3PL Inventory Management That Lives on the Warehouse Floor
Great 3PL inventory management is software plus a floor that backs it up. At ShipMonk, every unit is scanned, slotted, counted, and tracked inside our owned fulfillment centers then synced straight to your dashboard.
Customer loyalty starts here – Trusted by the best
The in-house inventory lifecycle
Five stages, one connected system.
Stage 1
Receiving
Every unit scanned against your ASN. Discrepancies photographed on the spot and surfaced in-app.
Stage 2
Storage and slotting
Inventory placed and continuously re-placed for fastest pick.
Stage 3
Accuracy and auditing
Inventory placed and continuously re-placed for fastest pick.
Stage 4
Visibility and control
Every movement logged, time-stamped, and synced to your sales channels in real time.
Stage 5
Compliance and disposition
Lots, expiration dates, serial numbers, holds, and recalls all handled by the system.
Stage 1
Receiving
Nothing reaches sellable stock until it’s verified.
Create an ASN before the truck arrives and sync your dock appointment — so your inventory is expected and ready to receive. Every unit is scanned against the ASN at receipt: any discrepancy in quantity, SKU, lot, expiration, or condition triggers a Quality Guard photo, stored in your ShipMonk account as timestamped evidence you can use to dispute directly with your supplier. Clean units go straight to sellable stock, typically within 24 hours.
Stage 2
Storage and slotting
Your inventory is placed to move, not just to sit.
Inventory undergoes continuous slotting – fast movers get prime locations, products that ship together become neighbors.
We deplete pallet locations fully before opening new ones and cap billing at optimal storage; if our handling spreads your product across more space than it needs, that is on us, not your invoice.
Storage options include four bin sizes, pallet positions, secure, garment-on-hanger, temperature-controlled (below 77°F), and master carton handling. B2B orders support carton-level picking by lot, FEFO, or retailer shelf-life requirements.
Stage 3
Accuracy and auditing
Your numbers match the shelf. We make sure of it.
- Cycle counts confirm product locations continuously — not once a quarter.
- Full audits use a three-count methodology: first count sets the number, second verifies it, third resolves any difference. Watch all three in real time.
- Audited units are held out of order allocation until the count resolves.
- Every adjustment carries a full audit trail, exportable to CSV.
Stage 4
Visibility and control
If it happened to your inventory, there’s a scan for it.
“We lose control when we outsource” is a common fear brands share about 3PLs. The answer is real-time inventory tracking, backed by an operation that logs everything. Every receipt, move, pick, and pack is logged with a time stamp and synced live to your storefronts. Set safety stock to prevent overselling, track every unit of shrink in the movement report, and see days of stock remaining at current velocity.
Scan-level event logging
Every receipt, move, pick, and pack recorded
Live channel sync
Counts pushed to connected storefronts in real time
Movement history
Full audit trail of every adjustment and shrink
Overselling protection
Safety stock held back from available-to-sell quantities
Audit transparency
Three-count audits viewable in real time
Lot and expiration tracking
Captured at receipt, enforced through to the pick
Stage 5
Compliance and disposition
Regulated, recalled, or just careful – the system has you covered
Lot and expiration control
Track any SKU by lot, expiration date, or both. FIFO or FEFO enforced automatically
at the pick.
Product serialization
Serial numbers scanned at the pack station for warranty and defective-unit traceability on the SKUs you specify.
Holds, quarantines, and recalls on demand
Place any lot, SKU, or inbound shipment on hold and release it when ready. Held stock stays out of the pick queue. When a recall hits, lot-level traceability isolates exactly what’s affected.
Built to pass an audit before it's called
- FDA-registered facilities
- cGMP-aligned procedures
- SOC 2 Type II certified
- lot and expiration traceability from receipt
What happens next
Once an order ships, inventory moves into fulfillment. Returns are processed in the same facility so units go straight back into sellable stock, no detour to a separate returns provider. One source of truth keeps your counts clean throughout.
Get inventory you can actually trust.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does a 3PL keep inventory accurate?
Cycle counts, real-time three-count audits, and an audit trail on every adjustment. ShipMonk logs every inventory movement as a scan and gives you reporting to see it all.
Does ShipMonk support lot tracking and expiration dates?
Yes — any SKU, by lot number, expiration date, or both. Captured at receiving and enforced through to the pick.
Can ShipMonk track serial numbers?
Yes. Scanned at the pack station for warranty and defective-unit tracking on the SKUs you specify.
How does ShipMonk handle receiving errors?
Quality Guard photographs every discrepancy and surfaces the evidence to you immediately.
How is 3PL storage billed at ShipMonk?
We bill on optimal storage, deplete pallet locations fully before opening new ones, and absorb any extra space created by our own handling.
Can I put inventory on hold?
Yes, on demand for quality checks, audits, or recalls. Held stock is automatically kept out of the pick queue.
Does ShipMonk offer real-time inventory tracking?
Yes. Every receipt, move, pick, and pack is a time-stamped scan, with live counts synced to your connected storefronts and marketplaces.
How does ShipMonk audit inventory?
Three-count methodology: first count sets the number, second verifies it, third resolves any discrepancy. Watch all three in real time and export results to CSV.
