Top 3 eBay fulfillment services to automate your eBay business

All successful eBay businesses have one thing in common: they use a top-tier eBay fulfillment service.

Your website might be fantastic, you might sell the most popular or innovative product on the market, and you may have an efficient payment gateway.

However, without a great order fulfillment process, all of your efforts and setup may be in vain and result in negative reviews due to poor delivery.

Therefore, to be successful with dropshipping on eBay, it’s important that you work with a streamlined order fulfillment process.

Order fulfillment can consume a significant amount of time and energy, depleting your resources for other aspects of your business such as marketing, research, and sales.

And, more sales mean more inventory to store, more shipments to handle, more customers to keep track of, and more returns and complaints to handle.

To avoid such problems, it is best to outsource your eBay fulfillment needs to a professional order fulfillment company. This allows you to focus on other aspects of growing your online business.

Automated inventory and order fulfillment softwares allows you to stay on top of things while spending much less money. Apart from organizing all of your eBay orders and listings under a single master dashboard, this type of software can also save you a lot of time with shipping and boost your business credibility.

Outsourcing fulfillment is similar to adding a whole new team to your company that keeps orders flowing so you don’t have to do the work yourself.

In this guide, I’ll introduce you to the process of eBay order fulfillment and some of the best 3 eBay fulfillment services on the market. We’ll also go through the pros and cons of each fulfillment service so that you can choose a great fit for your eBay business.

 

What is eBay Order Fulfilment? 

 

eBay order fulfillment process involves everything from checking out orders to shipping and handling returns. In-house fulfillment is a popular choice among retailers that are just starting out with dropshipping.

However, fulfilling orders becomes increasingly time-consuming as your business grows. Sending products to a 3PL (third-party logistics) to store, pack, and ship relieves you of a lot of the burden of fulfillment.

Customer satisfaction is ensured both during and after the transaction by this kind of logistics backend. A reliable and efficient eBay fulfillment service also helps you stay competitive and receive great reviews from customers.

The best order fulfillment companies provide functional processes and special services at a reasonable price with no order minimums. Some fulfillment warehouses cater to small sellers and startups, and the majority provide specialized services such as batch fulfillment, secure storage, oversize shipping, and international sales.

 

How Does eBay Order Fulfillment Work?

When order fulfillment services are used by eBay sellers, the fulfillment process is typically as follows:

  • The fulfillment company receives inventory.
  • The inventory is received, sorted, and stored by the fulfillment company.
  • Customer places their order.
  • The orders of the customers are routed to the order fulfillment companies that are in use.
  • Orders are picked from inventory, packed, labeled correctly, and shipped to your customers.

 

Usually, your order fulfillment company will also handle returns. In some cases, you may be charged an additional fee for handling returns, depending on the terms of your agreement with the fulfillment company.

 

Best 3 eBay Fulfillment Services

eBay fulfillment services

 

ShipBob

Shipbob Services

ShipBob has been operating since September 2014. The company has an extensive network of 22 domestic and 5 international fulfillment centers.

ShipBob’s eCommerce fulfillment service is highly functional, and they offer the level of customization that many small eCommerce business require in order to succeed. No order minimums are required, and a Growth Plan is available for new and growing businesses.

In terms of setup and operation, the system is very user-friendly. In few simple steps you’ll connect your online store to their network of warehouses and send the inventory numbers to their fulfillment centers.

ShipBob is also FDA climate control and handling certified and, it’s ideal for retailers selling beauty, health, and consumable products.

The distribution inventory helps you stay competitive by offering same-day, and 2-day shipping to your customers. As for returns, they offer great return management that’s easy for your customers while getting your products packaged and back into your inventory.

Apart from eBay, ShipBob integrates with other online marketplaces like Shopify, BigCommerce, WooCommerce, and Amazon. The cost of inventory storage on ShipBob is $40 per pallet/month, $10 per shelf/month, and $5 per bin/month.

However, its storage fees are significantly higher than those of its competitors. You will save on this cost if you have a high sale-to-SKU ratio or sell fast-moving products.

However, you should avoid ShipBob’s pricing model, if you sell a high volume of slow-moving items.

