To choose a 3PL in Türkiye, compare providers on six things rather than on the headline rate: experience with your product group, a warehouse system that shows you live stock, integrations with the channels you sell on today, a written definition of order accuracy with monthly reporting, a price list that states what is excluded, and clear onboarding and exit terms. The twelve questions below turn those six things into a conversation you can have with any provider, with the answers worth hearing and the ones that should make you look again.
1. Which product groups do you already handle, and how?
Ask for the product groups the provider runs today and what is different about each. A warehouse that handles cosmetics, supplements or electronics should be able to describe lot tracking, storage conditions or serial-number control without being prompted. If the answer is “we can store anything”, the provider has not yet met the problems your category brings. For regulated or sensitive goods, ask to see the condition-controlled area and the records kept for it.
2. Is the warehouse system your own or licensed, and can I see my stock live?
The warehouse management system (WMS) decides what you can see and how fast rules can change. Ask whether the system is the provider’s own or a licensed product, whether you get a customer login with live stock by SKU and lot, and how quickly a new rule, such as a remaining-shelf-life minimum for one channel, can be configured. A provider that develops its own system can usually adapt it to your flows; one that licenses a system depends on its vendor. Either can work, but you should know which you are buying. Our WMS page describes what a customer panel should show.
3. How are lot and expiry dates managed?
If your products carry a lot number or an expiry date, this question decides whether the provider is suitable at all. The answer should cover recording at goods receipt, FEFO picking enforced by the handheld terminal, blocked stock for expired or quality-hold lots, near-expiry reporting, and a lot query that shows which orders carried a given lot. A provider that tracks expiry “on the shelf label” rather than in the system cannot give you any of these when it matters. For beauty brands, our guide to cosmetics fulfillment in Türkiye sets out what to expect.
4. Which marketplaces and platforms are integrated today?
Ask for the list of ready integrations and for a reference where each is live, not “we can integrate with anything”. In Türkiye the relevant marketplaces are Trendyol, Hepsiburada, Amazon.com.tr, n11 and Pazarama; common store platforms are Shopify, ikas, Ticimax and IdeaSoft; and the ERP question is usually Logo or Mikro. Then ask how the integration is tested before go-live and how stock is synchronised back to each channel. Our integrations page lists what we connect and how the set-up runs.
5. What is the cut-off, and what exactly counts as same-day?
Every provider says “same-day dispatch”. Ask what the cut-off time is, whether it applies to all channels, what happens to orders that arrive after it, and whether “same-day” means handover to the carrier or delivery to the customer. It should mean handover. Ask also how campaign peaks and public holidays are handled, because the collection plan changes in those periods and the exceptions should be agreed in writing. A provider that states a cut-off and its exceptions is giving you a commitment; one that promises delivery times is promising something the carrier controls.
6. How do you measure order accuracy, and will you report it monthly?
Order accuracy is the number that reaches your customer. Ask for the provider’s written definition: what counts as an error (wrong item, wrong quantity, wrong lot, damage, wrong document), whether errors are collected from both internal checks and customer returns, and what the measured figure is. Then ask whether it is reported to you monthly with the other KPIs: stock accuracy, dispatch within cut-off, return processing time. A provider that cannot define the metric cannot improve it. Our KPI assessment lists the indicators to request.
7. How are B2B and B2C orders handled from one stock?
If you sell to retailers or wholesalers as well as to consumers, ask how a carton order and a unit order are picked, packed and documented differently while being deducted from the same stock. Ask what happens when a large B2B order reserves stock that marketplaces are also selling, and who decides the priority. A provider that physically splits your inventory between “B2B stock” and “B2C stock” is creating a problem you will pay for twice. Our fulfillment page walks through a real two-flow scenario.
8. Can you handle import, bonded storage and customs?
For a brand outside Türkiye, the import step is where most set-ups stall. Ask whether the provider offers customs clearance and bonded warehousing itself or through a partner, who the importer of record would be in your case, and how goods move from the port to the fulfillment shelf. One contract from port to customer is simpler than three; if the provider cannot offer it, ask who it works with and how the handover is managed. The commercial options are explained in our guide to e-commerce fulfillment in Türkiye.
9. What does the price list include, and what does it leave out?
Do not compare headline rates; compare scope. Ask for the price list broken into receipt, storage, pick and pack, packaging material, carrier, returns, kitting and labelling, and for the items billed separately: minimum monthly fee, onboarding, integration work, campaign surcharges, special packaging, long-term storage, stock counts on request, and exit costs. Ask what is included in the pick-and-pack line, whether packaging material is at cost or marked up, and whether carrier rates are passed through or resold. A provider with a short price list has not told you everything yet.
10. How do you handle returns?
Ask how a return is received, inspected and recorded; what is restocked, what is blocked and who decides on borderline cases; how marketplace returns and own-site returns differ; how fast a return reaches a decision; and what is logged at the packing station to settle disputed claims. For hygiene-sensitive categories, ask specifically what happens to opened products. The outcome per return should be visible to you. Our returns and reverse logistics page describes the process.
11. Which certificates, insurance and security controls do you have?
Ask for the certificates relevant to your category and check they are in the provider’s legal name and in date: information security (ISO/IEC 27001) if your order and customer data pass through its systems, occupational health and safety (ISO 45001), a quality management system, and Good Distribution Practice (GDP) if you ship OTC or healthcare products. Ask what insurance covers your stock in the warehouse and in transit, and how access to the warehouse and to your data is controlled. Our certificates page shows what we hold.
