Any vendors to a global e-commerce platform out there?
Discussion
Note: Bit of a whinge and also I have redacted the companies name but I am sure you can work it out.
I have been an vendor to this global e-commerce business for the last 15 or so years. When we started I had a direct link to the vendor managers but over the years the system has become more and more inflexible and difficult to navigate and we dont have an account manager anymore. Couple of examples of our issues below:
Almost every delivery they claim that goods haven't been sent. You need to follow this up with a case and send proof of delivery. They then without fail tell you what they have asked for isn't good enough proof even though its what they asked for and then you have to submit the same info, which we do. Then you are told it isn't good enough again and they close the case. THEN you do the same thing but this time its a dispute and then they sometimes say "okay this is good enough" or again tell you to get lost. No rhyme or reason to it.
I am wondering if we A: add weights to the shipment info to make the delivery weight correspond with the consignments and B: for a time take photos of every box contents (Hugely time consuming) to again prove that is what went into the box. We are doing over 7 figures with them (probably around 200k-300k units of product annually) so as you can imagine its a lot of stuff going to them so taking photos of even some consignments is going to be unsustainable but possibly something to at least try. I should also add my warehouse do make the odd mistake but not to the level of this company's complaints because all my other customers would be up in arms.
The other thing they do is refuse to update your bullet points and images on your own brand because another contributor has written over your images. Literally I have had my professionally studio shot images replaced by someone who has watermarked my images (against the their platform rules) and then added say 5 images of the same product but just turned it 90 degrees each time so in essence you're looking at something that adds absolutely nothing other than you might want to lay on each side and do a handstand to see the first image correctly again albeit with a s
tty watermark over it. Then bullet points, sometimes just completely wrong info and when you try to get them to remove it you have to go back again and again and again. What we do with that is basically give them a step by step list of instructions and it usually finally works.
TL;DR - Global powerhouse e-commerce business is inflexible and wrong about a lot of things. Also incorrectly charges for missing items on deliveries and holds your money.
I have been an vendor to this global e-commerce business for the last 15 or so years. When we started I had a direct link to the vendor managers but over the years the system has become more and more inflexible and difficult to navigate and we dont have an account manager anymore. Couple of examples of our issues below:
Almost every delivery they claim that goods haven't been sent. You need to follow this up with a case and send proof of delivery. They then without fail tell you what they have asked for isn't good enough proof even though its what they asked for and then you have to submit the same info, which we do. Then you are told it isn't good enough again and they close the case. THEN you do the same thing but this time its a dispute and then they sometimes say "okay this is good enough" or again tell you to get lost. No rhyme or reason to it.
I am wondering if we A: add weights to the shipment info to make the delivery weight correspond with the consignments and B: for a time take photos of every box contents (Hugely time consuming) to again prove that is what went into the box. We are doing over 7 figures with them (probably around 200k-300k units of product annually) so as you can imagine its a lot of stuff going to them so taking photos of even some consignments is going to be unsustainable but possibly something to at least try. I should also add my warehouse do make the odd mistake but not to the level of this company's complaints because all my other customers would be up in arms.
The other thing they do is refuse to update your bullet points and images on your own brand because another contributor has written over your images. Literally I have had my professionally studio shot images replaced by someone who has watermarked my images (against the their platform rules) and then added say 5 images of the same product but just turned it 90 degrees each time so in essence you're looking at something that adds absolutely nothing other than you might want to lay on each side and do a handstand to see the first image correctly again albeit with a s
tty watermark over it. Then bullet points, sometimes just completely wrong info and when you try to get them to remove it you have to go back again and again and again. What we do with that is basically give them a step by step list of instructions and it usually finally works. TL;DR - Global powerhouse e-commerce business is inflexible and wrong about a lot of things. Also incorrectly charges for missing items on deliveries and holds your money.
I have been dealing with Amazon for about 10 years now and they are certainly cutting back on help/ user experience for vendors.
Have you tried taking pics of the products when they are packed? e.g. pics of the items inside the outer cartons before sealing them? We have used this in the past to get refunds/ help remind Amazon that the stock is actually in their FC's.
Another option could be using Amazon as a seller, rather than vendor, and just using their FBA service - you will likely send to the same FC's, you control sales price/ marketing etc and margins are normally the same or slightly better in some cases.
Only downside is a little more customer service but this is pretty easy to manage really - Drop me a message if I can help
Have you tried taking pics of the products when they are packed? e.g. pics of the items inside the outer cartons before sealing them? We have used this in the past to get refunds/ help remind Amazon that the stock is actually in their FC's.
Another option could be using Amazon as a seller, rather than vendor, and just using their FBA service - you will likely send to the same FC's, you control sales price/ marketing etc and margins are normally the same or slightly better in some cases.
Only downside is a little more customer service but this is pretty easy to manage really - Drop me a message if I can help
Ian-5t9az said:
Another option could be using Amazon as a seller, rather than vendor, and just using their FBA service - you will likely send to the same FC's, you control sales price/ marketing etc and margins are normally the same or slightly better in some cases.
