What are some signs of a bad fulfillment company?

Most of the articles I've read online give fair warning of crooked fulfillment companies, eager to rip of the first-time start up.

The number one thing I've read is that "good fulfillment companies cannot be found through internet searches". The justification for this is that the "bad" companies use SEO to get to the front of searches.

Is there any truth that solid fulfillment companies will be hard to search for? If so, how are start-ups expected to find somebody in their area?

Let's take your statement and simplify it a bit.

*The number one thing I've read is that "good fulfillment companies cannot be found through internet searches". *

If we reduce that down to it's simplest form, "companies can not be found through the internet", is that true? I don't think so.

If we go up one level, "fulfillment companies can not be found through the internet", is that true? I don't think so.

So why does putting a qualifier "good" in front of your statement make it false? Are you saying no good fulfillment compamy has a web site? That is clearly false. Are you saying only cheaters get high rankings in search results, and only in this one specific feild? That is clearly false.

Perhaps the problem here is your reading list? I'm sure there are cheaters in every field, but they don't make up the majority. Use the web to search and do some basic research. And think about how a fulfillment company is going to cheat you.