Black Friday week, followed closely by Cyber Monday on November 30, means peak sales potential for Australian ecommerce brands. In the weeks after, a second wave arrives in the form of returned stock. If that stock sits unprocessed, it can’t be resold, which hurts in fast-moving categories like fashion & apparel, where getting sellable inventory back online immediately matters.
To avoid a post-sale bottleneck, establish a clear returns agreement with your 3PL provider before peak begins. This is often written up as a service level agreement (SLA). Here are the three core points to settle upfront.
Processing Time
During standard trade, returns move at a steady pace. But during promotional periods, they can queue behind outbound orders, unless expectations are set in advance.
Every 3PL has different baseline processing capabilities, so turnaround times can vary with product complexity and order volume. Rather than relying on general timelines, work with your provider to define how fast an item goes back in stock once it’s been inspected and graded. Once you’ve agreed, providing your partner a clear returns processing SOP helps them meet the target without back-and-forth communication.
Inbound Capacity Boundaries
When outbound dispatch volumes peak, receiving docks can get bottlenecked if the space for returned items isn’t planned in advance. If a warehouse prioritises outbound shipping without dedicated space for inbound processing, returned inventory accumulates in transit areas. This creates clutter, increases handling errors, and delays stock availability. Avoid it by discussing:
- Daily receipt volume. If you’re willing to disclose, share your forecasted sales and estimated return volumes with your 3PL so they can allocate dock space and labour.
- Physical processing zones. Ask whether your logistics partner assigns an area within the facility for receiving and evaluating returned parcels separately from active order picking lines.
- Scalable labour. Confirm how your 3PL scales labour during peak weeks following big sales events like Black Friday.
Reporting and Inventory Visibility
Automated data sharing helps you to accurately manage stock levels, decide how to handle returns, or track product quality issues. Discuss how your ecommerce platform integrates with their WMS and which platforms they support.
Another thing to agree on is automatic inventory updates, so once an item is inspected, the stock count adjusts in your WMS and across your active sales channels. At TSF Logistics, our built-in 3PL API integrations give live stock updates across major ecommerce sales channels, including Shopify and WooCommerce, as well as custom ERP. With real-time visibility, we keep our eyes on your reverse logistics returns from the moment they land at our warehouse, to when they’re carried to inspection and finally restocked.
Optionally, you can agree on regular reporting based on categorised reason codes, such as sizing mismatch or incorrect item sent, so your team can address recurring issues early.
Keep Communication Clear for Your Next Peak Season Returns
Setting these points before Black Friday with your 3PL helps your business manage post-sale volumes smoothly. They can be adapted to what your brand needs. The key is to keep communication open around them, so you can turn a complex operational phase into a reliable process.
TSF Logistics works closely with our partners across various verticals to design fulfillment workflows that suit their needs. From our Melbourne facility, our team understands the importance of using the right packaging sizes, picking accuracy, and transparent communication to support your growth through every peak season. If you’re evaluating your current fulfilment setup for the next season, contact our team today. We’ll be honest about what works for you.