Answers To Common Questions

It depends on your setup, but we're fast.

If you're a straightforward DTC brand selling on Shopify with no special handling requirements, you can be live in under 30 days. In some cases, the integration itself takes just hours. Ship Hero, our WMS, has pre-built integrations with 50+ platforms including Shopify, Amazon, TikTok, eBay, and more. For those, it's essentially a click of a button and we're connected.

The timeline really depends on how quickly you can get us your product and the information we need. If you're in a hurry, we can move. We've literally onboarded customers who had containers on the water. We were receiving product within a week and fulfilling within a couple days after that.

Where it takes longer is when there's something special about your product. If you need custom decoration, assembly, laser engraving, or complex EDI integration, that requires more planning and setup. Those projects can take 30 to 60 days, sometimes longer for highly custom builds.

We include 20 hours of integration time at no charge. That's plenty for standard Shopify setups. More complex integrations may require additional IT time.

For comparison, we've heard competitors talk about 6-month integrations. That's not us.

For most customers, there's no cost to get started.

We include 20 hours of complimentary integration time, and most standard setups fall well within that. If your integration requires more than 20 hours due to complexity (like full EDI integration or custom manufacturing builds), there may be additional IT costs at up to $200/hour. But we often share or waive those costs depending on the partnership and volume.

You don't incur any costs from us until we start fulfilling orders. Our billing works like this: fulfillment activity is billed monthly, and outbound shipping is billed weekly. Our average order value across customers is around $15, but your actual cost depends on your product, packaging requirements, and shipping preferences.

We have a rate card with around 25-30 different line items covering pick and pack fees, storage, various handling services, and outbound shipping. Before we quote you, we want to understand your product, how it needs to be prepped, and what your packaging looks like. A T-shirt in a poly mailer is different from a garment wrapped in tissue paper with a sticker and a spritz of perfume.

Bottom line: simple setups have zero upfront cost. You start paying when orders start shipping.

Here's the simple version: your inventory lives in Mexico, but your packages ship from San Diego.

We hold an IMMEX license, which allows us to temporarily import products into Mexico without triggering Mexican duties. As long as the product is fulfilled and shipped out within 18 months, there's no Mexican duty. When we ship orders, we cross the border daily and inject into US carriers from San Diego.

The big benefit is duty deferral. Normally, if you import a container into the US, you pay duties on the full load upfront, before you've sold anything. With our model, you pay duties only on what ships, after you've sold it. That's a significant cash flow advantage, especially with tariff rates as unpredictable as they've been.

The trade-off is time. There is a border crossing, and that can add roughly half a day compared to fulfilling directly from a US facility where carriers pick up at the back door. For brands doing labor-intensive work (decoration, assembly, kitting), the savings more than make up for it. For brands that just need a label slapped on a box, the border crossing may feel like friction without enough payoff.

That's why we also have US operations in California and Texas as well as a facility in Canada.

You don't have to choose. 

Some products go to Mexico for the labor savings and duty deferral. 

Some stay in the US for speed. 

Same company, same systems, flexible based on what your product needs.

We started as a screen printing company 25 years ago, so decoration is in our DNA. Today we offer:

• Screen printing
• Embroidery
• UV printing
• Direct to garment (DTG) (digital printing directly onto fabric)
• Direct to film (DTF) (heat transfer printing onto film that gets pressed onto the garment)
• Laser engraving

The key difference with Baja is that decoration and fulfillment happen under one roof. Our decoration facility and fulfillment center are in the same parking lot in Mexico. That means no shipping between vendors, no waiting for decorated products to arrive before you can fulfill orders.

Here's how it typically works: you send us blank garments (or we source them for you), we decorate them, and then we fulfill orders directly from the same location. For customizable products where customers personalize online (like adding initials or choosing a design), we decorate per order and ship.

DTG and DTF are both digital printing methods. DTG prints directly onto the fabric. DTF prints onto a film that's then heat-pressed onto the product. DTF is big right now because it's fast, handles lots of colors, and works on various materials.

