What is eBay fulfilment, how can you get started and how can it ultimately benefit your eCommerce business? We explore this below.

In the world of eCommerce, delivery options can make or break a customer’s decision to purchase. According to eBay, 58% of global customers will purchase goods from one website over another because of their delivery options, whilst 50% of consumers say that the option of next day delivery increases their loyalty to a retailer.

To gain a competitive advantage, it is vital that sellers meet consumer demands, as well as the expectations set by sales channels like Amazon who offer one-click purchasing capabilities.

In partnership with Midlands-based global logistics provider, Orange Connex, eBay has responded to growth in online shopping and demands from SME sellers looking to scale by launching eBay fulfilment. This service is designed to help eBay sellers “offer an exceptional delivery service, including same day handling, late cut off times and the option of next day delivery to your customers.” Additionally this service offers sellers protection against any defects related to deliveries, as well as end-to-end inventory management – which is not limited to eBay but inclusive of other selling channels for an additional fee.

eBay fulfilment rates are simple and easy to calculate, with no hidden costs. Essentially the rates include a fulfilment fee (a flat rate based on a product’s weight and size) and a storage fee charged per cubic metre per month at a minimum of £0.01 per SKU per day. For example, an Express parcel delivery for a parcel weighing up to 2 kilograms would cost £4.50 per order with a storage fee of either 31p or 50p – depending on the month of the year – on top. However, these rates are exclusive of all applicable tax and VAT. A rate card is obtainable from eBay, which provides information on any optional or additional costs, such as for labelling, photo taking or disposal, that many crop up from the service provider.

With warehouses located in close proximity to delivery hubs for partnering courier services, Hermes, the eBay fulfilment operation is scalable with the ability to enable up to 55,000 orders to be fulfilled per day.

Benefits of using eBay fulfilment

It’s a fully tracked service

Whilst your customers benefit from full transparency throughout the order fulfilment process, you benefit from gaining their trust (and, therefore, loyalty) with the added bonus of improving your seller rating.

You get seller protection

Protect your seller standards with full seller protection for delivery-related defects.

Next-day delivery is available

Cut out the waiting game with same-day dispatch and late cut off times and gain the competitive edge by offering your customers next day delivery on their orders.

Multichannel capability

eBay fulfilment will take care of storage, packing and shipping for orders placed on eBay, your online shop and any other selling platforms.

There’s a fulfilment support team on hand

eBay’s fulfilment team is available to guide and support you at every step of the way.

How to get started with eBay fulfilment

Getting started with eBay fulfilment is as easy as signing up for an account with eBay fulfilment by Orange Connex, linking and authenticating your eBay account, registering the SKUs to be added and sending your inventory into the eBay Fulfilment Centre.

Once your SKUs are inspected and your inventory is stored, you’ll have full visibility over the status of your inventory, as well as customer order tracking, as your orders are picked, packed and dispatched.

eBay offers 2 integration methods, depending on a seller’s needs and business size:

• 3PP Integration – medium and large eBay sellers already using eBay’s channel partners can create orders on the 3PP platform to be fulfilled by Orange Connex.
  
  
• Seller Portal – an easy to navigate portal dedicated to helping sellers onboard eBay fulfillment, import from eBay listings functionalities and 3PP integration options.

Sellers participating in eBay fulfilment’s Global Shipping Programme will be able to fully integrate with the Fulfilment Centres using eBay fulfilment by Orange Connex, with plans to roll this out more widely for international orders in the near future.

The rollout of eBay fulfilment in the UK follows the launch of incredibly successful end-to-end fulfilment services in Germany and China, which have seen thousands of eBay sellers using and enjoying the convenience of these services.

According to an announcement published by eBay in their Press Room earlier this year: “This is the next step in eBay UK’s ongoing commitment to supporting SMBs, delivering economic opportunity and making it easier to grow and scale. It follows a number of initiatives launched in the past year to help businesses thrive, including the Capital for eBay Business Sellers financing scheme and reducing or removing eBay’s fees through programmes like Pay As You Grow and Free Online Shop Window.”

Have you tried eBay fulfilment for yourself? We want to hear how you’ve found using it! Contact [email protected] to share your experience with us.

About Expandly

Expandly is an eCommerce SaaS platform that makes selling online easier.

Connect your sales channels, shipping carriers, warehouse, and accounting software into one initiative and simple-to-manage dashboard.