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Free guide

12 Questions to Ask Any 3PL Before You Sign

An honest 2-page guide covering pricing transparency, lock-in clauses, stock accuracy, returns, customs, and the questions most merchants forget to ask until after they've signed.

  • What the monthly fee actually includes — and what it doesn't
  • The exit clause question every 3PL hopes you won't ask
  • Who pays when a picking error costs you a customer
  • How to tell if the "integration" is real or a spreadsheet in disguise

One email. The guide. No newsletter unless you ask for one.

12 Questions to Ask Any 3PL Before You Sign

1What does 3PL fulfilment actually cost — in full?

Ask for a full written rate card before you commit. You need: the monthly service fee and what it buys, the per-pallet storage rate, the per-order pick and pack rate, the per-item rate for multi-line orders, intake fees on receiving new stock, and how courier charges are billed. If the provider cannot give you a written rate card within 24 hours, that is your answer.

2Is there a lock-in contract, and what does the exit look like?

Ask for the minimum term, the notice period to terminate, and what happens to your stock if you leave. Month-to-month with 30 days' notice is the standard for e-commerce 3PLs. Watch for auto-renewing annual contracts, termination fees, and stock release fees charged on exit.

3How are pricing changes notified and applied?

Rates change. Ask: how much notice will you receive before a rate increase, and can you exit if you disagree with the new rate? A provider that can change prices with 7 days' notice and no exit right is a pricing risk to your margin structure.

4What is your stock accuracy rate, and who pays when you get it wrong?

Industry standard for picking accuracy is above 99%. Ask what theirs is and how they measure it. Then ask who covers the cost of a wrong pick: the replacement unit, the reshipping cost, and any customer refund. A 3PL that fixes mistakes at their own cost is taking the standard seriously.

5How do you handle returns?

Ask for the full returns flow: how does a return arrive, who receives and inspects it, on what criteria is it restocked vs quarantined vs disposed of, and how quickly does it appear as available stock again? Ask whether returns handling is included in the pick and pack rate or billed separately per return.

6Do you handle imported stock — and can you clear customs too?

Most fulfilment houses receive stock after it clears customs. A 3PL that is also a licensed clearing agent can clear the import and move goods directly to shelf under one job number. This removes a handoff, speeds stock availability, and gives you one point of contact from port to customer.

7Which couriers do you integrate with, and who owns the carrier account?

If the 3PL puts all your shipments through their own carrier account, you cannot see or negotiate rates directly, and switching 3PLs means losing the carrier relationship. Ask whether you can bring your own carrier accounts, and whether you have visibility of actual courier charges line by line.

8Which e-commerce platforms do you actually integrate with right now?

Ask for a live integration list — not a roadmap. Shopify and WooCommerce are table stakes. Takealot, Etsy, and Amazon integrations are more selective. Ask how the integration works (API sync or manual CSV?), who sets it up, and what error-handling looks like when an order fails to sync.

9What stock reporting do I get, and how often?

At minimum you need daily stock-on-hand, weekly order dispatch confirmation, and monthly billing reconciliation. Ask whether reporting is automated or manual, and whether you can query stock levels yourself at any time without raising a ticket.

10What insurance covers my stock while it is in your warehouse?

Your stock is the 3PL's responsibility while in their custody. Ask whether they hold goods-in-storage insurance, what the per-item and aggregate limits are, and whether you need to declare high-value SKUs separately. Ask what the claims process looks like and who initiates it.

11What does onboarding actually look like, and how long does it take?

A well-run 3PL can onboard a new merchant in 5-10 business days given complete stock and SKU data. Ask what you need to provide, who does the setup work, and what the go-live criteria are. If onboarding is described vaguely, expect delays and a rocky start.

12What happens to my stock if I need to leave?

Before you sign, understand the off-ramp. How much notice is required? Who pays the labour to pick and palletise your stock for collection? What is the timeline from notice to stock-out? A provider that makes exit difficult is using your stock as leverage.

JLog — E-commerce Fulfilment, Cape Town · [email protected] · jlog.co.za
© 2026 JetLog (Pty) Ltd.
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Instant cost estimate

Based on published VAT-inclusive rates. Your exact rate confirmed on enquiry.

