If you're reading this, you've probably just received the email no e-commerce brand wants to get: your fulfilment partner is leaving your market. Whether byrd has notified you directly or you've heard through industry channels, the message is the same — you need a new Italian 3PL, and you need one fast.
Take a breath. You have more time than you think, and switching fulfilment providers doesn't have to mean weeks of downtime or lost orders. We've migrated dozens of brands into our facilities in Lombardy, many under tighter deadlines than yours. This guide walks you through exactly what to do, when to do it, and what to watch out for.
What's Actually Happening with Byrd in Italy?
Byrd, the Vienna-headquartered fulfilment network, has been restructuring its European warehouse footprint. For brands relying on their Italian operations, this means one thing: you need to find a new home for your Italian inventory and order fulfilment.
The good news? This isn't your first supply chain challenge, and it doesn't have to be your worst. The Italian e-commerce market grew by 13% in 2024 and shows no signs of slowing. Your customers are still buying — you just need to keep shipping.
The 5 Things You Need from Your Next Italian 3PL
Before you start comparing providers, know what to look for. Not every fulfilment centre is built for the same type of business. Here's what matters most for international brands shipping into and within Italy:
1. Marketplace and Platform Integrations — Already Live
You don't have time to wait for custom API development. Your new 3PL should connect to your sales channels on day one.
At Fulfilment4Italy, we integrate with over 100 marketplaces and 13 e-commerce platforms through our technology stack — Ongoing WMS paired with Qapla' — covering Shopify, WooCommerce, Magento, PrestaShop, BigCommerce, Amazon, eBay, Etsy, TikTok Shop, Temu, ManoMano, and many more. If you're selling on it, we're probably already connected to it.
2. Regulatory Knowledge for Your Product Category
Italy has specific compliance requirements that catch many international brands off guard. Supplements need Ministero della Salute notification. Cosmetics fall under EU Cosmetics Regulation 1223/2009. Electronics require proper CE marking documentation.
Your 3PL should know these rules without needing to Google them.
3. Address Quality and Delivery Success
Italian addresses are notoriously inconsistent — abbreviations, missing postal codes, apartment numbers in the wrong field. A good 3PL doesn't just print the label; it fixes the address before dispatch.
Our AI tool, Iris, automatically corrects approximately 90% of problematic addresses, dramatically reducing failed deliveries and return costs.
4. Multilingual Support
If your previous 3PL communicated with you in English or German, your new one should too. Our team speaks Italian, English, Dutch, German, French, and Spanish. No translation delays. No miscommunication about your inventory or orders.
5. Temperature Control (If You Need It)
If you sell supplements, cosmetics, or anything sensitive to heat, your warehouse needs temperature control — not just in winter, but especially during Italian summers when warehouse temperatures can exceed 40°C.
Our 5,000 m² across two facilities in Lombardy — Cassano Magnago and Gazzada — are fully temperature-controlled year-round.
Your Migration Timeline: 14 Days from First Call to First Shipment
Here's how a typical migration to Fulfilment4Italy works, based on real brand transitions:
Discovery & Integration Setup
We review your product catalogue, sales channels, and order volumes. Our tech team connects your platforms to our WMS and Qapla' integration layer. For standard platforms (Shopify, WooCommerce, etc.), this is typically same-day.
We also set up your Minerva customer portal so you have real-time visibility from day one.
Inventory Transfer & Receiving
We coordinate the physical transfer of your stock from your current warehouse. This includes arranging transport, receiving and quality-checking each SKU, and mapping your inventory into our system with full batch and expiry tracking (critical for supplements and cosmetics).
If you're shipping new stock directly from your manufacturer, we coordinate receiving schedules to avoid gaps.
Parallel Running & Go-Live
We run test orders through the full cycle — pick, pack, label, dispatch — while your existing provider handles remaining stock. Once you're satisfied with the output, we flip the switch.
Your carrier accounts (BRT, GLS, DHL, Poste Italiane, etc.) are configured, and orders flow automatically.
What Makes Fulfilment4Italy Different from Another Byrd?