Only downside is a little more customer service but this is pretty easy to manage really - Drop me a message if I can help
From my experience they want dribs and drabs or mountains of stock, compensation if you run out, cleanse if it’s dead and a margin higher than you’d make yourself. Only downside is a little more customer service but this is pretty easy to manage really - Drop me a message if I can help
The answer is “possibly” SFP & 3PL
Edited by DSLiverpool on Wednesday 20th January 07:41
JPJPJP said:
Why continue to supply it? Can you find replacement customers? Can you sell it yourself on the platform without having to jump through those extra hoops?
I suppose its the element of greed, yes they are a pain but I want to try and find a solution, perhaps one doesn't exist but we didn't get this far without trying. We're always finding new customers but that's in addition to, I never want to take away. Ian-5t9az said:
I have been dealing with Amazon for about 10 years now and they are certainly cutting back on help/ user experience for vendors.
Have you tried taking pics of the products when they are packed? e.g. pics of the items inside the outer cartons before sealing them? We have used this in the past to get refunds/ help remind Amazon that the stock is actually in their FC's.
Another option could be using Amazon as a seller, rather than vendor, and just using their FBA service - you will likely send to the same FC's, you control sales price/ marketing etc and margins are normally the same or slightly better in some cases.
Only downside is a little more customer service but this is pretty easy to manage really - Drop me a message if I can help
I think taking the pics one some consignments might be a good idea but its one of those, we can't do it for every single shipment, we'd need to employ a photographer just to do it. Have you tried taking pics of the products when they are packed? e.g. pics of the items inside the outer cartons before sealing them? We have used this in the past to get refunds/ help remind Amazon that the stock is actually in their FC's.
Another option could be using Amazon as a seller, rather than vendor, and just using their FBA service - you will likely send to the same FC's, you control sales price/ marketing etc and margins are normally the same or slightly better in some cases.
Only downside is a little more customer service but this is pretty easy to manage really - Drop me a message if I can help
Yes perhaps as a seller and not a vendor but as DSLiverpool states, same s
t different day it seems. difficult to advise, but have you ever sat down and worked out:
- cost to you of dealing with such a platform (time to photograph boxes / time to deal with issues / costs to them / etc.)
- cost of moving away from that platform, investing in your own and spending to market the business etc.
A lot of businesses think that the only options available are Amazon and eBay because those companies present the opportunity as a no hassle, easy way of making money and vendors think they will make their fortune, only having to ship out goods with someone else doing all the hard work in terms of bringing them a market... It is not always the best option - we have several clients who have avoided that route, started small and built their market - yes it is hard work, yes it can be slower to grow, but they own the growth and once they get beyond a certain point the rewards become clearer and clearer.
A lot depends on what you sell, and what the marketing opportunities elsewhere might be, but while these platforms provide a large market they also present your competitors to that market as well, so it is not as big an advantage as might be thought...
- cost to you of dealing with such a platform (time to photograph boxes / time to deal with issues / costs to them / etc.)
- cost of moving away from that platform, investing in your own and spending to market the business etc.
A lot of businesses think that the only options available are Amazon and eBay because those companies present the opportunity as a no hassle, easy way of making money and vendors think they will make their fortune, only having to ship out goods with someone else doing all the hard work in terms of bringing them a market... It is not always the best option - we have several clients who have avoided that route, started small and built their market - yes it is hard work, yes it can be slower to grow, but they own the growth and once they get beyond a certain point the rewards become clearer and clearer.
A lot depends on what you sell, and what the marketing opportunities elsewhere might be, but while these platforms provide a large market they also present your competitors to that market as well, so it is not as big an advantage as might be thought...
Edited by akirk on Wednesday 20th January 15:21
We have solutions to "proof of packaging" issues through our own in-house requirement.
Each one is bespoke to what's being packed obviously. They all rely on very little manual intervention but do require organised data storage to make retreival more easy in the event it being required. I tried emailing you through PH you but you have not allowed emails to be sent.
Each one is bespoke to what's being packed obviously. They all rely on very little manual intervention but do require organised data storage to make retreival more easy in the event it being required. I tried emailing you through PH you but you have not allowed emails to be sent.
WokkaWokka said:
taking photos of even some consignments is going to be unsustainable but possibly something to at least try.
I worked out something like this for a client some years ago. Simple camera mounted overhead above the packing station, running continually. Made sure the tracking barcodes were in shot on the desk & on then the top of the carton. Simple optical recognition code to turn the barcodes into time stamps for the video files. Not much code, simple database, some cloud storage for the video files. Files deleted after, say, 60 days. Nothing more in the warehouse. When proof required, used tracking numbers to find video clips, drop stills from video, box contents "proved." Because of continuous video recording, the whole thing is eminently auditable.Obv depends upon your exact packing situation - if on a conveyor this would get a lot more complex
But if losses are large then an approach like this might be necessary.Gassing Station | Business | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff