discounting on your own store trains customers to wait for the next sale.
  • We buy excess and returned stock outright, so you get cash rather than a consignment promise.
  • Everything is sold offline at markets — it never appears online undercutting your pricing.
  • Valuations usually come back within 2 business days.

More guides coming — email info@frontx.uk if there's a topic you want covered.