Your orders are climbing, boxes are stacking up in a spare room, and packing each one by hand eats the hours you need to grow the brand. Handing fulfillment to a 3PL is the usual next step: you buy back your time and you stop touching every box. What that decision does to your cash is the part most founders don’t price in until the first invoice lands. A 3PL, or third-party logistics provider, is a company that stores your inventory, picks and packs your orders, and ships them to your customers. It lets you grow order volume without renting a warehouse, hiring packers, or negotiating carrier contracts yourself.