Prioritize site visits to verify dock configuration, racking, and cold‑storage capacity; evaluate power reliability and backup generation; assess proximity to arterial roads and border crossings; confirm carrier integrations and transit times; require WMS/APIs for inventory visibility and SLA reporting; and demand transparent cost‑to‑serve modeling.

Expect lower land and rent but potentially higher line‑haul and consolidation costs. Mitigate with inventory pooling, scheduled pallet consolidation, regional cross‑docking, seasonal capacity planning, and selecting 3PLs that offer blended carrier rates, local carrier partnerships, and performance‑based billing.

Vendors should provide customs brokerage, bonded/bondable storage options, documentation management for transit and export, phytosanitary and food‑safety handling where relevant, and experience with permits and transit guarantees to minimize border dwell time and clearance risk.