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✉ [email protected]
☎ 021 300 6099 WhatsApp Track Shipment Client Portal

Ship High-Value & Fragile Goods from South Africa

JLog is South Africa’s white-glove specialist 3PL for high-value and fragile international exports. This is the overview page. We operate seven niche commodity services out of Cape Town (Woodstock), each with its own customs treatment, pack method, and carrier tier: fine art, sculpture, fine-art photography, designer furniture, ceramics, modern luxury goods, and antiques. This page exists to route you to the right service for your shipment in under a minute — pick the niche; we open the specialist door.

Which JLog service fits your shipment?

The right service depends on what you are shipping. Use the table below to land on the niche hub.

What you are shippingHS codeJLog service hub
Paintings, drawings, original two-dimensional fine art9701Ship Art from South Africa
Original sculpture and statuary (bronze, stone, wood, metal, mixed media)9703Ship Sculpture from South Africa
Limited-edition fine-art photography and signed prints9701 / 4911Ship Fine-Art Photography from South Africa
Designer furniture — chairs, sofas, beds, tables, sideboards, lighting, mirrors9403Ship Designer Furniture from South Africa
Ornamental ceramics, studio pottery, fine-art ceramic vessels6913Ship Ceramics from South Africa
Porcelain or fine ceramic tableware6911 / 6912Ship Ceramics from South Africa
Jewellery, fine watches, designer handbags, silverware (modern, under 100 years)7113 / 9101 / 9102 / 4202 / 7114Ship Luxury Goods from South Africa
Items over 100 years — antique furniture, decorative arts, period objets, antique silver, antique jewellery9706Ship Antiques from South Africa

What “white-glove specialist” means here

White-glove is an overused phrase. What it actually means for a JLog consignment:

  • Hand-collection from the studio, dealer, or seller. Two-person handling on any piece over 30 kg or any piece with a finished surface that cannot tolerate a sort facility.
  • Condition report at despatch — photographic, time-stamped, co-signed with the seller.
  • Custom packing built around the piece, not a stock box. Plywood crate, foam-in-place, corner-block carton — selected per piece.
  • ISPM-15 stamped crates for international export.
  • Tamper-evident sealing for luxury goods.
  • Declared-value transit insurance on every consignment, matched to the commercial invoice — never the carrier statutory cap.
  • SARS export clearance — SAD500 declaration with the precise 8-digit tariff line and full supporting documentation.
  • Destination clearance with the matching customs classification (EU CDS, UK CDS, US CBP, UAE entry, AU biosecurity).
  • Destination receiving — we coordinate the receiving handler at the destination so the piece is unpacked and placed with the same discipline as despatch.
  • Claims management — if a damage event occurs we file the claim on the shipper’s behalf inside the carrier deadline (FedEx 21 days, DHL 30 days, freight forwarder per AWB).

Carriers we use

Carrier choice is set by category, weight class, and destination:

  • FedEx Express International Priority — JetLog direct account. Express signed-for international, transit 3–6 working days. Default for high-value parcel moves and time-critical small-format pieces.
  • DHL Express Worldwide — direct account. Same envelope, alternative routing where lane price or reliability favours.
  • Consolidated and dedicated air freight via Cape Town International Airport for crated pieces above carrier parcel limits.
  • Sea freight LCL / FCL via Cape Town port for bulk, exhibition, or non-urgent moves.
  • Bob Go multi-carrier for domestic SA collection and pre-shipment movements (11 SA couriers compared on every consignment).
  • MDS Collivery as an alternative direct SA courier for time-critical domestic moves.

Where we are

JLog operates from Unit 12C, Nearby Industrial Park, 10 Railway street, Woodstock, Cape Town 7925. Cape Town International Airport is 15 minutes by road; Cape Town port is 8 minutes. We accept consignments from studios, dealers, galleries, and private sellers across South Africa — domestic collection by our team or by vetted courier, into the Woodstock warehouse, then packed and despatched internationally.

We are the official carrier for the Investec Cape Town Art Fair.

How to brief a quote

For any commodity, the quote intake needs:

  • Category and brief description.
  • Dimensions per piece (L × W × H) and declared weight.
  • Declared value in ZAR.
  • Origin address (studio / seller / gallery).
  • Destination address and required delivery date.
  • Any regulatory flags — CITES content, SAHRA review, anti-money-laundering documentation for high-value luxury.

