You’re well underway starting your eBay business and the orders are beginning to roll in. But is managing them on eBay the best way forward? Continuing our “Selling on eBay” blog series, we’re looking at eBay order management software – what it is, who it’s for and the essential questions ask before buying.
What is eBay order management software
eBay order management software enables you to view and progress your eBay orders on one screen, alongside other sales channel(s) and multiple shipping carriers. This brings benefits, including:
? Speed – logging into one platform, rather than multiple platforms.
? Efficiency – seeing an overview of all your orders from one screen.
? Shipping – streamlining your warehousing processes.
? Cost – spending more time growing your business and making money.
Who is eBay order management software for
Primarily, eBay order management software is for eCommerce businesses selling on multiple sales channel(s) such as in-store, Amazon, eBay and Shopify.
But, other sellers can take advantage too, including those planning on expanding to multiple sales channel(s) and those wanting to integrate their shipping carrier and Xero access into one system. Accordingly, it’s a good thing to scope out early on in your journey.
The questions to ask before buying eBay order management software
To help in your search for the best eBay order management software out there, we’ve compiled a list of 12 must-ask questions. Let the interrogation commence:
1. What sales channel(s) are included
eBay is a no-brainer but what other sales channel(s) do you need now or in the future. Ideally, you want a piece of kit that connects with the big players (Amazon, Etsy and Wish) alongside multiple eCommerce platforms (such as Shopify, Magento and WooCommerce).
Don’t forget offline orders too. If you accept telephone, email and in-store orders, can you upload these via CSV?
2. How often does the system download orders?
This is important to know because you don’t want to be wasting time waiting for orders to download once a day. Ideally, you want the system to auto-refresh at least every 15 minutes and have a manual refresh button.
3. Is there a limit on the number of orders that can be downloaded?
While you might not be processing many orders right now, the future holds no limits. Accordingly, you want order management software with no order limits too.
4. Can I filter orders?
When the orders are rolling in, is there an easy way to filter them? Common filtering methods include by status, shipping carrier and sales channel(s). Consider what filters you are most likely to work with and then ask the question.
5. How do I update orders?
Just because the system allows you to update orders, doesn’t mean it’s easy. Ideally, you want a quick-update feature to update order statuses, as well as more advanced editing abilities such as changing the customer’s address.
6. Can I print order documents?
To supercharge your efficiency, look for a tool that enables you to print order documents including invoices, packing slips, picking lists and shipping labels. If it can do it in bulk, even better.
7. Can I upload tracking details
When updating orders to shipped, can you add tracking details and are these automatically pushed to eBay and the customer?
8. Are stock levels updated?
This is an optional question, but also a favourite one. Some eBay order management software comes with eCommerce inventory management functionality – automatically updating your eBay (and other channel’s) stock levels when an order comes in.
9. What else can this eBay order management software do?
Speaking of additional functionality, sometimes it’s more cost-effective to use a multi-channel management tool that incorporates order management as well an eBay listing tool, inventory management, shipping label printing, reporting and accounting software-push.
10. How many users can access the system?
How many people will be accessing the system and how many users can access the system? Think about yourself, warehouse staff, accountants and customer service.
11. Do you offer a free trial?
Demos are great, but there’s nothing like a free trial to really understand how well the system works for you. Look for a 7-day free trial to really get to grips.
12. What are the costs?
Is the software affordable, and are you charged monthly, annually or per order?
eBay order management software – final thoughts
eBay order management software might sound like a fancy piece of kit, but it’s used by eBay businesses across the globe to make eCommerce easier. If you’d like to know more about how it can help you, speak to one of our team today.