Best 3PLs for Apparel and Clothing

By EFC Editorial · Updated September 28, 2026 · How we research

Quick answer

For growing DTC clothing brands, Stord is the strongest shortlist pick, with apparel clients such as True Classic and American Giant. Barrett Distribution suits apparel brands selling wholesale and retail that need garment-on-hanger handling. Radial suits enterprise fashion brands. Kase suits brands wanting a five-site US network. LVK Logistics suits mid-size brands wanting ShipHero's WMS. OC3PL suits startup clothing brands with no minimums. All six quote per client; none publishes apparel rates.

Key takeaways

Apparel's hard parts are SKU count (every size and color is a SKU) and returns volume; judge a 3PL on those, not on pick-and-pack speed.
Barrett is the only provider here that publishes garment-on-hanger (GOH) service.
None of the six picks publishes pricing; ShipCalm and Simpl do publish rates and list apparel fulfillment.
Returns are a core cost for clothing brands, and Kase's apparel page notes that apparel has some of the highest return rates in ecommerce.
If you sell wholesale, confirm EDI, retailer labeling and GOH support in writing.

Best for scaling DTC apparel brands: Stord

Stord's apparel page names True Classic, goodr and American Giant, and covers footwear, eyewear, intimates, bags and accessories brands. It runs its own WMS and OMS across 20+ omnichannel nodes plus 80+ network facilities (its claim), which suits brands splitting inventory across regions. It's quote-only and aimed at mid-market and enterprise, and its apparel page doesn't detail GOH, polybagging or size-matrix handling.

Visit Stord

Best for apparel brands selling wholesale and retail: Barrett Distribution Centers

Barrett lists apparel and footwear as an industry, offers garment-on-hanger service, ticketing, labeling and bar coding, and names Carhartt and Fruit of the Loom among its apparel clients. It has operated since 1941 and claims 25+ US facilities. Not a fit for a small DTC-only brand: it publishes no pricing or minimums and targets mid-market and enterprise shippers.

Visit Barrett Distribution Centers

Best for enterprise fashion brands: Radial (becoming Paxon)

Radial lists apparel, footwear and accessories among its retail lines, sells returns management, and names fashion clients including Cole Haan, Hey Dude, YoungLA and White Fox. It also sells payments and fraud services alongside fulfillment. It's rebranding to Paxon during 2026, publishes no pricing, and is built for large brands rather than startups.

Visit Radial (becoming Paxon)

Best for a multi-site US network with proprietary software: Kase (formerly Kase Fulfillment)

Kase's apparel page addresses size, color and style SKU growth and returns, and it runs five named sites in Fontana, CA, Sunnyvale, TX, the Chicago area, Columbus, OH and Northampton, PA on a proprietary OMS/WMS. It claims 99.97% order accuracy. It doesn't publish pricing or minimums, and its apparel page doesn't mention GOH, polybagging or EDI.

Visit Kase (formerly Kase Fulfillment)

Best for mid-size brands wanting ShipHero's WMS: LVK Logistics (formerly ShipHero Fulfillment)

LVK is ShipHero's former fulfillment arm, spun out in 2024, and runs six North American warehouses on the ShipHero WMS for DTC and B2B orders. It names apparel among its three focus sectors, with Orthofeet and The Chosen as apparel clients. It publishes no pricing, minimums or returns detail on its homepage.

Visit LVK Logistics (formerly ShipHero Fulfillment)

Best for startup clothing brands: OC3PL

OC3PL pitches itself to apparel brands with complex catalogs, describing its process as SKU-sorted and size-sensitive, and says it has no minimum order quantities. It advertises same-day dispatch, custom kitting, returns inspection and restocking, and 90+ integrations. It operates in the Orange County, CA area only and publishes no pricing, so East Coast customers will be in distant shipping zones.

Visit OC3PL

What should an apparel brand look for in a 3PL?

