The eagerly awaited Ebay fulfilment service is now being made available to UK sellers. The end-to-end fulfilment service, which was rolled out in Germany last September, will allow UK sellers to gain access to smooth logistics management and improved seller protection. Not only will the service allow users to store their goods in ebay warehouses, but users will also be afforded the opportunity to benefit from delivery services from Royal Mail and Hermes.
How Will Ebay Fulfilment Work?
Ebay fulfilment will see the online marketplace partner with Orange Connex to provide the service to sellers. The system has 2 main parts. Firstly, sellers will be able to store their goods and inventory in fulfilment centres across the UK. The first of these centres can be found in Birmingham and Leicester.
In these fulfilment centres, goods can be stored and packed. It is from these warehouses that the good will be collected for delivery. Sellers will have access to a centralised integrated platform in order to track and manage their inventory levels. This brings us on to the next stage of the service, the delivery.
Royal Mail and Hermes will act as the delivery partners for the service. Through these partners, Ebay have claimed that they will be able to offer next day delivery and a fully tracked and transparent service.
Furthermore, Ebay have pledged to offer full seller protection against delivery-related defects and resulting negative feedback.
Who Will Be Able To Use Ebay’s Fulfilment Service?
It seems that all participating sellers will be able to use the service. It is likely that Ebay will contact sellers, if they have not done so already, to offer them the opportunity to opt in. Sellers participating in the Global Shipping Programme will be able to fully integrate with the Fulfilment Centres using eBay fulfilment by Orange Connex,
It also seems that sellers will be able to use the service for their sales from their own shop or other online platforms, not just their Ebay sales. This is indicative of Ebay’s pledge to provide a wider service for sellers, which is something that sellers have been requesting for some time.
What About International Sellers?
International sellers will also be able to benefit from the new service. They, too, can sign up for the service and ship to UK customers. This may mean increased competition in the UK as international sellers can transfer as much of their inventory as they please to the UK and then store them in the Ebay warehouse, meaning they only have to pay customs fees once. Previously they would’ve had to do so on each individual order.
Whilst this is likely to bring more foreign sellers to the UK, the same possibility is afforded to UK sellers. Indeed, the fulfilment service is already available in Germany and China and looks set to be available in the USA in 2022. Sellers who wish to expand their business to cross-border ecommerce should definitely seek to take advantage of Ebay fulfilment for this very reason.
The New Fulfilment Service Will Definitely Benefit Sellers
If you are a seller who sells high volume quickly, the new Ebay fulfilment service should really streamline your operations. Due to the international reach of the service, sellers should definitely look into moving their inventories to other countries where they wish to sell. It is possible that sellers could move their European inventories into Germany to use the fulfilment facilities there, although it is not yet clear how sellers might use this in conjuncture with the IOSS and OSS. Contact us for more information on this topic.
Our long history of working with ecommerce sellers, means we can offer you expert advice – so please do not hesitate to give us a call on 0773182821 or send an e-mail to enquiries@jpaccountant.com. As well as help with the upcoming EU Ecommerce VAT Package and registering you for the OSS, we would be more than happy to file your EU VAT returns, and help you comply with VAT in case your account faces any issues. Get in touch to receive a quote today.
