Let’s talk about shipping on eBay – shipping solutions
eBay supports merchants of all business sizes with various shipping offers for order fulfillment. These offers can not only grow with you individually, but also support the growth of your business.
In the second episode of our podcast series about shipping at eBay, you’ll hear from Doreen Ewald why shipping plays a crucial role in a positive buying experience. She leads the Logistic Solutions Team at eBay Germany. She also explains which of the many offers fits your respective business size.
Also joining the conversation are Alexandra Ballweg, Key Account Manager at DHL, and Boris Getz, Senior Business Development Manager at Orange Connex. The two take a closer look at how their services can create added value for eBay merchants. Enjoy listening!
**Important links**
- eBay logistics programs at eBay
- The eBay Partner Portal: DHL
- eBay Fulfillment by Orange Connex
- Seller status and protection at eBay
- On-time shipping at eBay
- Information about eBay Plus
- Podcast episode on international selling with Christian Salza
- eBay Community
- eBay for Business on Facebook
- More info about the eBay podcast “Alles top. Gerne wieder!” and our podcast hosts
**Mentioned podcast episodes**
- Let’s talk about shipping at eBay - The basics
- eBay Local - sell more with the shipping option “pickup”
- Many paths, one goal: selling successfully via multichannel
- The eBay returns 101
** Chapter markers **
- [00:03:01] to [00:06:54] - Why are shipping solutions important?
- [00:06:54] to [00:11:48] - DHL as a shipping partner for merchants.
- [00:11:48] to [00:16:17] - How shipping solutions can open up new business areas.
- [00:16:17] to [00:21:18] - Shipping solutions as support during seasonal business.
- [00:21:18] to [00:22:41] - Why is tracking so important?
- [00:22:41] to [00:24:54] - How do merchants benefit from automated logistics workflows?
- [00:24:54] to [00:26:10] - What role do returns play at eBay?
- [00:26:10] to [00:31:28] - Orange Connex as a logistics partner for merchants.
- [00:31:28] to [00:37:41] - Why must shipping solutions be able to respond flexibly to merchants’ individual requirements?
- [00:37:41] to [00:39:31] - What is the eBay shipping team planning in the near future?
David: Whether your customers are satisfied after buying an item is also decided by shipping. How quickly does the parcel arrive and in what condition? Can the shipment be tracked? Can customers choose a preferred drop-off location or parcel locker? All these factors play a role in the shipping service and influence the shopping experience. With the eBay logistics solutions, merchants are optimally supported when shipping their goods. What these solutions include for merchants, we discuss in this podcast episode with Doreen Ewald, Logistic Solutions Lead at eBay Germany. She knows exactly what advantages the different logistics solutions offer and how small and medium-sized businesses can also benefit from them. On top of that, there are tips from the halls of market leader DHL and our long-standing partner Orange Connex, which offers global fulfillment solutions—two service providers who support our merchants every day and offer real added value, especially during peak season.
Doreen: eBay actually offers a very broad range of shipping solutions that really address the various needs of merchants, to simply do justice to the needs of buyers. The eBay shipping platform.. platform, now in the classic sense for private or commercial sellers and buyers, is ultimately shaped by the variety of integrated shipping service providers, simply to ensure, a) that the seller has a good shipping offer, but also to ensure that buyers have a good delivery experience with fast transit times, tracking, etcetera and so on and so forth.
Isabell: Hello, dear listeners, and a warm welcome to another episode of "Alles top. Gerne wieder!", the eBay podcast about retail and e-commerce. I’m Isabell Butterwegge, Seller Engagement Manager at eBay Germany, and with me at the table as always is my colleague. That would be Philippe, also Seller Engagement Manager at eBay Germany.
David: Hello Isabell, and welcome back to our listeners to our series about the delivery experience. In the first episode of this series, we talked with Steven Marks, Director Delivery Experience at eBay Germany, about the basics of shipping, buyers’ expectations regarding shipping and returns, and learned how shipping options can help increase the visibility of listings on eBay. If you haven’t listened to that episode yet, you should definitely check the show notes, because that’s where you’ll find the link directly to the episode.
Isabell: Yes, and in today’s second episode of the series we have a topic that affects both customers and sellers: shipping solutions. They are an important part of selling, especially when it comes to high-revenue periods like the Christmas season. The question is, how can our logistics solutions help merchants during the busiest times of business and during special promotions? We’ll discuss these and other questions today with logistics expert Doreen Ewald, Logistic Solutions Lead at eBay Germany. Welcome to the studio, Doreen!
Doreen: Hey, thanks for the invitation and thanks for the great intro.
David: Then let’s jump right in. Why has it become standard for large marketplaces to offer logistics solutions to their merchants?
Doreen: Logistics solutions on large marketplaces like eBay naturally offer advantages for merchants, buyers, and ultimately, of course, for the marketplace as well. Through this collaboration with established shipping service providers, merchants benefit from things that are tailored exactly to them, for example shipping services. Buyers benefit from fast and reliable shipping, and as a marketplace we naturally get better predictability, more reliable delivery-time information, and better customer service responsiveness.
Isabell: Yes, and how exactly do these shipping solutions specifically support new merchants, or small and medium-sized merchants?