We're not limited to apparel. Laser engraving lets us personalize hard goods like keychains, wallets, flasks, and similar products. If you need a decoration method we don't currently offer, we'll evaluate adding it. We set up laser engraving capability specifically because a customer needed it.

Yes, you get a dedicated rep.

During onboarding, you'll work directly with our Client Success team. Once you're live, you're assigned a customer service rep who is your first point of contact. But our leadership is also accessible. Our clients have direct phone numbers and can reach out anytime if they feel like they're not being heard.

Most clients have a standing weekly meeting with us to review what's happening, discuss projects, address any issues, and plan ahead. Communication happens through Teams, email, phone, or whatever works best for you.

For systems, we use Ship Hero as our WMS. You'll have direct access to see your inventory, order history, SKU details, adjustments, everything. During onboarding, we provide full training on how to use the platform. We set up a sandbox environment so you can test things before going live. We'll walk through how to check orders, manage inventory, upload SKUs, and anything else you need. We also provide SOPs so you have documentation on hand.

When something's happening with your orders, like a border delay, we proactively let you know. We track every truck crossing and can see if something's held up at customs. If there's a red light inspection, we notify you so you're not wondering why tracking isn't updating.

One of our core values is "customers want to be heard and seen." That's not a slogan. It's how we operate.

We handle light assembly, kitting, and co-packing. Here's how we think about the differences:

Assembly is putting components together into a finished product. Think toys where customers build their own online and we pick the parts, assemble them, put them in custom packaging, and ship. Or multi-component products that need to come together before they go out the door. We're not doing high-tech electronics or anything requiring specialized machinery, but if it's labor and hands, we can do it.

Kitting is bundling items that could be sold separately into sets. Subscription boxes, gift sets, variety packs, promotional bundles. If you're selling the same 5 items together repeatedly, that's kitting. It's about speed and consistency, especially during high-volume periods.

Co-packing is preparing finished goods for retail or wholesale. Think 100,000 units prepped for Costco, or variety packs of coffee sticks going into a retailer. It's typically associated with consumer packaged goods like food, beverage, and personal care. We're not doing open food products right now, but pre-packaged items like single-serve coffee, supplements, or personal care products are in our wheelhouse.

We also do subscription box assembly, gift set creation, and custom packaging builds.

As for limits: we don't do refrigeration, open food handling, or anything requiring specialized certifications we don't hold. We're not assembling electronics. But if it's labor-intensive work that requires hands, flexibility, and attention to detail, that's exactly what we're built for.

The real advantage is that assembly, kitting, co-packing, and fulfillment all happen under one roof. You're not shipping products between vendors. That saves time, money, and headaches.

Yes. We call it the hybrid model, and we think it's one of the most unique things we offer.

Here's how it works: products that need labor-intensive work (decoration, assembly, kitting) go to Mexico where labor costs are $4-5/hour all-in. You get the savings and the duty deferral benefits. Products that are simple pick-and-pack with no special handling can stay in San Diego for faster injection into US carriers.

Same company. Same systems. You don't have to choose between cost and speed.

This is especially useful for brands with mixed product lines. Maybe half your SKUs need decoration and half don't. The decorated products go to Mexico. The simple ones ship from San Diego. You get the best of both worlds.

Can you change later? Yes. 

If your business situation changes, new inventory can be routed differently. Moving existing inventory between locations is possible but involves cost and complexity, so it's not something you'd do casually. But for new freight coming in, you have flexibility.

One thing to be aware of: the more locations you have inventory spread across, the more complex it gets. If a customer orders two items and one is in Mexico and one is in San Diego, that's two shipments. Any savings you gained might get eaten by double shipping costs. 

So we typically recommend keeping all SKUs in one location, or being strategic about which SKUs live where based on their characteristics and volume.

We have fivelocations across North America:

• Mexico: Two facilities. Our decoration operation and fulfillment center are in the same parking lot, about 30 minutes from the border.
• San Diego, CA: US fulfillment center. This is where we inject into US carriers for Mexico shipments, and it also serves as a standalone US fulfillment option.
• Toronto (Hamilton, Ontario): About 45 minutes from Buffalo. Serves the Canadian market.
• Dallas: For central US coverage.

