Becoming an eBay Seller
eBay is a great place to sell if you want to clear out the clutter in your house or start a business. Becoming a seller on eBay is fairly easy, registration requires you share your address so eBay can verify you live in a country they are registered to operate within. You can find the eBay country list here. If you live in one of these places, congratulations! You qualify to sell on eBay. Once you register you can complete email verification and begin listing items! When you are ready to start listing, there are a few ways to do so. You can either list an item at a specific price, or you can put the item in an auction where people can bid on the price. The highest bidder wins! Either way you list your merchandise it’s important to know eBay does not stock and ship these products, instead you will need to work with a fulfillment partner (or complete fulfillment yourself) to get products shipped to their new owner.
Benefits of eBay Third-Party Fulfillment Outsourcing
While eBay has hinted at the possibility of a dedicated eBay order fulfillment service, they do not have one available yet. Which means sellers must decide between fulfilling orders themselves or using another means of fulfillment. Third-party fulfillment solutions are often the answer here, and there are many benefits to using them.
Lower Fees
Outsourced fulfillment solutions are dedicated to logistics. They know the nuances of the industry, and they have purchased equipment, space, and staff to dedicate their time to managing the entire order processing procedure. This typically results in lower fees for you. Because they have streamlined the process and do it at a much larger volume, by many other sellers including yourself, they can get better shipping carrier rates then what you would get on your own. And as they continually streamline their technology and processes as the logistics space continually sees improvement, you benefit from those improvements and can often get access to top rated technology in the business.
Improved Seller Ratings
Seller rating is a big deal on eBay. It helps eBay buyers understand who they can trust to get a product to them on time and as expected. The shipping experience is a huge part of how a seller will get rated. As an outsourced fulfillment solution gets your products to your clients quickly, efficiently, and without hassle, and keeps them informed every step of the way, client ratings will go up, improving your seller rating. On top of that, your seller rating can be influenced by things like shipping times. In fact, your seller rating will actually go up when you update your shipping policy to include free shipping or express shipping.
Hands Off Logistics
These fulfillment providers can help you come up with efficient strategies for your order and inventory management. They know the market, they have seen what works and what hasn’t, and might even have experience streamlining logistics for others in your industry. With their help you take a giant step back and trust these processes are flowing correctly. They will keep you continually informed on the efficiency and success of the process so you have peace of mind. And if any issues arise from a strategy, or perhaps you’ve outgrown your strategy, you can meet with them and adjust as needed. Which means you as an owner will have more time to market your product and expand your business.
eBay Fulfillment Options
We all know having an excellent fulfillment strategy is key to running a profitable business. Choosing a trusted fulfillment partner to represent your company well and get your products shipped on time can be tricky. You have to find someone you trust to represent your company’s standards. It’s hard enough that many prefer to do all the fulfillment on their own for a while. But packing and shipping orders take up a huge amount of time and the cost savings of getting this time back should be considered when sourcing a fulfillment solution. Especially because if you get this set up right, you could walk away from your business for a week on vacation and everything would be taken care of for you!
We understand fulfillment centers are highly front facing and one of the biggest reasons why clients will give you their repeat business. And there are many options available to choose from. To help navigate this, we’ve curated a list of fulfillment partners who work well with eBay and you can depend on them to help you put your best foot forward.
ShipHero
With this option you can let go of running your own warehouse. ShipHero can take over your fulfillment processes and help you streamline them to get your product to your clients faster. And they have software which can help you get rid of manual processes, lost paperwork, and confusing fees. With their open source API they can integrate directly into your eBay store to better track and fulfill orders. Their dedicated account team will help you every step of the way and help you generate an overall logistics strategy to take your company to the next level.
But don’t take our word for it, check out this case study!
FirstMile
With domestic and international shipping rates, First Mile can get your products wherever they need to go. Their goal is to give business owners a leg up when it comes to the global economy so you can serve more across the world. They help you get quotes for the shipping situations you most commonly encounter because they understand how messy it can be to navigate the labyrinth of eCommerce. And will dedicate a customer service representative to help you with your inventory and order management, and shipping levels across multiple locations.
eFulfillment
This service can help eBay sellers reduce several tedious tasks including receiving, product inspection, inventory storage, and order fulfillment. They are fulfillment partners with several years of experience who help over 700 online sellers worldwide. Once inventory is in the eFulfillment warehouse they give you access to a web based fulfillment software which shows you inventory levels, orders, and shipment status. And they can help you optimize return processing as this is often a tricky part of online sales. If an order gets returned, eFulfillment alerts you of the situation so you can determine what you want to do next, whether it be restocking the order or not. They will also handle getting the corrective order to your clients. Plus they offer no minimums, no setup fees, and no long term contracts!