Doreen: eBay’s logistics solutions are specially tailored to the needs of merchants of all sizes. The key factor here is ultimately the number of outgoing shipments and return shipments. Let me give an example for each: the eBay shipping platform, for example, is aimed at sellers with a rather low shipping volume, especially in private sales. It’s easy and convenient to find and use the right shipping option. For example, every time I sell something privately, I choose who I want to ship with, depending on what I sold, and then I have everything at a glance, including tracking directly in the eBay seller portal.
Isabell: Exactly, so I find the shipping platform directly after I’ve made my sale, and then I can buy the label there right away?
Doreen: Exactly, you just go.. Either you do it directly in Seller Cockpit or Seller Cockpit Pro, or you do it in your sales. Then you can directly say: print address label or shipping label, and off you go.
David: Do we also have something if I want to ship more now and am operating commercially?
Doreen: Yes, of course we do.
David: That’s good!
Doreen: Exactly, that’s precisely the point. What do I actually do? If I’m a small commercial merchant, I simply have more to ship and different needs than when I sell something privately. The solution we offer is eBay Shipping by Packlink. It is aimed exactly at small commercial merchants. What makes it so smart or so advantageous for this target group? It’s simply pre-negotiated prices, and we have additional features that are especially interesting for commercial use. Whether it’s importing order information data, i.e. order details, address, quantity, item, etcetera. For commercial merchants it is usually the case that in their daily routine they also operate more professionally, for example, and this may sound trivial, with label printing formats or direct invoicing that is triggered immediately. What’s also really interesting is that through the platform we now have so many shipping service providers connected that we truly cover a very broad spectrum, from letter format to pallet shipping, and recently it has also become possible to ship to the farthest corners of the world. A colleague of mine put it very aptly when we were laughing: we now have the ability to really cover everything from Andorra to Zimbabwe via eBay Shipping by Packlink.
Isabell: And with Packlink, is it then the case that I no longer have to select each individual order, or the label for each individual order, but that I simply provide my order file, so to speak, and then get my shipping labels back in return?
Doreen: Something like that — even more convenient, but that’s the general idea. You do nothing other than open the shipping platform, the order details are imported automatically, and then the labels can be printed directly.
David: Excellent. Before we turn back to insights into the world of shipping, let’s take the opportunity to look behind the scenes at our partner DHL. In a short conversation, Alexandra Ballweg, Key Account Manager at DHL, explained to us why their shipping options offer real added value for their customers, meaning our merchants on eBay. Alexandra, could you explain how DHL manages to deliver so quickly, and what impact this has on our eBay merchants and their customers? Maybe you can start with the fast delivery. How are you so quick?
Alexandra: Yes, Deutsche Post and DHL operate the largest parcel network in Germany, and the facilities are highly automated, and the processing steps go hand in hand. At every processing step the shipment is scanned, and we are expanding our capacities very strongly and are therefore a reliable partner all year round. Everything is synchronized like clockwork, and our 80,000 delivery staff are out at almost every front door every day and naturally know their way around very well.
David: That’s impressive! What about flexibility for our merchants? What options do you offer there?
Alexandra: Yes, for end customers it’s very, very flexible. There are services like parcel notifications, preferred neighbor, preferred location, preferred day, or delivery to one of 11,000 parcel lockers, which of course also offers incredible advantages. Here, senders but also recipients can choose from many options, and we also have an app that organizes everything and makes it very easy to use. And the flexibility we offer here is really recognized by end customers too, because 75 percent have chosen us as the best delivery company.
David: That’s not bad at all. You already mentioned tracking. What do you offer here, and why is it important?
Alexandra: Yes, with tracking, depending on whether you use partner systems or in-house programming.. DHL supports these processes and makes customer communication easier for merchants. For example, we have ProActive, which offers over 21 reports that can be selected and configured as needed, and many questions around the delivery process are answered in a customized way.
David: And what benefit does tracking have specifically for eBay merchants and especially their customers?
Alexandra: Yes, you always know where the shipment is. There are also big advantages. For example, if you receive the shipment quickly, payment is also made faster. That has been proven, or you also have certainty about it. Has the shipment been delivered or what is happening with the shipment? Will it be returned? Yes or no? And that way you can always know very well what is going on with the shipment, and even when the goods are returned, DHL offers numerous options around returns, and it is very convenient and easy to handle, really beneficial for both sides.
David: Alex, security is always important, also for our merchants, especially when shipping. What security measures does DHL offer here?
Alexandra: Every employee we hire has to take an oath of postal secrecy. In addition, very high security standards apply in our production facilities, and for further security needs of merchants we also offer services such as identity verification or no-neighbor delivery.
David: And I know DHL also places a lot of emphasis on sustainability. You’ve already done a lot. Are you doing more? What does that look like?
Alexandra: Yes, we are also a leader in sustainability. For many years now, we have been investing heavily in sustainable delivery vehicles, for example, which everyone has probably seen at some point. We already have many electric vehicles. And we..we are investing massively in new technologies to further reduce CO2 emissions. Our goal is to be at zero by 2050, that is a clear objective.
David: Many thanks to Alexandra from DHL, and back to us and the increased shipping volume. Doreen, how is it when I say, okay, I need to take it one step further? I just have so many shipments that I need more than just... okay, yes, it’s great that labels are printed, but maybe I also need storage space, and is there a solution for that too?