We hear the question about East Coast coverage. Right now, we don't have an East Coast facility. When prospects ask about Buffalo or Florida, we're transparent about that. 

What we can offer is the cross-border model where products fulfill from Mexico and inject into US carriers from San Diego, or the hybrid model with San Diego as the US hub.

For brands where East Coast speed is critical, we may not be the right fit today. 

For brands where the value-added services and cost savings matter more than shaving a day off East Coast delivery, we're a strong option.

We're actively looking at expansion to best serve the geographic needs of our customesr. 

The footprint is growing.

We work with a wide range of carriers: USPS, DHL, UPS, and several regional carriers you may or may not have heard of, like OnTrac and others.

The real advantage is our rate shopping feature in Ship Hero. Here's how it works: for every package, the system looks at the specific weight, dimensions, destination zip code, and your delivery requirements. If you tell us packages need to arrive within 5 business days, it searches across all available carriers and finds the cheapest option that meets that requirement. It might be USPS for one package and DHL for another.

This typically saves money and can even improve transit times compared to forcing everything through one carrier.

If you have a preference, we can accommodate it. Some customers say "I want everything to ship USPS." We'll do it, but we'll also show you an analysis of what that costs versus rate shopping. Most of the time, customers see the savings and go with rate shopping.

The goal everyone shares is the same: shortest click-to-delivery time at the lowest possible cost. Nobody's trying to compete with Amazon's two-day delivery, but everyone wants their customers to get orders quickly without blowing up shipping costs. Rate shopping helps you get there

Yes. 

Scalability is one of the questions we hear most from serious prospects, and it's actually a good sign. It tells us you're thinking about growth and don't want to outgrow your 3PL in 18 months.

We work with enterprise-level brands. We have a proven track record handling high volume. Most of our customers see 2x to 3x their normal volume during peak season, starting around Black Friday and running for about three weeks until the "guaranteed delivery by Christmas" cutoff. Then it drops back down. We're built for that.

We're not just saying we can handle it. We're doing it now with the clients we have.

Where we're more cautious is with brands that are extremely seasonal, like 80% of revenue in a 60-day window. That's a harder fit for us. We prefer reasonably steady volume month to month with spikes we can plan for.

We actually look for brands with complementary seasonality. One of our customers does planners and calendars, so their peak is late Q4 and early Q1, which is right after the typical holiday rush. That works great for us. Same with labor law posters that need updating at year-end. If your peak is Valentine's Day or Father's Day instead of Christmas, that's interesting to us.

Bottom line: if you're doing 3,000+ orders a month and growing, we can scale with you. That's the kind of partnership we're looking for.

A few things set us apart:

We do the work other 3PLs won't touch.

Most fulfillment centers want clean, simple pick-and-pack. When you ask for decoration, assembly, kitting, or anything outside the box, you hear "that's not in our wheelhouse." We've never said that. If a customer needs laser engraving, we'll buy the equipment and set it up. If you need custom subscription box assembly with 15 components, we'll figure it out. The complicated stuff that's a pain in the ass for other fulfillment centers is exactly what we specialize in.

Everything is under one roof. 

Our decoration facility and fulfillment center are in the same parking lot in Mexico. You're not shipping blanks to a printer, waiting for them to come back, then shipping to a fulfillment center. We decorate it, walk it next door, and ship it. One vendor. One relationship. Faster turnaround.

You're not a number. 

We hear this from prospects all the time: their current 3PL treats them like one of 500 accounts. Customer service responses take 2-3 business days. They don't feel important. With us, you get a dedicated rep, weekly check-ins, and direct access to leadership. Our clients have our cell phone numbers. "Customers want to be heard and seen" isn't a slogan. It's how we operate.

We're flexible. 

We don't have rigid processes that force you into a box. If you need something custom, we'll work with you to build it. We've set up entire rooms for specific customer needs. We've bought specialized equipment. We adapt to your business, not the other way around.

Our hybrid model. 

You don't have to choose between cost and speed. Labor-intensive work goes to Mexico for savings. Simple fulfillment stays in the US for speed. Same company, same systems. Nobody else we know of is doing this.

Fast onboarding.