On Trust Pilot, ShipBob scored 4 out of 5 stars which is a great score. However, despite good scores in all categories, the company lost points for storage costs.

Some users complained about being overcharged.

However, ShipBob’s overall rating is awesome. It was recognized as one of the top three best fulfillment services.

 

Key Features

  • Inventory management
  • Management of the purchase order
  • Perfect for startups
  • Simple onboarding process
  • Efficient inventory management system
  • Advanced reporting and analytics
  • Efficient return management System
  • There are no fees for picking and packing.
  • Batch fulfillment of orders

 

Pros

No minimum order volume requirements: There are no order minimums or pick and pack fees.

Fast delivery: Ground shipping within the continental United States is discounted for two days, and same-day delivery is also available.

Transparency: It’s possible to see a lot of information about orders and inventory using this software. Your ShipBob dashboard and Ecommerce store are synced in real-time so you know when to replenish your store or make inventory transfer request.

 

Cons

  • Storage costs are high: Inappropriate for slow-moving products or businesses with low sales-to SKU ratios.
  • Not well-suited to business-to-business sales: ShipBob is not well optimized for B2B sales.

 

eFulfillment

efulfillment services

eFulfillment Service started operations in 2001 and it has since been providing customers with fast eCommerce fulfillment solutions.

eFulfillment Service does not require a monthly minimum for orders. eFulfilment also offers a 30-day test drive program. You can send them some inventory and put their shipping to test.

At the end of 30 days, if you are not satisfied with the service, then you don’t pay for it.

They have a web-based fast real-time inventory system that helps you to manage all your orders, provide fast, accurate information on your orders, and helps you to manage your inventory levels.

In cases of returns, you can direct your customers back to their facility. If the error is a pick and pack error, eFulfillment will immediately ship a new product to your customer at no additional charge.

 

Key Features

  • Integrated with several e-commerce platforms
  • Discounts on the cost of shipping
  • There are a variety of shipping options available.
  • Fulfillment of orders across the world
  • Returned goods handling service
  • All ground, expedited, and overnight shipments are covered by insurance.
  • Codes for follow-up tracking are readily available.
  • An extensive background in the fulfillment of online orders.

 

Pros

  • No minimum order volume
  • Excellent operational transparency and service guarantees
  • Low-cost inventory storage
  • No additional fees for slow-moving merchandise

 

Cons

  • Primarily has one warehouse: It might not be appropriate for companies expanding into international sales.
  • Not suitable for bulky products: If you ship items that weigh more than 10 pounds or bulky products, eFulfillment might not be a best fit.

 

Fulfillify

Fulfillify services

Fulfillify has been around since 2016. The platform offers order processing, storage, and shipping to online retailers.

Kitting, custom order assemblies, and a return management program are also among the additional services provided by Fulfillify.

If you are a first-time user, Fulfillify offers a free setup and does not require long-term contracts, giving businesses the freedom to switch providers if they are not satisfied with the company’s service.

According to customer feedback, Fulfillify is simple to set up and even simpler to use, thanks to its mobile-first responsive architecture.

Customers can monitor their orders, inventory, and products in real-time from any device, giving them complete control over their fulfillment needs at all times. The service also seamlessly integrates with users’ existing eCommerce and shopping cart systems.

Complemar owns Fulfillify, so it takes advantage of the larger company’s resources to lower its prices for small business customers.

 

Key Features

  • Efficient inventory management system
  • Fast Shipping Process
  • Returned goods handling service.
  • Excellent customer support
  • Well designed Interface
  • Nationwide fulfillment of orders
  • Advanced reporting, forecasting, and analytics

 

Pros

  • Fast shipping process:  Two-day or same-day pick, pack, and ship service.
  • Low-Cost Shipping Cost: the monthly pricing is designed to provide users with reduced fees.

 

Cons

  • Not advisable for companies that are shipping bulky orders: It’s not the best fit if you’re shipping bulky products.

 

Conclusion

In order to save time to focus on marketing, product development, and expanding your eBay business, it is important to select the right warehouse and fulfillment service provider.

With the flexibility that comes with outsourcing warehousing and fulfilment, you can easily increase or decrease your product offerings at any time without having to invest in additional space or alter internal procedures.

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