Tips on Choosing a 3PL Provider

I'm still trying to find the balance between posting on useful entrepreneurial information and some of my er, other interest that spill over into politics and economics. I can't help myself, but I suspect that posting will tend back towards the business side as I leave again back to China/HK Tuesday.

Anyway, for those not as familiar with the lingo, that's a third party logistics provider - like a travel agent but for freight and warehousing. Useful link - and even more useful for anyone who does shipping - because just like travel agents, not all 3PL providers are the same. My general rule of thumb is that it is quite rare that the provider that initially appears cheapest turns out to be the least costly. I also recommend using a 3PL so that you don't have to navigate the byzantine maze of importing a product yourself.