Competitors talk about 6-month integrations. We've onboarded customers with containers on the water. If you need to move fast, we can move fast.

Our purpose statement is "Kick ass from concept to consumer." 

That came directly from customer feedback. They kept telling us "you guys just kick ass" and "it would take 5 or 6 companies to do what you do." 

So we made it official.

Our baseline is 3,000+ monthly DTC orders. 

That's what we typically pitch to referral partners and matchmakers.

We'll consider brands doing 2,500/month if they're growing and have a clear roadmap to scale. 

But if you're doing 500 orders a month with no growth trajectory, we're probably not the right fit. There are plenty of 3PLs that serve that segment well.

Product fit:

The sweet spot is small to medium consumer products, roughly 1 ounce to 25 pounds. We're not shipping refrigerators or microwaves. Think consumer packaged goods, apparel, supplements, toys, subscription boxes, personal care, promotional products.

The ideal customer:

The brands that love us most are the ones with complex products that need value-added services: decoration, assembly, kitting, co-packing. They're getting real labor savings from our Mexico operations. They're not managing 4 different vendors. They tell us "this is the greatest thing ever."

We're also a great fit for brands that are:

• Growth-minded with a roadmap (not just surviving, planning to scale)
• Selling DTC but also multi-channel (retail, wholesale, Amazon)
• Willing to outsource complexity rather than trying to do everything in-house 
• Looking for a partner, not just a vendor

The signals we listen for on sales calls: "Are you scalable?" "Where do you see yourselves in five years?" "How many clients are you working with?" 

Those questions tell us the brand is serious about growth and doesn't want to make a mistake in who they partner with.

We're not for everyone, and we'd rather be upfront about that.

You're probably not a fit if:

• You're doing under 2,500 orders/month with no growth trajectory. We're built for scale. Smaller volumes work better with fulfillment centers designed for that segment.
• You only need simple pick-and-pack. If your product doesn't need decoration, assembly, kitting, or any special handling, you're not going to get the full benefit of what makes us different. A standard US fulfillment center might be simpler and just as cost-effective.
• You need refrigeration or open food handling. We do co-packing for pre-packaged food and beverage, but we're not set up for cold chain or products that require food-grade handling certifications we don't hold.
• Speed from US soil is your only priority. If you need same-day shipping from a US facility on everything and the Mexico cost savings don't matter to you, our model adds complexity without enough payoff.
• You're extremely seasonal. If 80% of your revenue happens in a 60-day window, that's a harder fit. We prefer reasonably steady volume month to month with predictable spikes.
• You're not open to learning a new system. We use Ship Hero. If you're deeply attached to a different WMS and unwilling to adapt, we'll have friction.

We'd rather have an honest conversation upfront than waste your time or ours.

When we're the right fit, it's a great partnership. 

When we're not, we'll tell you.

This is a valid concern, and we hear it a lot. Here's the honest answer:

Perceived risk vs. actual risk. 

There's been a lot of noise. Throughout 2025, it felt like every other day there was a new threat or announcement about tariffs on Mexico and Canada. 

That makes people nervous. 

But here's what actually happened: almost none of it went into effect for the kind of products we handle. US-Mexico trade is governed by USMCA (the updated NAFTA). 

With some exceptions for specific categories like steel and aluminum, trade has continued to operate the same as it always has.

We use our geographical locations to the best financial sense of our customers.

The rhetoric is real. 

The impact has been limited. Yes, people remember the headlines. Yes, there's uncertainty. But for most consumer products, the tariff situation between the US and Mexico hasn't fundamentally changed.

Our model actually provides flexibility.

If tariff rates do change, duty deferral gives you options. You're not locked into a rate you paid upfront on a full container. You pay duties as you ship, at whatever the rate is that day. If rates spike temporarily and then come back down, you have flexibility to wait it out. That's harder to do if all your inventory is already cleared into the US with duties paid.

The real risk is on the other side. 

Brands that imported everything into the US before Section 321 ended got hit hard. They paid the old duties plus the new tariffs, all upfront. Our customers who were in Mexico had flexibility. They could hold inventory in bond and wait for clarity.

