Same Day Out, Next Day In

From my desk today

Every so often, I pull up one ordinary order and follow it from start to finish.

Not because I don’t trust our systems. We’ve built a lot of automation at Randmar to make drop ship run on its own, and most days it does.

But Murphy’s Law never takes a day off. Once in a while, there’s a glitch. When that happens, I want you to know there’s still a human brain on our side, working it out.

This order was as ordinary as they come: a printing cartridge, bought on the website of one of Canada’s large national retailers on Wednesday, September 16.

The customer never knew Randmar existed. They clicked “buy” and waited for a box.

The retailer reality

Drop ship asks you to do something uncomfortable.

You hand your customer’s experience to someone else.

You don’t see the box get packed. You don’t see the truck leave. And if something goes quiet, you’re the one who gets the call:

“Did my order go through?” · “When will it ship?” · “Where is it now?”

Every one of those calls costs you time. Too many of them, and the customer doesn’t come back.

So the real question isn’t whether a distributor can ship. It’s whether they keep you informed the whole way.

Behind the scenes at Randmar

Behind that click, a lot had to go right. I traced the order from the moment it reached us to the moment the box landed on a doorstep in Sarnia, Ontario. Here’s the life of that order. All times are Eastern.

One order, step by step

1. The order arrives — 7:46 a.m.

   The customer’s order lands on the retailer’s drop ship platform. No email, phone call, or retyping. It flows straight to us.

2. We say “got it” — 7:50 a.m.

   Four minutes later, Randmar acknowledges the order. The retailer knows it is in good hands.

3. We pick and pack it in Laval — during the day

   The cartridge comes off the shelf at our Laval hub. It is in stock in Canada; nothing needs to be ordered first.

4. We confirm shipping, with tracking — 10:32 a.m.

   We confirm the shipment to the retailer platform and send the FedEx tracking number with it.

5. We invoice it — 4:00 p.m.

   The paperwork closes the same day.

6. FedEx takes it from here — 6:14 p.m.

   FedEx picks up the parcel at our Laval hub that evening and it travels overnight through Ontario.

7. It is delivered — next day, 2:09 p.m.

   The box reaches Sarnia Thursday afternoon, about 30 hours after acknowledgment.

Source: Randmar order records and FedEx tracking, September 16, 2026.

One order is a story. Thirty days is a pattern.

To make sure that order wasn’t a lucky one, I pulled every drop ship order we closed for that same retailer over the last 30 days. “Closed” means shipped, with tracking sent back to the retailer.

97% of weekday orders received before 3 p.m. were shipped and closed the same day.

3.3 hours was the average received-to-closed time for those orders.

99% of all orders were closed by the next business day.

13.1 hours was the average across all orders, including evening/weekend orders and one backordered item.

What it means for you

If your customer orders in the morning, the box is almost always on its way that afternoon, and you already have the tracking number to prove it.

Source: Randmar, drop ship orders closed for one national retailer, September 15 to October 16, 2026. Times in Eastern time. Reporting-window wording to verify before publication.

Every order follows the same path

That cartridge wasn’t an exception. Here’s how any order moves through Randmar:

1. 01

   Order received

   EDI / Shopify / marketplaces / manual

   →
2. 02

   Order confirmed

   Typically within one hour

   →
3. 03

   Hub fulfills

   Laval or Edmonton, depending on stock

   →
4. 04

   Courier selected

   Best-priced available courier

   →
5. 05

   Tracking returned

   Through the originating order channel

   →
6. 06

   Exceptions handled

   Reseller rules govern shortages

1. It comes in your way. Orders reach us through EDI, Randmar Connect for Shopify, marketplace integrations, or reseller manual entry.
2. We confirm it fast. In most cases, within an hour or less.
3. The closest hub ships it. Laval or Edmonton, unless the SKU is stocked only at the other hub.
4. The right courier carries it. We work with major couriers and select the best price for each shipment.
5. Tracking comes back the same way. Within an hour of shipping, tracking is returned through the originating channel.
6. Short on stock? Your rules apply. We follow the reseller’s configured preferences for complete shipments, backorders, and other exceptions.

What made it work

• The order came in automatically, so nobody had to key it in.
• It arrived before the 3 p.m. local cut-off, so it shipped the same day.
• The product was already in stock at our Laval hub.
• We selected the best-priced courier, and the parcel crossed Ontario overnight.
• The retailer had a tracking number before lunch.

Your turn

How long does it take your customers to get a tracking number today?

Randmar. Your growth is our business.