Doreen: Depending on the degree of scaling and the development.. growth of shipment volume, we naturally have an option for merchants, because at some point they simply face the decision. Hey, I either have to invest myself in additional storage space, employees, software, or I look for the right fulfillment provider, either completely if I really want to hand everything over, or just for part of the business. And that’s where eBay Fulfillment by Orange Connex comes in. This solution is aimed at medium-sized merchants to support their growth. So really the decision: hey, I can’t do this alone anymore. I need more storage space, employees, etcetera, large merchants for balancing peaks: seasonality, peak times, etcetera.
David: So, for example, during the Christmas season right now.
Doreen: Yes — Christmas always comes very suddenly. Exactly, Christmas is.. Or the season: we’re right in the middle of it. We see the uptick that we ultimately see: it starts in mid-October, it starts in mid-October with the peak periods, then there are deals, coupons and so on and so forth. We really notice that, and of course merchants notice it too, and then they decide very proactively. Exactly this part of the business I’m now proactively outsourcing so that I can continue to perform well and of course not put my eBay seller status at risk in the process.
Isabell: So that means they decide to outsource parts of their business from mid-October to January, so to speak.. not their business as a whole, but parts of the shipments via fulfillment.
Doreen: That’s one option. So we really have the.. if.. one is seasonality: balancing is the keyword there, and the other is actually being in the position of saying: Hey, up until now I’ve been doing this.. let’s just say, in my small warehouse with three employees. But if I want to keep up with my competition or continue increasing my shipment volume and revenue to that extent, I either need more storage space, more employees, etcetera, and then you look for the right partner. So that’s..
David: So then you have to sit down and say, okay, it makes sense for me to solve this myself somehow, or I have eBay’s partner, for example Orange Connex, and pay amount X, and in return I have so much storage space, and they do everything for me, and either that’s cheaper or also easier and more convenient, and I’m willing to pay more for it, or I’ll do it myself after all.
Doreen: That’s a good point. This paying more is actually always something that every merchant wants to decide for themselves. Ultimately, it usually turns out that the offer we have, when you really do a full cost calculation, is a very, very good offer. So I don’t really want to say whether it’s particularly cheap or particularly expensive, etcetera, etcetera. Ultimately, that’s something each merchant has to calculate for themselves. Of course, we’re happy to support them with that too. But I have one more example. What we deal with every day is the topic of brands and manufacturers and e-commerce: the topic of D2C, which we often solve with eBay Fulfillment, involves things like: hey, I have brand XYZ here, they still can’t deliver to end customers today, and trust me, it makes a difference whether I supply a branch with 20 pallets or make an end customer happy with a parcel — it’s a huge difference, and that’s where we help.
Isabell: Cool!
David: So that also enables them to suddenly open up new, new business areas?
Doreen: Absolutely!
David: Exciting!
Doreen: Exactly, that’s precisely the point, that we can now say: okay, this is the product, that’s maybe also the competitive environment, that’s inventory that we’d like to have on eBay. Of course, we work very, very closely with our colleagues, um, colleagues and female colleagues from the different verticals.
David: Hm, we’ve already touched on it and even brought it up as an example just now: the Christmas season. Yes, we’re right in the middle of it. What do these logistics solutions offer to support merchants specifically during peak business periods and during eBay WOW deals, special promotions and the like? You’ve already mentioned where they can help, but maybe we can give a concrete example once more. What can merchants gain from our logistics solutions, or especially, I think this is about eBay Fulfillment: where can it really help, and to what extent?
Doreen: Yes, an absolute classic. So really now, as we are in the season, or in the context of sell-offs, or as I said, the eBay Deals program or merchants’ own coupons: processes simply have to work. It really goes from goods receipt to storage, outbound, automated tracking upload, etcetera. The nice thing is that merchants who are well prepared can fully focus during times like the one we’re in now on selling their goods rather than really having to concentrate on pick, pack and ship, which is actually not their.. at least in my view, not their core competence, but instead they can outsource that. So whether it’s eBay or multichannel, with a reliable fulfillment partner at your side, you can enter the season with a clear conscience. I have another example for this. Maybe this is also interesting for merchants who are right in the middle of the season and are wondering how they can keep growing. With a global partner, as we now do together with Orange Connex, we have the ability for merchants to serve all of Europe from German logistics centers. We have merchants who are simply venturing back into the UK market after Brexit, which is always a bit of a sacred cow. But yes, that works. Expanding into the USA is absolutely no problem at all. Fulfillment is available there too — eBay Fulfillment — or, what I actually think is really cool, and this also adds to the additional business, is balancing seasonality as well. We have one example. We have eBay Fulfillment in Australia too; a classic example here is lighting, for instance.
David: Yes, of course!
Doreen: That can also turn into two seasonal businesses, or motorcycle accessories, for example.
David: Yes, that’s not so easy in winter either, that’s true, yes.
Doreen: Exactly, you can simply.. It’s not earth-shattering, but it may be something worth thinking about.
Isabell: Definitely, you mentioned earlier that some of the shipping solutions we offer can also help, for example, protect sellers during seasonal periods or with returns and shipments, so that shipping solutions can provide support there. Do you have any more examples?
