Retail is a two-way street. There are purchases and sometimes there are returns. There is the exchange of money for goods. There is also the exchange of faith from the buyer to the seller. The buyer gives over the money and expects the item to be sent and/or to perform as described. Whether it is a scarf that is supposed to be soft and warm or an electronic device rebuilt to factor specifications, the buyer hands over the money with good faith and with reasonable expectations.
Those expectations encompass several key things. As someone involved in the world of online selling, you know that your customers expect you to fair and accurate in your product descriptions, and that you extend the most realistic terms. This tends to mean that you will accept returns and you promise that items ship within a set time frame after the purchase is complete.
Nowhere is this faith from the buyers put to the test more than on a site like eBay. The millions of auctions and sales that occur are based on descriptions made by the sellers and some general terms applying to all transactions. A huge number of sellers handle large amounts of inventory, and so it is important for bulk sellers to strive to maintain the same high quality experiences for their buyers as the smaller dealers.
One of the best ways of doing this is to use eBay shipping software. This can be an independent sort of software that focuses purely on the physical shipping process, but it is much more effective when it is integrated within a broader, multichannel management system.
How Integrated eBay Shipping Software Excels
Why integrated? Consider, as stated in the opening of this article, that retail has to be seen as a two way street. Your integrated eBay shipping software will enable you to perform the shipping process according to the precise terms chosen by the buyer (whether it is one-day shipping via UPS or media mail via the USPS), create a packing list and labels, and confirm that the shipment has occurred.
If there is a delay or problem with the package, integrated eBay shipping software will track the package and update the buyer as to the status of the item. Should the buyer want to return something, again, the eBay shipping software makes this a matter of just one or two clicks of the mouse.
Now, in these last few sentences we can easily see that just a single package can demand a lot of follow up. Imagine, then, what the bulk sellers must deal with. Even if your multichannel business is not yet at the point where managing shipping is a full time job, the use of eBay shipping software ensures that it never becomes one.
Instead, it will let you process orders and shipments in bulk, manage and track them easily, and deal with any returns without a lot of searching and the proverbial “back and forth”. Because the software is integrated, it will also guarantee that no problems with inventory occur and that even a bulk batch of feedback requests can be sent out.
In other words, opting for integrated solutions is a key way of controlling the outcome of sales on all of your channels. And yet, this solution doesn’t take up many hours of each day or require a lot of different steps. It is an all in one solution that can even save money on shipping if the multichannel management system has made a point of partnering with the top shipping providers. (NewLifeAuctions, 2014)
Summary
eBay shipping software can deliver an ideal solution for bulk sellers. It handles things in mass quantities but also allows attention to individual orders. It saves time and money and eliminates the common risks that many multichannel retailers deal with each day.
Source
NewLifeAuctions. Tips and Tricks of eBay Shipping. 2014. http://www.newlifeauctions.com/shipping.html