Electronics
Electronics and battery fulfillment
Most warehouses quietly decline anything with a lithium cell in it. We ship them, domestically and internationally — and we will tell you early if yours is one we cannot move.
Electronics fulfillment turns on three things a general warehouse is usually not set up for: shipping lithium batteries under the right UN number and packing rules, keeping high-value stock controlled and countable, and evaluating returns rather than simply restocking them. We handle battery shipments domestically and internationally, can hold serialized inventory where a program needs it, and do basic functional testing and returns evaluation. We are not a repair depot, and we do not test or certify batteries ourselves.
Batteries are the part most warehouses will not touch
Lithium cells are regulated freight, and the rules are not one rule. What applies to your shipment depends on the UN number — broadly, cells and batteries shipped on their own, batteries packed with equipment, and batteries installed in equipment are treated differently — and then on the mode, the carrier, the watt-hours or lithium content, the state of charge, and for international freight the destination country and the carrier’s own embargoes.
Two practical consequences are worth knowing before you choose a warehouse. A device shipped with its battery installed is normally far simpler to move than a loose spare cell, so how you package the product changes what fulfillment costs and how fast it goes out. And the rules move: we work to the carrier’s current requirements rather than a printout from two years ago.
What we need from you before the first shipment: the UN number, the watt-hour rating or lithium content, the UN 38.3 test summary from your manufacturer, and a safety data sheet where one applies. If you do not have the test summary, your factory does, and it is worth getting before you ship.
High-value stock, counted and controlled
Electronics shrink differently from apparel. Stock is segregated, cycle counted, and we can capture serial numbers on outbound orders where a program calls for it — useful for warranty, for retailer requirements, and for working out what actually happened to a unit later.
Serialized handling is available rather than automatic, so raise it at quote time. It changes the pick process and we would rather build it in than bolt it on.
Returns are where electronics margin is won or lost
A returned electronic item is not simply restockable. We do basic functional testing and returns evaluation — works, does not work, missing parts, physically damaged — and sort to your disposition rules so good stock goes back on the shelf quickly and the rest does not quietly contaminate your sellable inventory.
To be clear about the limit: this is evaluation and sorting, not repair. We do not refurbish to a certified standard and we do not replace batteries.
Amazon, retail and DTC in the same building
We run Amazon prep alongside direct-to-consumer and retail freight: FNSKU labeling, polybagging and case configuration, with battery-containing items handled to Amazon’s own requirements for them. About half of what leaves the building is B2B or retail rather than DTC, so a program that starts online and later lands a retailer does not need to move warehouses.
Where we are the wrong fit
Cheaper to know now than to find out in month three:
- We are not a repair or refurbishment depot.
- We do not perform UN 38.3 testing or issue test summaries. That is your manufacturer’s job.
- Damaged, recalled or defective batteries are a separate category with their own handling rules. We will not take them without agreeing the handling in advance, and sometimes the honest answer is a specialist.
- Storage is ambient only. No refrigerated or frozen space.
- We are not the importer of record on your inbound freight.
- No alcohol, and no GFSI-scheme certification such as SQF or BRCGS.
The commercial terms
Palletized receiving is free; floor-loaded freight carries an hourly rate to palletize it for movement and storage. Standard inventory coverage is $2,500 per pallet with higher limits available for a fee. Same-day cutoff is 9:00am Pacific, our order error rate runs under 1%, there is no long-term contract and no peak-season volume commitment. Full detail is on the pricing page.
Common questions
Can you ship lithium batteries?
Yes, domestically and internationally. What applies to your shipment depends on the UN number, the watt-hour rating or lithium content, whether the battery ships alone or inside the device, the carrier, the mode and the destination. Send us those details and we will tell you what we can move and how, before you commit.
Can you ship batteries by air?
Sometimes, and it depends on the same factors. A device with the battery installed is generally far easier to move by air than a loose spare cell, and some combinations are ground-only or carrier-restricted outright. We will tell you which category your product falls into rather than discovering it at the dock.
Can you capture serial numbers on outbound orders?
Yes, where a program needs it. Serialized handling is available rather than standard, so raise it when you ask for a quote — it changes the pick process and we would rather build it in from the start.
Do you test returned electronics?
We do basic functional testing and returns evaluation, and sort to your disposition rules. It is evaluation and sorting rather than repair: we do not refurbish to a certified standard and we do not replace batteries.
Do you handle damaged or recalled batteries?
Not without agreeing the handling in advance. Damaged, defective and recalled cells are a separate regulatory category with their own packaging and transport rules, and for some situations the right answer is a specialist rather than us.
Tell us what is in the box.
Send the UN number, the watt-hour rating and how the battery ships — installed, packed alongside, or on its own. You will get a straight answer on what we can move, and a line-by-line quote rather than a discovery call.