Doreen: Totally, yes, what I deal with every day. Of course I have those, I’ve got them with me. eBay actually offers a very broad range of shipping solutions that really address the various needs of merchants, to simply do justice to them, namely the needs of buyers. The eBay shipping platform, now in the classic sense for private or commercial sellers and buyers, is ultimately characterized by the large number of integrated shipping service providers, to simply ensure here: a) the seller has a good shipping offer, but also to ensure that with fast transit times, tracking, etcetera and so on and so forth, buyers have a good delivery experience. For almost all of our offered services we also have tracking and thus eBay seller protection. In addition, it’s super convenient, and you don’t have to keep switching back and forth between platforms. So, you don’t have to, of course you can at any time, if you don’t want to, of course not. After you’ve sold something, you can of course also go to the shipping provider’s online platform and buy your label, your shipping label. But you can also do it super easily on eBay, it’s really about convenience. In many cases it’s a different price, a cheaper price, especially when it comes to commercial merchants and the packing platform, and in addition the tracking number is automatically uploaded. That means there can’t be any typos, etcetera, there can’t be any.. My classic thing was, back then, when this wasn’t automatic yet, you had those little slips from the drop-off and maybe entered the wrong number into the wrong field. That doesn’t happen anymore here. That means we always have good tracking that is uploaded automatically.
David: Just briefly, you just mentioned tracking for buyer protection, and for all our listeners I’d like to mention again why it’s so important to provide tracking so that seller protection takes effect. I think it used to be a bit different. That has changed for some time now, and I don’t think you can repeat that enough.
Doreen: Exactly, it’s actually super easy to explain, in three words: tracking, tracking, tracking. If an item arrives late for buyers, but the data shows that the seller sent the item on time, then ratings and defects are automatically removed. So if really..
David: So if I, as a merchant, handed over the parcel on time and what happens after that is, so to speak, no longer my problem, because it’s no longer in my control.
Doreen: Exactly, that’s the point. Ultimately, especially during the season, things can.. of course it can sometimes take longer, etcetera etcetera. But if we see: okay, the seller has handed it over with a tracking number, and the standard transit time is, for example, one to two days, then what’s essentially assessed is whether the seller handed over the shipment on time at that point.
David: Mhm, and the other question was, you said we usually have lower prices through Packlink and co. - is that because we were able to negotiate better overall prices than an individual merchant could if they’re not that big yet? Or why is that?
Doreen: Yes, that’s exactly the point. We have different service providers on the Packlink platform, and there you already have the overview. So there are different shipping service providers, and what we do as eBay, with the volume we bring in here, is simply be able to offer a better price than, for example, the merchant with their shipment volume could achieve directly with the shipping provider.
Isabell: Okay, so the tracking number is already provided when I use one of eBay’s shipping services, and everything is a little more convenient, more automated. What’s it like with Orange Connex?
Doreen: Exactly, there I ultimately.. this may sound weird, but that’s actually how it is: we handle shipping end-to-end and can really achieve a fairly high degree of automation. If everything is well connected, meaning my eBay listings are linked to Orange Connex’s inventory, the process runs automatically, which means it is picked up the same day, goes to the shipping provider the same day, and is delivered the very next day at a very, very high rate. Merchants basically only have to make sure that inventory is always replenished.
David: But is there a match between inventory and.. and uh..
Doreen: Exactly, that’s actually what makes it work. So we see, okay, that’s the inventory, and no matter what is sold, whether it’s an eBay order or a multichannel order, it’s deducted accordingly, the inventory is ultimately managed, and don’t worry, the merchant doesn’t have to keep track of how much inventory they still have all by themselves. There are notifications that you can simply.. so minimum stock levels that you can ultimately specify, and then you receive a notification prompting you to replenish inventory.
Isabell: Yes, purchases aren’t necessarily over once shipping is done. Many buyers decide to send the parcel back, keyword: returns. Doreen, do we also have a solution around returns?
Doreen: Here I can highlight our returns solution, because even if the return rate at eBay is clearly below the market comparison, namely under 10 percent, the customer experience around returns is of course decisive for buying. If, for example, it’s not clearly communicated how returns can be made, potential buyers are often inclined to buy elsewhere, and of course we don’t want that.
Isabell: Okay, so in addition to a good returns process, I should also make that clear in my listing.
Doreen: Absolutely, the classic 30 days are simply a must, especially now in the pre-Christmas and Christmas season, when things may have been bought in advance already during the pre-Christmas period. Offering an additional option there, or even a longer return period, can be worthwhile.
David: I can also recommend another podcast episode we did on this, the returns 101. We had our merchant Maximilian Uhlenberg from Green Works Tools there, who gave a few tips on how to map returns management well. We’re also very pleased that for this episode not only our partner DHL but also Orange Connex could join us for a short interview. Boris Getz, Senior Business Development Manager at Orange Connex, briefly explains how the company’s offers can help merchants on eBay in their day-to-day business. Boris, how does Orange Connex support merchants in automating the order and delivery process?
Boris: So, in principle, we try to support our merchants by giving them certain tools, such as an existing API connection between Orange Connex and eBay, and we have also integrated various other tools, such as plentymarkets, JTL, afterbuy and so on, whatever they are called. For us, it’s simply important that the ordering process runs as easily as possible and that the seller has as little to do with the order process as possible.
David: Boris, let’s move on to scalability. How does Orange Connex adapt to merchants’ growth, and what flexibility do you offer in terms of storage space and delivery options?