We are a US Based operation with locations in Mexico.

 If you're uncomfortable with Mexico exposure, we have US-based operations. You can do the hybrid model: labor-intensive work in Mexico, simple fulfillment in the US. Or you can keep everything in San Diego if that's what makes sense for your business.

The regulatory environment is uncertain. We can't promise it won't change. 

But our structure gives you more flexibility to adapt than most alternatives.

You have full visibility through Ship Hero, our WMS. You can see your inventory, order status, shipment tracking, history, everything in real time. You don't have to ask us where things are. You can look it up yourself anytime.

Once an order is fulfilled and has a tracking number, you can monitor it like any other shipment. Your customers get tracking information, and you can see the same data.

What about border delays?

We track every truck crossing the border. We have a dashboard that shows us the status of each shipment. If a truck gets flagged for inspection (what we call a "red light" from CBP), we know about it immediately.

When there's a delay, we proactively notify you. You're not wondering why tracking isn't updating. We'll tell you: "This truck was selected for inspection. Expect a delay on injection." That way you can communicate with your customers if needed.

Border crossings add roughly half a day compared to fulfilling directly from a US facility. That's the trade-off for the labor savings and duty deferral benefits. Most of the time it's smooth. Occasionally there's an inspection or a customs issue. When that happens, we're on top of it and we keep you informed.

For customers who ship express or have tight SLAs (like retail orders that require 24-hour fulfillment), we pay extra attention. If someone paid for express shipping, we're making sure it gets injected on time.

The key is communication. If something's happening, you'll know about it. You're not chasing us for information.

We prefer a parallel transition. Nobody wants to go dark, even for a day.

Here's how it typically works: you leave some inventory at your current location and keep fulfilling from there while we get set up behind the scenes. We receive your inventory, get integrated, run tests, and make sure everything is working. Once we're confident, you flip the switch: turn us on, turn them off, ship whatever remaining inventory is at the old location to us.

This usually takes a few weeks, but the timeline depends on complexity. Simple setups can move faster. Complex integrations with decoration or assembly take longer to get right.

Transitioning from another 3PL:

We've offered to send our team into a competitor's facility to help coordinate the transition and make sure inventory is packed and shipped properly. Most 3PLs won't allow that (understandably), so it hasn't happened often. What we're trying to avoid is your old fulfillment center tossing a mess into trucks because you're leaving. That creates problems on our end receiving it, and delays your go-live.

Transitioning from in-house fulfillment:

This is where we've actually sent people in. If you're doing fulfillment yourself and want to move to us, we'll send our team to help pack up your operation and coordinate the move. Every time we've offered this, people love it. It takes the burden off your team and ensures things arrive properly organized.

If you're in a hurry:

We can move fast. We've onboarded customers who had containers on the water and needed to be live in a week. It's not our preference because there's less margin for error, but if you're in a bad situation and need to get out, we'll make it happen.

Yes. We do DTC, retail, and wholesale fulfillment.

Retail fulfillment:

We work with brands that ship to major retailers including Target, Hot Topic, and Walmart. These accounts have strict requirements, often 24-hour fulfillment SLAs. We're set up to meet those. If a retailer order comes in and requires fulfillment within 24 hours, we prioritize it.

EDI:

We're fully EDI-capable. Some of our customers run 100% on EDI. Every communication, whether it's receiving product, processing returns, or shipping to a retailer or wholesaler, goes through EDI. That level of integration takes more time to set up than a simple Shopify connection, but we have the infrastructure and experience to handle it.

Wholesale:

We process wholesale orders, pallet and case-pack shipping, and large-quantity prep for distribution. If you're selling into retailers and also doing DTC, you don't need two separate fulfillment partners. We handle both from the same operation.

Multi-channel brands:

The brands we work best with are often selling across multiple channels: their own Shopify store, Amazon, TikTok Shop, and retail accounts. Managing all of that through one fulfillment partner simplifies your life. One inventory pool. One relationship. One system.

Yes, we offer both sourcing and design as add-on services.