Deliverr
The goal of this fulfillment solution is to give businesses a competitive advantage. They offer Amazon-like pricing and don’t require any long term contracts. With their price calculator directly on their website they are highly transparent with costs. Account creation is fast and can be done in under two minutes. And because of the speed at which Deliverr can help you ship items, your listings may qualify for eBays Fast ‘N Free tags! This tag means your product listing becomes more prominent in search results and your product listing is included when buyers set filters for faster shipping times.
Red Stag
With this fulfillment service, you can address your end to end logistic needs. With same-day shipping and fulfillment, inventory and order monitoring, eCommerce returns processing, and same-day fulfillment service guarantees, you are in good hands. Red Stag understands today’s eCommerce client wants their order quickly and in the best possible condition. They strive to make sure their systems are fast and efficient with delicate handling so your clients are impressed with the delivery experience. They also have a warehouse management software (WMS) which gives complete visibility and can help with reporting on what products move and what don’t so you can adjust your inventory accordingly.
APS Fulfillment
With their warehouse management software (WMS) you can connect your eBay store directly in with your warehouse so you can automate the order handling process. With APS there are no monthly order minimum requirements. And they don’t limit the size, weight, or shape of the products you ship through them. They receive your inventory, do a quality control inspection, then shelve your product. Once an order is processed they pick, pack, and ship the order as well as assign it a tracking number so you and your client will have the ability to track it. And you gain 24-hour access to submit support tickets for any questions about the WMS or fulfillment process.
Cahoot
With Cahoot you gain access to a quick setup to connect your eBay store and delineate your inventory to different Cahoot fulfillment warehouse locations. Once connected your company will receive automatic order routing and fulfillment, free and fast shipping options, a nationwide shipping network, and visibility into each delivery. Order volume is flexible so you can start small with Cahoot and grow with them as your products rise in popularity. And as your client base grows they can help you put your product in fulfillment warehouse locations nearest to them. They want to help you level the playing field against marketplaces like Amazon and Walmart who create high shipping expectations with fast and free shipping options for their clients.
Amazon Multi-Channel Fulfillment
With the power of Amazon behind you, this solution will keep up with the rise and fall of your business orders. They can scale up for you without increasing your fixed costs. And you get the benefit of Amazon’s delivery speeds so you can get their product out in as little as one day. You don’t even need to list your product on Amazon to gain these benefits, they will work with several different eCommerce stores and channels, including eBay. As a part of the check out process your client will see reliable delivery dates and email insights on when they should expect their order. Plus, Amazon MFC will automate the inventory placement for your products so they are placed closer to your client locations.
Ecomdash
With Ecomdash you gain access to an inventory management platform which helps you fulfill orders and manage your online sales together in one application. This is a good solution if you are a small to mid-sized multi-channel retailer and Ecomdash proudly supports eCommerce sellers. They can also help you with both dropshipping and distribution management of your product. Plus they give you a complete view of your inventory, sales, and back stock so you can make highly informed logistical decisions. And they are ready to support you in a moment’s notice with live chat, phone, email, and community boards.
Thill Inc
With Thill, you get order, inventory, and shipment services integrated directly into your eBay store. They offer a “plug and play” fulfillment solution for eBay sellers so you can experience the expertise of a company who has provided fulfillment to companies for 50 years! They make sure you have order tracking capabilities so your clients know exactly when orders will arrive and can give you email confirmations when an order is delivered. They understand order fulfillment is an art and want to provide business owners with a highly tailored service offering with flexible solutions. And their 24/7 support center makes sure any issue is addressed in a timely and helpful manner.
Conclusion
No matter how you start on eBay, as your products grow in popularity you will likely need a third-party fulfillment solution to help you handle the volume. Especially as your business grows and will require more of your attention. The above options are dedicated to helping their clients provide a high quality experience and allow you as a business owner to take more time back in your day. What’s especially helpful is they have high class experience in the logistics industry so you can lean on them for expertise in how best to situate your fulfillment network to better serve your clients. And together, you can take your business to new heights!
To find out how ShipHero can bring your eBay fulfillment to the next level, contact our sales team today.
Don’t work with eBay? Find the best carriers for many of the highest profile marketplaces on the web.
Top 10 Best Order Fulfillment for Amazon
Top 10 Best Order Fulfillment Partners for Walmart
Top 10 Best Order Fulfillment Options for Wix
Top 6 Best Order Fulfillment Options for Square
Top 10 Best Order Fulfillment Partners for ChannelAdvisor
Top 6 Best Order Fulfillment Partners for WooCommerce
Top 10 Best Order Fulfillment Options for BigCommerce