Boris: So, we always try to adapt to the market and to the needs of our customers. That means we have a parcel-post product, we offer standard up to 40 kilos. We also offer seller protection for our eBay partners, an auto-claiming process as well as better visibility through our service. It is also important, of course, that we have virtually unlimited resources when it comes to warehousing and personnel. We can respond ideally to seasonal fluctuations and tailor what our customers actually need from us.
David: Let’s move on to cost effectiveness. In what ways does Orange Connex help merchants save operating costs, and how is that reflected in your pricing?
Boris: That’s a very good question, because especially after the crisis that broke out in Ukraine now, it’s clear that energy and wage costs have completely spiraled out of control, and here we simply have the ability to keep our customers’ operating costs low, since we have already factored heating costs and labor costs into our products. We can plan incredibly well because the prices are set on an annual basis, and we are not really affected by fluctuations because everything is already included in the calculation.
David: So more security for merchants because they can simply plan with the costs, unlike if they had to do everything themselves.
Boris: Exactly, and the issue that was present during the Covid crisis, namely that we were able to observe very high levels of sick leave among our customers, and since we work with both permanent and external staff, we essentially had unlimited capacity in warehousing, packing, and of course in maintaining cost efficiency.
David: Boris, the topic of a global network is a big one for you. How can Orange Connex’s global network help merchants with international growth?
Boris: That’s a very, very good question, because usually when people ask, what is Orange Connex? Orange Connex is actually a supply chain company. For example, how do we support our merchants with a sourcing platform so that they can connect with suppliers or potential new suppliers in Asia. We have a forwarding service, meaning: how does the goods get from China to Europe? We offer very good prices in ocean freight, air freight, and rail transport. The goods can then be stored with us, and we also offer, on the one hand in Germany, shipping to over 26 countries in Europe. In addition, we have further warehouses in the UK, Australia, and also in the USA.
David: That definitely sounds very comprehensive. Of course, what matters for our merchants is customer satisfaction, meaning the satisfaction of their customers. What does Orange Connex do to ensure fast and reliable delivery, and how does that affect the satisfaction and loyalty of our merchants’ customers?
Boris: So we make sure to work with standardized processes, meaning we offer our customers a standard setup with a cutoff of 4 p.m. I deliberately say cutoff and not pickup, meaning we say all orders that come in by 4 p.m. will also be shipped the same day, and we also receive the scan the same day. That is also very important, and quite crucial, because the customer wants to know when the goods are ordered that they are sent out the same day, ideally arrive the next day, and the seller shouldn’t have to worry about where the parcel is, that’s our job. That is a very, very important point in terms of customer satisfaction, and we also ship more than, let me say, 100 or 200 parcels a day. As a result, we are naturally a premium partner for our last-mile partners, and our parcels are definitely shipped. That means we have standardized processes. However, the most important thing in my view is that we have an incredibly great team here in Germany. We have a customer service team based in Germany. These are employees we all know by name, and from experience we’ve simply found that customers are also very satisfied when there’s a great team behind it, and that is something we can truly offer here in Germany.
David: Very nice, many thanks in any case for all the impressions and insights, and, uh yes, maybe until next time.
Boris: I thank you for the opportunity, see you again.
David: Many thanks to Orange Connex, and back to shipping solutions at eBay.
Isabell: We’ve now talked about many different issues. At this point, maybe the question to our listeners: what shipping issues do you encounter with your goods in your day-to-day work, and how do you solve them? You’re welcome to leave your feedback as a comment on the eBay for Business Facebook page or directly in our eBay Community.
David: Merchants constantly have to adapt to buyers’ wishes and to market conditions and the available logistics solutions, at least it feels that way. How flexible are the shipping solutions eBay offers so that they can do that?
Doreen: Mhm, an absolutely exciting topic, because ultimately it has to remain flexible for merchants, and with the solutions we now offer, meaning the eBay logistics solution, merchants do not enter into any obligations, for example regarding minimum purchase quantities or minimum shipping volumes. There are also no fixed contract terms, and yet the solutions are simply flexible in themselves and with each other. That means if, for example, you suddenly have ad hoc shipping to a specific country, you are totally free to use eBay Shipping by Packlink to.. the Bahamas, to name a purely fictional example.
Isabell: What if I suddenly want to ship more, keyword: scalability? Can the shipping solutions I’ve chosen also grow with me?
Doreen: Actually, we can even do better. Ultimately, it’s the case that our logistics solutions don’t just grow with you, but we actually drive growth, because through a good delivery experience that merchants offer their buyers, eBay already ensures more visibility on the eBay listing and a clear buying signal, which you’ve probably already seen. The signals on the listing are, for example, free two- or three-day delivery, or eBay Plus.
David: And if they still find themselves facing the decision, okay, I’m growing now, how flexible can that be.. do you need a long lead time or can it happen relatively quickly? What’s the situation there?
Doreen: It depends on what you’re selling and how much of it there is. I’ll use eBay Fulfillment by Orange Connex again as an example: if you say, okay, you’re not using a third-party tool, for example. In the end, you can simply take your eBay listings, send in the goods, link both together, and start from eBay Fulfillment within four days.
David: As soon as the goods are there.
Doreen: As soon as the goods are there, exactly. The goods-in process is ultimately a maximum of 48 hours from goods receipt to storage, then it is released and can ultimately get going.
Isabell: And how important are logistics solutions for the business success at the end of the day? Can we quantify that somehow, although it’s probably hard to put a number on it.