Sourcing:

If you need blank garments for decoration, we can source them. We've been in the screen printing business for 25+ years, so we have deep supplier relationships. Same goes for packaging: boxes, poly mailers, custom packaging, components. If you need socks to add to a subscription box, we'll source them, get samples made, get approval, negotiate pricing, and bring them in.

We're not a full-service sourcing agency, but for materials related to what we're already doing for you (decoration, assembly, kitting, packaging), we can handle it. It's one less vendor for you to manage.

Design:

We have in-house capabilities for packaging design and graphic design for decoration. If you need print-ready artwork for screen printing, we can create it. If you need custom packaging designed, we can do that too.

This isn't our core business, so we're not competing with design agencies. But for customers who need it as part of a larger fulfillment relationship, it's there. It keeps everything under one roof.

Our purpose is "kick ass from concept to consumer." That means if you come to us with an idea, we can help you source materials, design the packaging, decorate the product, assemble it, and ship it to your customer. 

Full lifecycle. One partner.

Things happen. Carriers lose packages. Customs flags a shipment. An invoice needs correction. What matters is how quickly it gets resolved and how well we communicate.

Carrier issues:

If a package is lost or damaged, our transportation team handles carrier claims. You don't have to chase the carrier yourself. Let us know there's a problem, and we take it from there. We have relationships with all the carriers we use and know how to navigate their claims processes.

Customs issues:

Occasionally, imports get flagged or processed incorrectly, leading to invoice issues or delays. When that happens, we work with our import/export team and brokers to resolve it. If there's a correction needed, we handle it. If there's a delay at the border, we notify you proactively so you're not wondering what's going on.

Ship method changes:

Sometimes a ship method changes from what was expected. This can happen with rate shopping (the system found a cheaper or faster option) or due to carrier availability. If you see something unexpected, ask us. We'll explain what happened and why.

The bigger point:

We don't hide from problems. When something goes wrong, we own it and fix it. You have direct access to your rep, to our leadership, to the people who can actually solve the issue. You're not submitting a ticket into a black hole and waiting 3 business days for a response.

One of our core values is "make it happen, no excuses." 

That applies when things go right and when things go wrong.

Yes. And honestly, we wish everyone would.

Here's what we've learned over 25 years: if we can get a prospect to tour our facility, we close the deal about 90% of the time. Once people see the operation, meet the team, and understand how it all works, it clicks. 

They get it in a way that's hard to convey over a video call.

A typical tour takes 2-3 hours. We'll show you the decoration facility, the fulfillment center, how products move from one to the other, the systems we use, and the people who'll be working on your account. We tell the story of how we got here and where we're going. You leave understanding exactly what we do and how we'd handle your product.

Can't visit in person?

We can do virtual tours. It's not quite the same, but we can walk you through the operation on video, show you the floor, explain the processes. We're working on creating more visual content so prospects can get a taste of the experience from their desk.

Why we push for tours:

Because what we do is visual. You can read about decoration, assembly, kitting, and cross-border logistics, but seeing it is different. Seeing the decoration facility in the same parking lot as the fulfillment center makes "all under one roof" real. Meeting the team makes "you're not a number" real.

If you're seriously considering us, come visit. We'll make it worth your time.

Our purpose: Kick ass from concept to consumer.

That means we handle the full journey: from the idea, to sourcing, to design, to decoration, to assembly, to fulfillment, to your customer's doorstep. All under one roof. One partner.

That phrase came directly from customer feedback. They kept telling us "you guys just kick ass" and "it would take 5 or 6 companies to do what you do for us." So we made it official.

Our core values:

• Positive and open-minded. We approach problems with a can-do attitude. We don't say "that's not in our wheelhouse."
• Organized and detail-oriented. Fulfillment is details. Decoration is details. Getting your customer's order right every time requires attention to the small stuff.
• Respectful. Of our customers, our partners, and each other.
• Make it happen, no excuses. When something needs to get done, we figure it out. We don't make excuses for why it can't happen.

These values came from the same place as our purpose: customer feedback and the culture we've built over 25 years. They're not posters on a wall. We hire, fire, and promote based on them. We give out awards to team members who embody them.

When you work with us, you're working with a company that actually lives this stuff. That's why our customers say what they say.