12. What do onboarding and exit look like?
The beginning and the end of the contract are where the real terms show. For onboarding, ask for the plan: master data, integration tests, first receipt, go-live date and who is responsible for each step. For exit, ask about the notice period, how your stock is transferred to another warehouse, in what format you receive your data, and what the exit costs are. A provider confident in its service will have clear exit terms; one that makes leaving difficult is telling you something about staying.
How to score the answers
Use the same scorecard for every provider so that a persuasive sales meeting does not outweigh a weak answer on the point that matters most for your category.
| Criterion | Weight | Strong answer | Look again if |
|---|---|---|---|
| Product-group experience | High | Describes your category’s specifics unprompted; shows the area and records | “We can store anything” |
| WMS and live visibility | High | Customer login with stock by SKU and lot; rules configurable | Reports by e-mail on request |
| Lot and expiry handling | High for regulated goods | FEFO enforced by terminal; blocked stock; lot query | Expiry tracked on shelf labels only |
| Integrations | High | Ready connectors for your channels, with live references | “We can integrate with anything” |
| Cut-off and exceptions | Medium | Written cut-off, defined as carrier handover, exceptions agreed | Promised delivery times |
| Order accuracy | High | Written definition, measured figure, monthly report | No definition or no number |
| B2B and B2C | Medium | One stock, two flows, priority rules | Inventory physically split per channel |
| Import and customs | High for foreign brands | Clearance and bonded storage in the same contract | “Talk to a customs broker” |
| Pricing scope | High | Itemised list with exclusions stated | One rate per order, nothing else |
| Returns | Medium | Inspection, outcome per return, dispute records | Returns stored unprocessed |
| Certificates and insurance | Medium | In the provider’s legal name, in date, cover explained | Certificates “in progress” |
| Onboarding and exit | Medium | Dated plan; clear notice, data and stock transfer terms | Exit terms not in the contract |
Let’s assume: a supplement brand compares two providers
Let’s assume a food-supplement brand with 80 SKUs, all lot- and expiry-tracked, sells on Trendyol and its own store and supplies two pharmacy wholesalers. Provider A quotes a lower pick-and-pack rate; provider B quotes higher. On the scorecard, provider A tracks expiry on shelf labels, has no pharmacy references and bills the Trendyol integration as a project; provider B shows lot-level stock in a customer panel, applies a remaining-shelf-life rule per channel, has the Trendyol connector live and itemises its exclusions. Over a year, the brand’s cost from provider A’s set-up is not the rate difference but the first batch that expires unnoticed, the wholesaler delivery rejected for short shelf life and the integration invoice. The scorecard makes that visible before signing; the headline rate hides it.
Red flags worth naming
- No written definition of order accuracy, or a figure with no method behind it.
- Stock visible only in reports sent on request.
- Integrations described as possible rather than live.
- A cut-off that is “flexible” and a same-day promise that means delivery.
- A price list with one line.
- Certificates issued to a different legal entity, or expired.
- Exit terms that are not in the contract.
What you get when you ask Logvance these questions
Logvance has operated from its headquarters and warehouses in Ataşehir, İstanbul, since 2019, with an additional warehouse in Neu-Ulm, Germany, all on the same system and team. We provide condition-controlled storage for cosmetics, dermocosmetics, OTC products and food supplements, and our own warehouse management system tracks stock, orders and returns by SKU, lot and expiry date, with FEFO picking enforced on the handheld terminal. Trendyol, Hepsiburada, Amazon, n11 and Pazarama, together with Shopify, Ticimax, IdeaSoft and ikas stores and Logo and Mikro ERPs, are connected through ready integrations and fulfilled from one stock. Orders received before the 14:00 cut-off on a working day are prepared for that day’s carrier collection. Our measured order accuracy is 99.99%. Customs clearance, bonded warehousing and international shipping are part of the same operation, and our certificates, ISO/IEC 27001, ISO 45001, a quality management system and GDP, are issued in the name of YKY Lojistik Tic. Ltd. Şti. Pricing is quoted per project against the itemised scope above. Our 3PL and contract logistics page describes the full scope.
To run the twelve questions against us, request a quote with your product group, channels and monthly volume, or write to us through the contact page.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the difference between a 3PL and a fulfillment company?
- A fulfillment company stores stock and picks, packs and ships e-commerce orders. A 3PL, or third-party logistics provider, covers that and the wider operation: B2B distribution, transport, customs, bonded storage and returns under one contract. In Türkiye most providers describe themselves as 3PLs and offer fulfillment as one of their services.
- What is the most important question to ask a 3PL in Türkiye?
- For most brands it is how order accuracy is defined, measured and reported, because that number reaches the customer. For brands with lot- or expiry-tracked products, it is how lot and expiry are managed in the system. For brands outside Türkiye, it is whether import, bonded storage and customs are part of the same contract.
- How should I compare 3PL prices in Türkiye?
- Compare scope, not headline rates. Ask each provider for an itemised list covering receipt, storage, pick and pack, packaging, carrier, returns, kitting and labelling, and for the items billed separately: minimum fee, onboarding, integrations, campaign surcharges, stock counts and exit costs. The cheapest pick-and-pack rate often comes with the longest list of extras.
- Does a 3PL need its own warehouse management system?
- Not necessarily, but you should know whether the system is the provider’s own or licensed, because it determines how fast rules can be adapted to your flows. What matters is a customer login with live stock by SKU and lot, barcode-verified picking, configurable channel rules and monthly KPI reporting from the same data.
- What should the exit terms of a 3PL contract cover?
- The notice period, how your stock is counted and transferred to another warehouse, the format in which you receive your order and stock data, and any exit costs. These should be in the contract from the start. Clear exit terms are a sign of a provider confident in its service.