Switching 3PLs After Peak Season: Plan Now, Move in January

A food brand came to us last week wanting to be live in a new warehouse by December 1.

December 1 this year is the Tuesday after Cyber Monday.

Whether that date can work for them depends on things we're still sorting out. But for most brands thinking about a 3PL switch right now, the honest answer is the same: don't move during peak. Use peak to get ready, and move in January.

Here's why, and what to do between now and then.

Why moving during peak is the expensive option

Every 3PL in the country is in its busiest weeks from now through the end of December. That's exactly when you'd be asking a new one to:

• Receive and count your entire inventory
• Set up your SKUs, integrations, and packaging
• Train its team on your product
• Ship your orders without mistakes

New clients go to the back of the line in November. Receiving backs up, onboarding teams are stretched, and the people who'd normally handle your setup are covering the floor. Meanwhile your old 3PL is shipping out the inventory you're trying to move.

Black Friday is November 27 and Cyber Monday is November 30. If your inventory isn't already received and live at a new 3PL, I'd rather you wait than try to land it during those weeks. A switch during peak stacks every risk at once: receiving delays, a new team, and your highest order volume.

Why January works

Your inventory is at its lowest. After the holidays you have less product to count, pack, and truck across town. Less inventory means a cheaper and faster move.

Your inbound slows down. Lunar New Year falls on February 6, 2027, and factories in China slow down around it. For a lot of brands that means fewer containers landing in February and March. That gap is a natural window: the new 3PL receives your next shipment, and the old one drains what's left.

3PLs have room again. After peak, onboarding teams have time for you, and your setup gets the attention it wouldn't get in November.

It lines up with contract renewals. Many 3PL contracts renew on January 1. If yours does, timing the switch around it can save you an awkward extra term.

One thing to plan for: returns. For most brands, holiday returns pile up in January. Decide which warehouse processes returns during the switch, and keep your return labels pointed there until the old building is closed out.

What to do during peak

You can't move during peak, but you can do most of the work.

1. Read your contract now

Find the termination notice period, auto-renewal date, early termination fees, monthly minimums during notice, and exit fees for picking and loading your inventory.

The dates matter more than they seem. If your contract renews on January 1 and requires 60 days' written notice, the deadline to give notice falls on November 2. Don't give notice until you've picked the new 3PL, but know your deadline today.

2. Save your peak data

November and December are the most valuable data you have for a 3PL search. Export your daily orders, units per order, SKUs that moved, and inventory levels through peak. A new 3PL that prices your real peak, and not just a normal March, gives you a quote that holds up next November.

3. Keep score on your current 3PL

Peak is when you find out what your 3PL can really do. Track ship times, errors, inventory counts, and how fast they answer when something breaks. If they handle peak well, maybe the right move is a conversation and not a switch. If they don't, you'll have the evidence.

4. Run the search quietly

Shortlist on category fit, send every provider the same brief built on your real data, and compare quotes on the same line items. Our guides on how to choose a 3PL and how to compare 3PL quotes walk through both.

3PL sales teams are busy in November too, so start now if you want quotes back before the holidays.

5. Pick your cutover method

For a January move, drain and fill usually fits best. Send your next inbound shipment straight to the new 3PL, let the old one ship out what it has, then move the remainder once it's nearly empty. Our full switching guide covers the other approaches and the cutover checklist.

A January switch timeline

Your timeline will stretch if you have a big catalog, retail EDI, regulated product, or a custom integration. Start earlier if any of those apply.

When you shouldn't wait

Waiting for January assumes your current 3PL is shipping your orders. If it's losing inventory, missing ship dates every week, or holding your product over a billing dispute, the cost of staying through peak may be higher than the cost of moving. In that case, move what you can, start with your fastest-selling SKUs, and get help planning it.

Frequently asked questions

When is the best time to switch 3PLs? For most ecommerce brands, January or February, after peak and before spring volume builds. Inventory is low, inbound slows around Lunar New Year, and 3PLs have onboarding capacity again.

Can I switch 3PLs before Black Friday? Only if your inventory is already received and live at the new 3PL well before November. If you're starting from scratch now, plan the move for after peak.

How do I transition from a bad 3PL without disrupting peak season orders? Leave your inventory where it is through peak, use the time to pick your next 3PL and build the integration, and send your first post-peak inbound shipment to the new provider. Then drain the old warehouse.

What should I do during peak if I'm planning to switch? Read your contract for notice dates and exit fees, save your peak order data, track your current 3PL's performance, and run the search so the new 3PL is contracted by December.

Planning a move for January?

Tell us what you ship and why you're leaving. We'll shortlist providers that fit, get their quotes on the same line items, and help you time the move. And if we think the fix is a conversation with your current 3PL, we'll tell you that instead.