SKU depth: one style in six sizes and five colors is 30 SKUs. The 3PL needs clean slotting and a WMS that handles variants without mispicks.
Returns processing: inspection, grading (restock, refurbish, dispose) and fast restocking so returned sizes go back on sale. Ask the turnaround time from receipt to sellable.
Garment on hanger (GOH): needed for some wholesale and retail programs. Few 3PLs publish it.
Polybagging and labeling: retailer-specific labels, UPCs and bagging.
Seasonal peaks: drops and holiday surges; ask about labor planning.
Wholesale and EDI: if you sell to department stores or boutiques, confirm EDI and routing-guide compliance.

If retail matters as much as DTC, see our B2B and retail 3PL comparison.

Which 3PLs are best for clothing?

Provider	Apparel signal	Returns	GOH	Warehouses	Pricing
Stord	Apparel page; True Classic, goodr, American Giant	Mentioned	Not stated	20+ nodes + 80+ network (claim)	Quote
Barrett	Apparel & footwear; Carhartt, Fruit of the Loom	Returns processing	Yes	25+ US (claim)	Quote
Radial	Apparel retail line; Cole Haan, Hey Dude	Returns management	Not stated	Not published	Quote
Kase	Apparel page on SKU and returns	Mentioned	Not stated	5 named US sites	Quote
LVK Logistics	Apparel focus; Orthofeet, The Chosen	Not stated	Not stated	6 in North America	Quote
OC3PL	Apparel-focused, no MOQs	Inspection and restocking	Not stated	Orange County, CA	Quote

Signals come from each provider's own website. Treat "not stated" as a question to ask, not a no.

How do 3PLs handle apparel returns?

A typical apparel returns flow at a 3PL: the parcel is received and matched to an order, the item is inspected, then it's restocked, sent for rework (re-bagging, re-tagging) or disposed of. The 3PL updates inventory so the size is sellable again.

What varies, and what you should ask:

Time to restock: days from receipt to sellable. Slow restocks mean lost sales in core sizes.
Grading rules: who decides what's resellable, and whether you can set rules per SKU.
Returns portal integration: Stord and Radial sell returns management; ShipBob, Red Stag and ShipMonk list Loop Returns among their integrations in our data.
Cost: most apparel picks here don't publish returns fees. Fulfyld, which lists apparel as a specialty, publishes $3.50 for the first item and $0.50 per additional item.

How much does apparel fulfillment cost?

None of the six picks publishes rates. Providers that do publish rates and list apparel fulfillment include:

ShipCalm: $2.65 per DTC order + $0.95 per item, before postage, with $0.19 per cubic foot per week storage and a weekly platform fee from $49.
Simpl Fulfillment: from $7 per order all-in (up to three picks, postage and packaging), with a $750 monthly minimum.
Fulfyld: all-in averages from $7.74 per order for 4–12 oz packages at its 501–1,000 orders a month tier.

Apparel is usually light and ships in polymailers, so postage is often a smaller share than for heavy goods. Storage can be the surprise: many SKUs with few units each take up many bins. Ask for storage quoted per bin or shelf using your SKU list.

What goes wrong with apparel fulfillment?

Mispicks between neighboring sizes when variants are slotted side by side.
Returns sitting unprocessed during peak, so core sizes show out of stock.
Storage bills that grow with SKU count rather than units.
Retail chargebacks for missing labels, wrong bagging or GOH requirements the 3PL can't meet.
Launch-day drops that exceed the 3PL's labor plan.

Share your size curve, return rate and drop calendar with each 3PL before quoting.

Frequently asked questions

What is garment on hanger (GOH) fulfillment?

GOH means garments are received, stored and shipped on hangers instead of folded, often for retail programs. Barrett is the only provider in this comparison that publishes GOH service.

Is ShipBob good for apparel?

ShipBob lists apparel and accessories among its industries and integrates with Loop Returns. See our ShipBob review for its limitations and reputation signals.

What's the best 3PL for a small clothing brand?

OC3PL says it has no minimum order quantities, and Simpl publishes all-in pricing from $7 per order for brands shipping 50 to 5,000+ orders a month. Both are single-region, so check shipping zones to your customers.

Does Stord handle apparel?

Yes. Stord has an apparel and accessories page naming True Classic, goodr and American Giant, and covers footwear, eyewear and intimates brands. It's quote-only and aimed at mid-market and enterprise.