Growing Merch Brand Gains Control & Speed With New Fulfillment Partner

Top Drawer Merch is no stranger to the fast-paced world of music, entertainment and creator-led brands. With dozens of artist-specific merch lines under their umbrella, they serve a loyal fan base that expects fast delivery, quality products and reliable returns.

But as their roster of creators expanded and product lines multiplied, cracks started to show with their previous third-party logistics (3PL) provider. Managing inventory across sub-brands became a guessing game, returns processing lagged and warehouse space was limited. Top Drawer Merch needed more than a warehouse—they needed a fulfillment partner with the speed, flexibility and structure to support their next phase of growth.

They turned to G&B Fulfillment, a 3PL and warehouse management company with deep roots in the apparel and consumer goods industries. Known for supporting high-SKU, high-velocity businesses, G&B Fulfillment worked closely with Top Drawer Merch to strengthen operations, boost inventory visibility and reduce turnaround times for merch drops.

The Challenge: Managing Merch Growth Without Losing Control

As a merch provider for dozens of entertainment brands, Top Drawer Merch operates in a high-pressure environment where drops, restocks and limited-edition releases happen fast, and expectations are even faster. But with growth came complexity. 

Each artist-specific line added SKUs, variants and packaging requirements. Their previous 3PL struggled to provide clear inventory visibility across sub-brands, making it difficult to forecast demand or respond to customer needs.

Returns also became a headache. With apparel, sizing and fit issues naturally drive return volume. Also, the returns from artist venues and events would come back to the warehouse, post-event, in a varied fashion each and every time. But without a structured process, products piled up, restocking slowed and customer frustration grew.

Without the right fulfillment infrastructure, Top Drawer Merch risked delayed shipments, lost inventory and stalled growth. They needed a partner who understood both the demands of apparel and the operational needs of creator-led brands. 

The Solution: Scalable Fulfillment with SKU-Level Control

Top Drawer Merch partnered with G&B Fulfillment to build a foundation for long-term success. The G&B Fulfillment team started with a structured onboarding process, mapping every SKU, variant and sub-brand into their warehouse management system. This provided instant visibility at the brand and product level, making it easier to track inventory, plan merch drops and maintain accuracy.

G&B Fulfillment’s expertise in apparel fulfillment played a crucial role. Their team developed dedicated workflows for returns processing, reducing restocking times and ensuring returned items were quickly inspected and reintegrated into sellable inventory.

With G&B Fulfillment managing fulfillment, Top Drawer Merch gained faster access to key markets, reducing shipping times for customers and improving the experience around new product releases.

The Result: Faster Drops, Smoother Returns and Room to Grow

Since transitioning to G&B Fulfillment, Top Drawer Merch has seen significant improvements in speed, accuracy and operational control.

• Order accuracy has increased, reducing costly mistakes and improving customer satisfaction
• Merch drops are processed and shipped faster, keeping pace with fan demand
• Returns are handled efficiently, cutting restock delays and improving sell-through
• Real-time inventory visibility supports better planning and fewer stockouts

With scalable warehouse space and a fulfillment partner that understands their business, Top Drawer Merch is positioned for continued growth, even as new artists and product lines join their roster.

“G&B Fulfillment truly stepped up when we needed it most. Vin and his team treated us like family from day one, providing the scalable systems, people, and expertise we required to overcome our growing pains. Now, we have full visibility into all operations and data, allowing us to track inventory across sub-brands effortlessly and respond quickly to fan demand. Their responsive team ensures faster merch drops, smoother returns, and no more operational breakdowns, making us feel like we've finally found our home in fulfillment.” – Robbie McPhail, VP of Operations, Top Drawer Merch

Takeaways for Apparel Brands

Apparel and merch companies growing fast can’t afford fulfillment gaps. Whether it’s missed ship dates, inventory blind spots or slow returns, the wrong 3PL will hold you back.

• If your 3PL can’t scale with your business, it’s limiting your growth potential
• Fulfillment should support brand consistency and customer expectations, not get in the way
• Q2–Q3 is the ideal window
  to make operational changes before peak seasons like touring, holidays or new product drops hit

Is Your 3PL Holding You Back?

If your current fulfillment setup can’t keep pace with your growing brand, it’s time to make a change. G&B Fulfillment provides scalable solutions, apparel expertise and operational control so your business never misses a beat.

Talk to the experts at GBF today—let’s keep your brand moving.