This post is based on my personal experience, when I started searching warehouse to support my business. It turned out to be a nightmare.
I started with google search, which 90 % of people start with for any solution to their problem. Google suggested me some real estate listing websites and some direct web links of warehousing companies.
So let me share my experience on these options to book a warehouse.
1.Searching on Real Estate listing companies
Real estate websites are good for scouting Houses for Buy/Sell/Renting but when it comes to warehouses/industrial sheds they are complete failure. The website is not designed to give you a complete picture of warehouse. They simply tell you the buildup area and rate for the same. Whereas for warehouse I need to know certain things like
1) Operational Area
2) Type of warehouse — RCC/Shed/PEB
3) Center height & Side heights
4) Plinth Height
5) Automation Features/ Raking System
6) Passage Adequacy (Can I use if for containers/Trucks)
7) Type of Flooring
8) Kind of products which can be stored. Type of licenses held by warehouse
Simply you end up calling 100 people and find they don’t meet your requirements. It’s waste of time, effort and money.
The other problem is that the people pretending to be owners of warehouse on websites turn out to be broker when you go there for site visit. Now the broker who requested you for site visit promising same warehouse as displayed on website shows you some different warehouse which is not as per your requirement.
You again end up wasting your time and money.
2. Directly contacting Warehouse Companies
With all due regards, I feel the warehouse industry is still lagging in technology. They don’t reply to emails. The phone no’s mentioned on their websites are often outdated. When contacted they direct for site visits. There are some exceptions but then they are big players and it’s difficult to find smaller warehouse space in these logistics parks. These logistics park are set up in outskirts some 30–50 Km from city and you can’t go there every time to fix the deal.
3.Brokers
The third option is to directly contact broker. Now interesting part is they never say “No” to any requirement. But then there is a chain of brokers, who themselves have never visited the warehouse; they directly escort you for a site visit.
Also there is a treaty that all the brokers in that chain needs to be present for a site visit, else it’s canceled.
You will have to visit several warehouses to find one matching your requirement. Here the onus will be on you to make sure all your specifications match
After using all these options, there is chance that you will get that warehouse but not before numerous site visits, mental agony & wasting a lot of time & effort. In addition to that you end up paying heft brokerage.
There is no more support once you have finalized the deal even in case if some dispute arise.
I believe that the need of hour in warehousing industry is to organize all stake holders and create an online platform where a user can search & book warehouse hassle free.
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