ShippingCowShippingCow vs Red Stag
Two heavy-goods 3PLs. Different lanes.
Red Stag Fulfillment is a US 3PL for products bigger than a toaster or heavier than 10 lb, with two inland warehouses and quote-only pricing. ShippingCow ships from New Jersey, California and Texas for products that pack into one carton of 50 to 149 lb, with a repair bench for returned powered goods. Both ship heavy goods. They fit different sellers.
ShippingCow and Red Stag, side by side
| Compared on | ShippingCow | Red Stag |
|---|---|---|
| Weight lane | One carton of 50 to 149 lb; 71 to 110 lb is where we focus | Products bigger than a toaster or heavier than 10 lb; no maximum stated |
| Warehouses | Warehouses in New Jersey, California and Texas | Two inland sites: near Knoxville, Tennessee and in Salt Lake City, Utah |
| How you learn the price | A Cost Audit on 30 of your own shipments, wins and losses by weight | A pricing request form; the pricing page lists no prices, minimums or contract lengths |
| Who it is for | 300 or more matching parcels a month, one SKU per carton | Enterprise and fast-growing brands; says it is not a fit if you need many warehouse locations or any outside the US, have thousands of SKUs, need complex returns management or need refrigeration |
| Returns of powered goods | A repair bench for returned powered goods | Lists complex returns management as outside its fit |
Red Stag's statements are from its own pages, checked on Oct 12, 2026. This page compares fit, not price.
The honest framing
Red Stag is a serious heavy-goods 3PL, and it serves a wider weight range than we do. If you ship goods across the whole range above 10 lb, or you want a large inland footprint, start with them. We are narrower: one carton, 50 to 149 lb, shipped from New Jersey, California and Texas, with a repair bench for returned powered goods. If that is your product, the only way to know which costs less is to price your own shipments both ways, not to read either of our websites.
Questions to ask both of us
1. What share of your current volume is cartons of 50 to 149 lb?
2. Show me an invoice line for one of my SKUs, with base rate and each surcharge on its own line.
3. Which warehouse would ship each of my orders, and at what zone?
4. What happens to a returned unit that still powers on?
Sources
| Source | What we took from it |
|---|---|
| Red Stag: homepage | Weight lane ("bigger than a toaster or heavier than 10 pounds"), no maximum stated, enterprise and fast-growing brands, month-to-month or long-term contract |
| Red Stag: get pricing | Pricing is custom; the page lists no prices, minimums or contract lengths |
| Red Stag: who it is not a fit for | Not a fit if you need many warehouse locations or any outside the US, sell apparel as the main product, have thousands of SKUs, need complex returns management or need refrigeration (page updated Aug 13, 2026) |
| Red Stag: locations | Two sites, Knoxville, Tennessee and Salt Lake City, Utah (page updated Aug 1, 2025) |
Competitors' statements are from their own pages, checked on Oct 12, 2026. Ask them to confirm anything that decides your choice.
Questions
Is ShippingCow a Red Stag alternative? +
For products that pack into one carton of 50 to 149 lb, it can be. If you ship a wider range of heavy goods, or want a large inland footprint, Red Stag may fit better. The Cost Audit shows the real numbers on your own shipments.
Does Red Stag publish its prices? +
Not on its pricing page. Red Stag says pricing is custom and sends visitors to a pricing request form. Ours is the Cost Audit, which compares your last 30 shipments line by line.
Which is cheaper, ShippingCow or Red Stag? +
It depends on your product, lanes and volume. Red Stag publishes no prices, so the only honest answer for either of us comes from your own shipments priced both ways.
Qualify, and your first pallet is on us: we truck it in and receive it. For customers who pass the Cost Audit. One pallet.