Submit via the JLog quote intake. Response within 24 hours.

Carrier accounts and what you get with each

JLog holds direct accounts with the carriers we use most heavily, which matters at quote time and at claims time. The FedEx Express direct account is the JetLog primary account; the FedEx direct account is our Embark consolidator account used on larger crated freight. The DHL Express direct account covers both Express Worldwide on parcels and DHL Global Forwarding for crated freight where DHL is the right lane. We are not a reseller layer on top of these carriers — we are direct shippers, which means we set the air waybill ourselves, declared value, special handling instructions, and signature requirement at booking. Where Bob Go is the right tool (domestic SA collection across 11 underlying couriers), we route through the Bob Go API; where MDS Collivery is faster door-to-door inside SA, we go direct. The choice of carrier is per-consignment, set by what makes the shipment safest and most cost-efficient at the declared value.

Why a specialist 3PL beats a general-purpose carrier on these commodities

A general-purpose 3PL or international courier handles high-value-and-fragile goods as exceptions to its volume flow. A specialist 3PL — JLog — handles them as the volume flow. The implications are structural: our warehouse layout (humidity-controlled bay, dedicated crating bench, photographic condition-report station, tamper-evident sealing area) is built for these consignments; our pack materials inventory (Tyvek, acid-free tissue, foam-in-place, ISPM-15 stamped plywood, tilt and shock indicators) is held in standing stock; our staff training (two-person handling protocol, fragile-pack technique, condition-report discipline) is the core competence; and our carrier-account relationships are set up for declared-value-led booking, not weight-led booking. The result: a R350k watch ships out of Cape Town with the right cover, the right paperwork, the right pack, and the right delivery instruction — every time. A general 3PL gets it right when nothing goes wrong; we get it right when something does.

Niche hub pages

Frequently asked questions

Which JLog service should I use for an exhibition consignment that mixes paintings, sculpture, and ceramics?

Most exhibition consolidations are managed through the fine-art pillar at /ship-art-from-south-africa/ with a combined manifest that declares each piece under its own HS code (9701 for paintings, 9703 for sculpture, 6913 for ceramics). We build a single crate plan and a single export movement; the customs entries are line-item specific.

Is JLog a freight forwarder, a courier reseller, or a 3PL?

JLog is a specialist white-glove 3PL with our own collection and packing operation in Cape Town (Woodstock) and direct carrier accounts with FedEx Express, DHL Express, Bob Go, and MDS Collivery. For crated freight above carrier parcel limits we engage forwarders directly.

Do you ship inbound (import) as well as outbound (export) high-value goods?

Yes. We manage inbound shipments into South Africa from galleries, dealers, designers, and private sellers internationally. Quote and intake via /import/.

What is the minimum declared value JLog will accept on a high-value-and-fragile consignment?

There is no formal minimum. We accept small-value studio pieces, single-piece sold work, and exhibition consolidations. The pack and carrier choice scale with the piece and the budget.

How do you choose between FedEx Express, DHL Express, and sea LCL?

By weight class, urgency, and destination. Under 70 kg crated and time-critical: FedEx or DHL Express, 3–6 working days. 70 kg to 250 kg: consolidated air freight, 5–9 working days. Above 250 kg or non-urgent: sea LCL, 25–38 days depending on lane.

Is JLog the official carrier for the Investec Cape Town Art Fair?

Yes. JLog is the official freight and logistics partner for the Investec Cape Town Art Fair and manages the inbound and outbound exhibitor logistics for the show.

Where does JLog operate from and how do I get a piece to your warehouse?

JLog operates from Unit 12C, Nearby Industrial Park, 10 Railway street, Woodstock, Cape Town 7925. We collect across SA by our own team or by vetted courier. Cape Town International Airport is 15 minutes by road; Cape Town port is 8 minutes.

How long does a typical quote response take?

Within 24 hours for standard commodity hub consignments. Larger projects (exhibition consolidations, multi-piece designer-furniture moves, public-installation sculpture) may require an on-site survey before quote — we schedule the survey within 48 hours of intake.

Licensed Clearing Agent