Doreen: Looking at it very black and white: without a good logistics solution, e-commerce becomes difficult. Ultimately, almost all sales have to be shipped. Efficient delivery of goods is therefore a decisive factor for customer satisfaction and thus also for loyalty to merchants. Through logistics solutions, merchants can ultimately optimize their business processes and improve customer service, which ultimately leads to a successful business.
Isabell: You just talked quite a bit about automation and technology in logistics processes - are there any market developments you’re currently seeing?
Doreen: Hm, one of the most important developments in logistics is ultimately the increased use of technology. That is not, in itself, a new development or a huge trend. Nevertheless, the focus is very much on automating processes. Artificial.. artificial intelligence is being applied and used. Um, and ultimately a lot of data-driven work is being done to optimize logistics processes.
Isabell: And what does eBay use there?
Doreen: A very exciting topic directly on the listing, for example, to really display correctly and specifically what the delivery times are. To do that, first we look at what the stated details are, but also what historical data can we use as a basis? Delivery times can be predicted, shipping suggestions can be made. Especially when it comes to when a certain type of item is sold, or very classically when it comes to processing in the logistics centers, it’s simply about coordinating the processes. Whether it’s goods-in processes and ultimately also the outbound forecast, to really coordinate when which pickup should ideally be made.
David: Can you briefly explain outbound forecast for people like me who don’t work much with logistics?
Doreen: Outbound forecast — I’d be happy to. Ultimately, it’s really the forecast of how many employees I need in the outbound process today and over the next three days, for example, and how many so-called bridges, meaning those large container boxes from the shipping providers, I need at the individual outbound gates?
David: Okay, just so I can get everything I sold out on time. Got it, learned something new!
Doreen: Learned something new, and very exciting, and now I’ll impress you with some numbers. We’re at what we call an outbound.. same-day outbound accuracy, meaning reliability. Let’s just say: reliability, actual reliability that the goods ordered today and still due to go out today are handed over to the shipping provider, for example at eBay Fulfillment, is above 99 percent.
David: That’s not bad. What else does eBay have up its sleeve? Can you maybe give us a preview of the upcoming exciting projects? I mean, I know you’re always working on things. What can we maybe already peek at a little behind the curtain?
Doreen: Behind the curtain is actually the right phrase, because we’re naturally in the middle of seasonal business too, but that doesn’t stop us from continuing to work behind the scenes to improve the delivery experience and make shipping and returns processes even faster and more efficient, and several further developments are actually going live very soon, so they’ll be rolled out. I brought three examples. First, we’re currently looking at how we can establish more tracking for letter mail on our platform. Exciting topic, maybe one of you has already discovered it. Then we have easier returns label provision for merchants, and that’s really exciting. That’s exactly feedback we gathered from merchants this year at our eBay local event series. We at eBay came to our merchants in the cities and collected ideas and feedback, and that is a very concrete topic we took with us and which is now already being rolled out, which I think is pretty strong.
David: That happened relatively quickly, right? So..
Doreen: Yes, definitely.. That’s why it’s so important to be in exchange with merchants and to mention something very tangible: soon, for example, our new shop for eBay packaging materials will go live. Sounds now.. #00:38:58-7# Isabell: For our eBay boxes?
Doreen: The eBay boxes, exactly—not just boxes, but also filling material, tape and so on and so forth.
Isabell: Very cool, I always get excited when I receive parcels with the eBay logo.
Doreen: Me first!
Isabell: Yes, and that brings us almost to the end of our podcast episode, at least almost—Doreen, as you know, there’s always one last question we ask our guests at the end of every episode: what was the last thing you bought on eBay, or in connection with eBay Local, what was the last thing you picked up?
Doreen: Yes, because Christmas always comes so suddenly, I needed new cookie cutters for biscuits. Unfortunately, the designs I wanted weren’t available locally. So they’ll just be delivered to me in two days, which is fine too.
David: Now I’m naturally curious what designs those were!
Doreen: Do you really want to know? One of them is an alpaca, and the other is an.. Um, how do you describe that one..
Doreen: Ah, the rocker-pommesgabel!
Doreen: Exactly, the rock hand, and that’s going to be very exciting because that’s part of what we do. At Christmas, cookies are baked.
Isabell: Very nice!
Doreen: Now just briefly about local, because one of my last sales was handled locally, because even I had trouble shipping this product. It was a big go-kart..
David: Those pedal go-karts?
Doreen: Those pedal go-karts, exactly, and it had just been sitting around our garage for far too long, and now another child will be happy about it at Christmas.
David: That’s really lovely too. This was definitely another really exciting episode today. A heartfelt thank you also to DHL and Orange Connex for the exciting insights, and of course to you too, Doreen, and thank you for sharing your knowledge about shipping with us. Now, at least as far as logistics solutions are concerned, everyone can actually look forward to the Christmas season in a relaxed way, right?
Doreen: That’s how I would do it too, definitely. I’ll say thank you very much and have a good time until next time.
Isabell: Bye!
David: Bye!
Doreen: eBay actually offers a very broad range of shipping solutions that really address the various needs of merchants, to simply do justice to the needs of buyers. The eBay shipping platform.. platform, now in the classic sense for private or commercial sellers and buyers, is ultimately shaped by the variety of integrated shipping service providers, simply to ensure, a) that the seller has a good shipping offer, but also to ensure that buyers have a good delivery experience with fast transit times, tracking, etcetera and so on and so forth.
