Do you replace my current Operations Manager?

Not necessarily. If you already have a dedicated Ops leader, we plug in as your execution and systems team, so they can focus on higher-level decisions. If you're running leaner, we become your dedicated Ops team, covering day-to-day execution and systems beginning to end.

Who is SteadyState Commerce a good fit for?

We work best with private-label brands selling on Amazon and other channels (Walmart, Shopify, TikTok Shop, and more) that want better control over inventory and ordering. Results are strongest when your team is open to tightening up the day-to-day workflow so we can build a smooth, repeatable system that keeps you in stock.

Do you handle 3PL negotiations?

Yes. We manage communication with your 3PL, monitor service quality, and can help negotiate pricing based on overall volume. We ensure performance stays consistent.

How fast can we get up and running?

Getting started usually takes about 30 days. In the first two weeks, we get access to your Amazon account, build a clean SKU list, confirm inventory across Amazon and your warehouses/3PLs, and connect with your suppliers to verify what's in stock, in production, or ready to ship. Then we build dashboards from real sales data to show exactly when to reorder and ship, review everything with you to confirm it matches reality, and turn it into a replenishment plan. From there, we launch the dashboards and set a weekly operating rhythm.

Do you calculate my true cost of goods?

Yes. We build your full landed cost per SKU, supplier price, freight, duties, and HTS codes, broken down per unit and per container, so you know your real number and can hold suppliers to it.

Do you manage my IPI score?

Yes. After inventory lands, we watch the inputs behind your IPI, excess and stranded inventory, sell-through, and in-stock rate, and act on them so your score and your Amazon storage limits stay healthy.

Ocean Freight Rates Diverge Ahead of Q4: What Sellers Should Do

By SteadyState Commerce. Published 2026-08-17.

Right now if you ask a carrier for a China to US West Coast quote, you'll get a number in the $7,200 to $7,300 range. Ask a forwarder who's actually moving boxes this week, and you'll hear $5,300 to $5,400, with some fixtures landing as low as $4,900. Same lane, same week, a $2,000-plus gap. That gap is the story right now, and it matters for anyone booking Q4 inventory (Source: Freight Right, https://www.freightright.com/news/august-ocean-rate-increase-begins-to-unravel-as-importers-hold-back-tfx-update-wk-august-3-2026).

The published rate and the real rate aren't the same thing

Carriers pushed a general rate increase on the China-USWC lane in early August. On paper it worked. In practice, importers held back. Demand didn't show up to support the higher number, so forwarders started offering "contract allocations" and blended pricing to fill space, quietly discounting well below the headline GRI. China-USEC rates are softening too, just more slowly, with Freight Right's lowest indicator sitting around $7,200 there.

Here's the catch we tell sellers about every time this happens: the discounted rate usually depends on combining several bookings under one sailing. If your volume doesn't fit neatly into that structure, you may not actually get the low number the forwarder quoted you last week. Get the rate in writing tied to your specific cargo-ready date before you plan around it.

Drewry's index says the opposite thing, and both are true

Drewry's World Container Index, assessed August 13, put the global composite at $4,339 per 40ft container, up 1% week over week. That headline move was driven entirely by the Transpacific: Shanghai to New York jumped 10% to $8,706, and Shanghai to Los Angeles rose 6% to $6,244. Meanwhile Asia to Europe rates fell, Shanghai to Genoa down 8%, Shanghai to Rotterdam down 5% (Source: Drewry World Container Index, https://www.drewry.co.uk/supply-chain-advisors/supply-chain-expertise/world-container-index-assessed-by-drewry).

So how do rates rise on the index while street quotes fall? Blank sailings. Carriers are pulling capacity out of the Transpacific even though demand is soft, which keeps the benchmark number elevated while individual forwarders scramble to fill whatever space is actually available. It's a supply story, not a demand story, and that distinction changes how you should react to it.

A Panama Canal surcharge is landing mid-month

Carriers are also rolling out a $150 Panama Canal surcharge in the second half of August. The stated goal is to put a floor under rates near $5,500 to $6,000, so the base-rate discounting we just described doesn't erode margins further. If you've been quoted a rate below that floor, don't assume it holds past this surcharge taking effect. Ask your forwarder directly whether the quote you have already includes it.

Why this matters more in August than in a normal month

Timing is the whole issue. Most FBA sellers stocking for Q4 need product on the water by late August or early September to clear customs, get through prep, and hit FBA inbound windows before peak congestion sets in. A rate that looks fine today but firms up once the canal surcharge lands, or a sailing that gets blanked two weeks out, doesn't just cost you money. It can push your inventory past the point where it's useful for Black Friday and Cyber Monday. We've seen sellers lock a "great rate" in early August only to find out in week three that the carrier consolidated their booking onto a later vessel because the original sailing didn't fill. That's the real risk in a market like this one, not just the dollar figure on the rate sheet.

It also means the cheapest quote isn't automatically the right one. A forwarder offering $4,900 on a blended booking with no guaranteed sailing date is a different product than a $5,800 rate with a confirmed vessel and cutoff. If your Q4 revenue depends on that inventory landing on time, the certainty is often worth more than the discount.

What to actually do with this before Q4

We're telling clients four things right now:

Don't book off the published GRI without asking what the real, current forwarder rate is. The gap between the two is unusually wide this month.
Get surcharges itemized in writing, especially the Panama Canal fee, before you lock a booking. A quote that looks good today can move once that lands.
If your volume is small, ask directly whether your rate depends on a blended or combined booking. If it does, build in a backup plan in case that sailing doesn't fill.
Watch blank sailing announcements on your specific lane. Capacity pulled now is capacity you're competing for later, right as Q4 replenishment ramps up.

The practical takeaway: don't anchor your Q4 freight budget to either the scary GRI headline or the too-good-to-be-true forwarder quote. Get a written rate tied to your actual cargo-ready date, confirm what surcharges are already baked in, and book earlier rather than later given that carriers are actively restricting capacity through blank sailings. We help sellers stress-test freight quotes against real booking terms before committing inventory dollars to a lane that might tighten in the weeks ahead.