Based in Dublin and need a global fulfilment solution? ShipBob has you covered.

Running an ecommerce business requires a distribution strategy that lets you ship products to customers in all corners of the world. Most Dublin ecommerce brands look to break into new markets outside of Ireland. As one of the biggest ecommerce economies, selling to customers in other countries is an opportunity that can’t be missed.

There are many obstacles to fulfiling orders that are shipped all over the world: navigating import duties, calculating extended shipping timelines, and paying expensive international shipping rates, to name a few. That’s why, if your Dublin-based ecommerce business is interested in breaking into new markets, then you should consider hiring a global 3PL.

An international 3PL can remove or help you navigate these obstacles. Thousands of ecommerce businesses turn to ShipBob for their extensive network of fulfilment centres located in various different regions across the US, EU, UK, Australia, and Canada. 

With ShipBob, you not only get domestic shipping rates, with the ability to store your inventory in multiple fulfilment centres, but international shipping rates that lets you ship to anywhere in the world. This allows you to shorten shipping distances and deliver packages faster and at a lower cost. You don’t have to spend time packing boxes and you can pass the savings along for more cost-effective shipping for your customers. 

“I’ve already referred a friend and fellow founder to ShipBob, who already loves how easy the dashboard is to use, since he was using a 3PL’s technology in Ireland that was less than ideal and very manual. I look forward to our continued partnership especially as we hit that next level of growth.”

Leonie Lynch, Founder & CEO of Juspy

The biggest obstacles Dublin-based ecommerce businesses face shipping

Growing ecommerce businesses have a million and one things to worry about, and few have time and energy to spare dealing with the hassle of international shipping and logistics. On top of that, here are other barriers your brand may face. 

Competing against domestic businesses

As a Dublin-based business, you’re asking non-EU customers to pay for premium shipping and/or wait a long time to have your products shipped from Ireland. Meanwhile, there are 3PL companies that can offer better EU and UK coverage and timelines.

One way to get around this is by hiring an international 3PL. For example, ShipBob can store your products in our EU, UK, USA, Canada, and/or Australia fulfilment centres, so there’s no need to ship each order from your Dublin headquarters. 

Calculating shipping rates and distances

International shipping is not only more expensive and takes longer, but it’s also more complex, and that makes calculating the cost and delivery timeline for each package difficult. Ship times are longer and rates more expensive if you’re shipping from Dublin to, say, Los Angeles, California on the US West Coast, than if you are shipping to your neighbor. 

A global 3PL like ShipBob will automatically search the top shipping couriers for the fastest, cheapest route. This gives your customers the best value and shortest delivery timelines, and you don’t have to untangle complicated international shipping routes. Additionally, your customers will be able to stay up-to-date with their package with automatic order tracking.

Navigating customs

Customs is another hurdle between you and your prospective non-EU customers. Each package needs the proper invoices and a certificate of origin, everything must be declared, and the applicable import duty paid. With everything already on your plate, do you have time to sort through all this?

With ShipBob, we’ll help you with shipping and entering new markets. 

The ShipBob advantage: how we can help your business grow across the globe

Countless businesses, both US-based and Dublin-based, turn to ShipBob for US fulfilment. Why? Because we offer a unique distribution model that can give you a leg up on the competition. We optimise your shipping, your customers get better rates, and this translates into more orders and higher average order value. 

Distribute your inventory

It all starts with distributed inventory.  With ShipBob you can access multiple fulfilment centres across the globe and store your inventory in locations of your choice. That means shorter shipping distances, and better margins for you. 

For instance, meal replacement and nutrition company Ample Foods partnered with ShipBob and started shipping from two ShipBob fulfilment centres. As a result, they were able to reduce their bottom line costs by 13%. 

“From expanding into a second ShipBob fulfilment centre, we are excited to be able to offer faster shipping. Not only is this better for our customers but we also gain a 13% savings to our bottom line.”

Pablo Gabatto, Business Operations Manager at Ample Foods

[Read More]

Improve average order value

The more you charge customers for shipping, the less likely they are to buy. Conversely, if you bring down shipping costs, then your customers are likely to spend more. Case in point: sunglasses brand Rainbow Optx saw their AOV increase significantly through ShipBob’s 2-Day Express Shipping program. 

“With ShipBob’s 2-Day Express program, we’ve seen a 24% increase in our average order value for qualifying orders placed on our Shopify Plus store.”

Noel Churchill, Owner and CEO of Rainbow OPTX 

[Read more]

Increase order volume

With your time freed up to focus on growth, and your customers able to get their products faster and cheaper, you can increase orders and sales. Outdoors brand Kula Cloth started using ShipBob’ fulfilment services and their order volume tripled, allowing the founder to “get her life back.” 

“To say that switching to ShipBob has been life-changing is an understatement. Thinking big picture, it was an incremental cost for me to ultimately sell a lot more. My business has tripled and I got my life back.”

Anastasia Allison, founder of Kula Cloth

[Read more]

Fulfilment services at ShipBob’s fulfilment centres

ShipBob provides technology, pick/pack/ship services, warehousing, retail fulfilment and distribution centres across the United States, advanced distribution metrics, and tools to help you scale your business.

Straightforward and fast onboarding

Setting your store up with ShipBob requires no coding or programming knowledge. Once your account is set up, everything else runs on autopilot, allowing you to set reorder notification points to send more inventory and gain insights into your business and shipping performance.  

Pick/pack/ship services

When an order is placed on your online store, it is forwarded to a ShipBob fulfilment centre, where our fulfilment professionals then prepare and ship the order, with tracking info sent to the customer. You can also track orders, inventory, and more from your ShipBob dashboard in real-time. 

Integrations and partners

ShipBob’s software is integrated with the leading ecommerce platforms (e.g., Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, Squarespace, etc.), and we partner with businesses that specialize in solving other pain points you may face — from branded packaging and marketing services to freight and financing options. 

When should I hire a 3PL?

The right time to outsource fulfilment to a 3PL will depend on which phase of growth your business is in. Do it too early and you’ll incur substantial costs without generating enough revenue to offset these costs. Do it too late and you’ll miss out on potential business and growth. Here are some common signs that it’s time to start shipping to the US (and that a 3PL can help):

• Your store is gaining momentum, order volume is growing fast, and you want to expand.
• You are starting to see significant traffic to your ecommerce store from other countries.
• Your domestic growth has hit a wall and you are looking for new opportunities. 
• You want to enter a new market, but don’t want to deal with the hassle of fulfiling international orders. 
• You want to offer global customers faster and more affordable shipping options. 

Ready to get started with a global 3PL? Request a quote from ShipBob today. 

Request a quote

Enter your details below and we’ll be in touch to learn more about your business.

Request Fulfilment Pricing

A fulfilment expert will get back to you shortly. Privacy Policy

Other nearby places we ship to

Leverage our network of fulfillment centers to strategically split and manage your inventory to reduce shipping costs and transit times.

Show more