Isabell: Hello, dear listeners, and a warm welcome to another episode of "Alles top. Gerne wieder!", the eBay podcast about retail and e-commerce. I’m Isabell Butterwegge, Seller Engagement Manager at eBay Germany, and with me at the table as always is my colleague. That would be Philippe, also Seller Engagement Manager at eBay Germany.
David: Hello Isabell, and welcome back to our listeners to our series about the delivery experience. In the first episode of this series, we talked with Steven Marks, Director Delivery Experience at eBay Germany, about the basics of shipping, buyers’ expectations regarding shipping and returns, and learned how shipping options can help increase the visibility of listings on eBay. If you haven’t listened to that episode yet, you should definitely check the show notes, because that’s where you’ll find the link directly to the episode.
Isabell: Yes, and in today’s second episode of the series we have a topic that affects both customers and sellers: shipping solutions. They are an important part of selling, especially when it comes to high-revenue periods like the Christmas season. The question is, how can our logistics solutions help merchants during the busiest times of business and during special promotions? We’ll discuss these and other questions today with logistics expert Doreen Ewald, Logistic Solutions Lead at eBay Germany. Welcome to the studio, Doreen!
Doreen: Hey, thanks for the invitation and thanks for the great intro.
David: Then let’s jump right in. Why has it become standard for large marketplaces to offer logistics solutions to their merchants?
Doreen: Logistics solutions on large marketplaces like eBay naturally offer advantages for merchants, buyers, and ultimately, of course, for the marketplace as well. Through this collaboration with established shipping service providers, merchants benefit from things that are tailored exactly to them, for example shipping services. Buyers benefit from fast and reliable shipping, and as a marketplace we naturally get better predictability, more reliable delivery-time information, and better customer service responsiveness.
Isabell: Yes, and how exactly do these shipping solutions specifically support new merchants, or small and medium-sized merchants?
Doreen: eBay’s logistics solutions are specially tailored to the needs of merchants of all sizes. The key factor here is ultimately the number of outgoing shipments and return shipments. Let me give an example for each: the eBay shipping platform, for example, is aimed at sellers with a rather low shipping volume, especially in private sales. It’s easy and convenient to find and use the right shipping option. For example, every time I sell something privately, I choose who I want to ship with, depending on what I sold, and then I have everything at a glance, including tracking directly in the eBay seller portal.
Isabell: Exactly, so I find the shipping platform directly after I’ve made my sale, and then I can buy the label there right away?
Doreen: Exactly, you just go.. Either you do it directly in Seller Cockpit or Seller Cockpit Pro, or you do it in your sales. Then you can directly say: print address label or shipping label, and off you go.
David: Do we also have something if I want to ship more now and am operating commercially?
Doreen: Yes, of course we do.
David: That’s good!
Doreen: Exactly, that’s precisely the point. What do I actually do? If I’m a small commercial merchant, I simply have more to ship and different needs than when I sell something privately. The solution we offer is eBay Shipping by Packlink. It is aimed exactly at small commercial merchants. What makes it so smart or so advantageous for this target group? It’s simply pre-negotiated prices, and we have additional features that are especially interesting for commercial use. Whether it’s importing order information data, i.e. order details, address, quantity, item, etcetera. For commercial merchants it is usually the case that in their daily routine they also operate more professionally, for example, and this may sound trivial, with label printing formats or direct invoicing that is triggered immediately. What’s also really interesting is that through the platform we now have so many shipping service providers connected that we truly cover a very broad spectrum, from letter format to pallet shipping, and recently it has also become possible to ship to the farthest corners of the world. A colleague of mine put it very aptly when we were laughing: we now have the ability to really cover everything from Andorra to Zimbabwe via eBay Shipping by Packlink.
Isabell: And with Packlink, is it then the case that I no longer have to select each individual order, or the label for each individual order, but that I simply provide my order file, so to speak, and then get my shipping labels back in return?
Doreen: Something like that — even more convenient, but that’s the general idea. You do nothing other than open the shipping platform, the order details are imported automatically, and then the labels can be printed directly.
David: Excellent. Before we turn back to insights into the world of shipping, let’s take the opportunity to look behind the scenes at our partner DHL. In a short conversation, Alexandra Ballweg, Key Account Manager at DHL, explained to us why their shipping options offer real added value for their customers, meaning our merchants on eBay. Alexandra, could you explain how DHL manages to deliver so quickly, and what impact this has on our eBay merchants and their customers? Maybe you can start with the fast delivery. How are you so quick?
Alexandra: Yes, Deutsche Post and DHL operate the largest parcel network in Germany, and the facilities are highly automated, and the processing steps go hand in hand. At every processing step the shipment is scanned, and we are expanding our capacities very strongly and are therefore a reliable partner all year round. Everything is synchronized like clockwork, and our 80,000 delivery staff are out at almost every front door every day and naturally know their way around very well.
David: That’s impressive! What about flexibility for our merchants? What options do you offer there?
Alexandra: Yes, for end customers it’s very, very flexible. There are services like parcel notifications, preferred neighbor, preferred location, preferred day, or delivery to one of 11,000 parcel lockers, which of course also offers incredible advantages. Here, senders but also recipients can choose from many options, and we also have an app that organizes everything and makes it very easy to use. And the flexibility we offer here is really recognized by end customers too, because 75 percent have chosen us as the best delivery company.
