Who Does Playingcarddecks Use for Warehousing & Fulfillment?

PlayingCardDecks.com uses Speed Commerce as their primary third-party logistics (3PL) and fulfillment partner.

Introduction to PlayingCardDecks.com

Founded by Will Roya in April 2017, PlayingCardDecks.com has quickly established itself as a leading online retailer specializing in playing cards. With an impressive inventory of approximately 1,500 different deck types and around 50,000 total decks in stock, the company has built a strong reputation in the playing card collecting community. Their dedication to quality and customer service has resulted in an impressive 50% return customer rate and consistent 5-star reviews.

Operating from a physical office and warehouse location, PlayingCardDecks.com processes thousands of orders monthly, with thousands of decks moving through their inventory weekly. As a specialized eCommerce retailer in the Arts & Entertainment niche, they've carved out a unique position in the market by educating customers about unique and collectible decks.

Why PlayingCardDecks.com Needed to Optimize Fulfillment

As PlayingCardDecks.com experienced rapid growth, they encountered several significant challenges that necessitated a more sophisticated fulfillment solution:

• Scaling difficulties: Finding efficient ways to expand operations while maintaining service quality became increasingly difficult
• Inventory management complexity: Coordinating inventory across multiple platforms including their website, eBay, and Amazon created logistical challenges
• Cash flow constraints: Managing product procurement while maintaining healthy cash flow proved to be a "constant challenge"
• Shipping logistics: As order volume increased, shipping became more complex and resource-intensive
• Warehouse space limitations: Limited physical space constrained growth potential
• Peak period management: Handling seasonal spikes in demand required additional resources

With their initial system of a dedicated shipping staff member and alphabetically-organized shelves becoming increasingly inadequate for their growing business, PlayingCardDecks.com needed a more robust solution to maintain their commitment to quick order fulfillment and shipping.

The Speed Commerce Solution

To address these challenges, PlayingCardDecks.com partnered with Speed Commerce, a 3PL provider specializing in eCommerce fulfillment for specialty products like playing cards. Speed Commerce implemented a comprehensive solution including:

1. Multi-location fulfillment: Access to fulfillment centers in strategic locations including California, Arizona, and Arkansas, enabling faster shipping nationwide
2. Advanced inventory management: High-accuracy inventory tracking system to coordinate stock across all sales channels
3. Omnichannel integration: Seamless connection with multiple eCommerce platforms including Magento, Etsy, eBay, and Walmart
4. Scalable warehousing: Expanded storage capacity to accommodate PlayingCardDecks.com's extensive inventory
5. Efficient pick & pack services: Optimized order processing to ensure accuracy and speed
6. Returns management: Streamlined handling of returns and exchanges
7. Express shipping options: Implementation of 2-day shipping to improve customer satisfaction
8. Kitting and assembly: Special handling for custom playing card sets and promotional packages

Partnership Results and Benefits

The partnership between PlayingCardDecks.com and Speed Commerce has yielded significant benefits, addressing the key challenges that were limiting the company's growth potential:

• Enhanced scalability: With Speed Commerce's infrastructure, PlayingCardDecks.com can now handle higher order volumes without operational strain
• Improved inventory accuracy: Better tracking and management across multiple sales channels
• Faster delivery times: Strategic fulfillment center locations enable 2-day shipping to most customers
• Reduced operational costs: Lower per-order fulfillment costs through economies of scale
• Freed-up resources: Internal staff can focus on core business activities like marketing and product sourcing
• Better peak period handling: Flexible capacity to manage seasonal demand fluctuations
• Enhanced customer satisfaction: More reliable shipping and delivery has further improved their already strong customer ratings

Lessons for Other eCommerce Brands

The PlayingCardDecks.com and Speed Commerce partnership offers valuable insights for other eCommerce businesses considering 3PL solutions:

1. Specialty expertise matters: Choosing a 3PL with experience in your specific product category (like specialty fulfillment) ensures proper handling and understanding of your unique requirements
2. Multi-channel integration is essential: For businesses selling across different platforms, seamless inventory synchronization is crucial to prevent overselling and stockouts
3. Strategic location selection: Working with a 3PL that has fulfillment centers in key geographic areas can significantly reduce shipping times and costs
4. Scalability should be prioritized: Select a 3PL partner that can grow with your business and handle seasonal peaks without service degradation

Is Speed Commerce Right for Your Business?

While Speed Commerce has proven to be an excellent fit for PlayingCardDecks.com, businesses should consider these factors when evaluating if they're the right partner:

• Product type: Speed Commerce excels with specialty items like playing cards, collectibles, and similar products that require careful handling
• Business size: They're equipped to handle both growing mid-sized businesses and larger enterprises
• Sales channels: If you sell across multiple platforms, their omnichannel capabilities are particularly valuable
• Geographic needs: Their multiple fulfillment centers are ideal for businesses requiring nationwide coverage
• Integration requirements: Consider whether your existing systems will integrate with their technology stack

To find the best 3PL partner for your specific needs, consider using a fulfillment matchmaking service that can help identify the most suitable providers based on your unique requirements.

Final Thoughts

The partnership between PlayingCardDecks.com and Speed Commerce demonstrates how the right 3PL relationship can transform operational challenges into growth opportunities. By leveraging Speed Commerce's expertise in eCommerce fulfillment and their specialized capabilities for handling playing cards, PlayingCardDecks.com has been able to focus on their core strengths: curating unique products and building customer relationships.

For specialty retailers facing similar challenges, particularly those in the collectibles fulfillment space, this case study highlights the importance of finding a logistics partner with both the technical capabilities and the specialized knowledge to handle unique products with care.

As eCommerce continues to evolve, partnerships between specialized retailers and capable 3PL providers like Speed Commerce will become increasingly important in delivering the seamless shopping experiences that customers expect.