You might be thinking: "I just got burned by a fulfilment network that pulled out of Italy. Why would I trust another provider?"
Fair question. Here's the honest answer.
Byrd operates a network model — they contract warehouse space across multiple countries and optimise for scale across Europe. When a market doesn't perform to target, they restructure. That's a legitimate business model, but it means your Italian operations are always one quarterly review away from disruption.
We're different in a structural way. Fulfilment4Italy is owner-operated. Our founder, Dagmar, doesn't just manage the business — he works in the warehouse. This is our only market, our only facility, our only focus. We're not going to "exit Italy" because Italy is all we do.
| Factor | Network Model (e.g. Byrd) | Fulfilment4Italy |
|---|---|---|
| Market commitment | Part of a multi-country portfolio | 100% Italy-focused — it's in our name |
| Ownership | VC-backed, reporting to investors | Owner-operated, accountable to clients |
| Point of contact | Account manager (may change) | Direct line to the founder and team |
| Italian expertise | Local partner / contractor | In-house team, multilingual, on the ground |
| Technology | Proprietary (lock-in risk) | Open ecosystem: Ongoing WMS + Qapla' + Iris AI |
| Regulatory knowledge | Generic EU compliance | Italy-specific: Ministero della Salute, CPNP, CE |
The Migration Checklist: What to Prepare Before You Call
Speed up your migration by having the following ready when you reach out:
- Current SKU list with dimensions, weights, and any storage requirements (temperature, fragile, hazmat)
- Average monthly order volume and peak season expectations
- List of active sales channels (marketplaces, webshops, platforms)
- Current carrier preferences or requirements
- Byrd wind-down timeline (if confirmed)
- Any regulatory documentation (supplement notifications, cosmetic product safety reports)
- Packaging requirements and branding materials (inserts, branded boxes, etc.)
- Return handling preferences and policies
Don't have everything ready? That's fine. Start the conversation anyway. We've onboarded brands with nothing more than a Shopify URL and a rough order count. The checklist above makes things faster, but it's not a prerequisite for your first call.
What About Cross-Border? Selling into Italy from Abroad
If you've been using byrd's Italian warehouse to ship domestically within Italy while managing your brand from Germany, the Netherlands, the UK, or elsewhere — your setup doesn't need to change. Fulfilment4Italy exists precisely for this use case.
Through our partnership with Salesupply, we're part of a broader European fulfilment network spanning 14+ countries. And with Jack Sporck representing us in the Netherlands, Belgium, and North Rhine-Westphalia, you have a local point of contact if you're based in the Benelux or western Germany. He brings over 50 years of international logistics experience — and he speaks your language.
Your stock sits in Italy. Your orders ship within Italy (and across Europe via our carrier network). You manage everything remotely through Minerva, our customer portal, which has already processed over 137,000 orders.
Frequently Asked Questions
How quickly can we actually go live?
Most brands are shipping within 10–14 days of first contact. If your integrations are standard (Shopify, WooCommerce, Amazon) and your products don't require special compliance documentation, it can be faster.
Will there be any downtime in order fulfilment?
Our goal — and our track record — is zero lost orders during migration. We run parallel operations during the transition: your previous provider handles existing stock while we ramp up. Orders don't stop.
What does it cost?
We offer transparent, per-order pricing with no hidden fees. Storage, pick-and-pack, and shipping are quoted separately so you can model your costs accurately. Migration itself carries no setup fee for brands transitioning from byrd.
Can you handle our returns?
Yes. We process returns, perform quality inspection, and restock items back into inventory. For regulated products (supplements, cosmetics), we follow category-specific return protocols.
What if we sell on multiple marketplaces?
That's our sweet spot. With 100+ marketplace integrations through Qapla', we handle multi-channel fulfilment from a single inventory pool. Amazon, eBay, Etsy, TikTok Shop, your own Shopify store — all fulfilled from one warehouse, with unified stock management.
Don't Wait for the Wind-Down Deadline
Every day you delay is a day closer to potential fulfilment gaps. Start the conversation now — even if you're still weighing your options.