David: That’s not bad at all. You already mentioned tracking. What do you offer here, and why is it important?
Alexandra: Yes, with tracking, depending on whether you use partner systems or in-house programming.. DHL supports these processes and makes customer communication easier for merchants. For example, we have ProActive, which offers over 21 reports that can be selected and configured as needed, and many questions around the delivery process are answered in a customized way.
David: And what benefit does tracking have specifically for eBay merchants and especially their customers?
Alexandra: Yes, you always know where the shipment is. There are also big advantages. For example, if you receive the shipment quickly, payment is also made faster. That has been proven, or you also have certainty about it. Has the shipment been delivered or what is happening with the shipment? Will it be returned? Yes or no? And that way you can always know very well what is going on with the shipment, and even when the goods are returned, DHL offers numerous options around returns, and it is very convenient and easy to handle, really beneficial for both sides.
David: Alex, security is always important, also for our merchants, especially when shipping. What security measures does DHL offer here?
Alexandra: Every employee we hire has to take an oath of postal secrecy. In addition, very high security standards apply in our production facilities, and for further security needs of merchants we also offer services such as identity verification or no-neighbor delivery.
David: And I know DHL also places a lot of emphasis on sustainability. You’ve already done a lot. Are you doing more? What does that look like?
Alexandra: Yes, we are also a leader in sustainability. For many years now, we have been investing heavily in sustainable delivery vehicles, for example, which everyone has probably seen at some point. We already have many electric vehicles. And we..we are investing massively in new technologies to further reduce CO2 emissions. Our goal is to be at zero by 2050, that is a clear objective.
David: Many thanks to Alexandra from DHL, and back to us and the increased shipping volume. Doreen, how is it when I say, okay, I need to take it one step further? I just have so many shipments that I need more than just... okay, yes, it’s great that labels are printed, but maybe I also need storage space, and is there a solution for that too?
Doreen: Depending on the degree of scaling and the development.. growth of shipment volume, we naturally have an option for merchants, because at some point they simply face the decision. Hey, I either have to invest myself in additional storage space, employees, software, or I look for the right fulfillment provider, either completely if I really want to hand everything over, or just for part of the business. And that’s where eBay Fulfillment by Orange Connex comes in. This solution is aimed at medium-sized merchants to support their growth. So really the decision: hey, I can’t do this alone anymore. I need more storage space, employees, etcetera, large merchants for balancing peaks: seasonality, peak times, etcetera.
David: So, for example, during the Christmas season right now.
Doreen: Yes — Christmas always comes very suddenly. Exactly, Christmas is.. Or the season: we’re right in the middle of it. We see the uptick that we ultimately see: it starts in mid-October, it starts in mid-October with the peak periods, then there are deals, coupons and so on and so forth. We really notice that, and of course merchants notice it too, and then they decide very proactively. Exactly this part of the business I’m now proactively outsourcing so that I can continue to perform well and of course not put my eBay seller status at risk in the process.
Isabell: So that means they decide to outsource parts of their business from mid-October to January, so to speak.. not their business as a whole, but parts of the shipments via fulfillment.
Doreen: That’s one option. So we really have the.. if.. one is seasonality: balancing is the keyword there, and the other is actually being in the position of saying: Hey, up until now I’ve been doing this.. let’s just say, in my small warehouse with three employees. But if I want to keep up with my competition or continue increasing my shipment volume and revenue to that extent, I either need more storage space, more employees, etcetera, and then you look for the right partner. So that’s..
David: So then you have to sit down and say, okay, it makes sense for me to solve this myself somehow, or I have eBay’s partner, for example Orange Connex, and pay amount X, and in return I have so much storage space, and they do everything for me, and either that’s cheaper or also easier and more convenient, and I’m willing to pay more for it, or I’ll do it myself after all.
Doreen: That’s a good point. This paying more is actually always something that every merchant wants to decide for themselves. Ultimately, it usually turns out that the offer we have, when you really do a full cost calculation, is a very, very good offer. So I don’t really want to say whether it’s particularly cheap or particularly expensive, etcetera, etcetera. Ultimately, that’s something each merchant has to calculate for themselves. Of course, we’re happy to support them with that too. But I have one more example. What we deal with every day is the topic of brands and manufacturers and e-commerce: the topic of D2C, which we often solve with eBay Fulfillment, involves things like: hey, I have brand XYZ here, they still can’t deliver to end customers today, and trust me, it makes a difference whether I supply a branch with 20 pallets or make an end customer happy with a parcel — it’s a huge difference, and that’s where we help.
Isabell: Cool!
David: So that also enables them to suddenly open up new, new business areas?
Doreen: Absolutely!
David: Exciting!
Doreen: Exactly, that’s precisely the point, that we can now say: okay, this is the product, that’s maybe also the competitive environment, that’s inventory that we’d like to have on eBay. Of course, we work very, very closely with our colleagues, um, colleagues and female colleagues from the different verticals.
David: Hm, we’ve already touched on it and even brought it up as an example just now: the Christmas season. Yes, we’re right in the middle of it. What do these logistics solutions offer to support merchants specifically during peak business periods and during eBay WOW deals, special promotions and the like? You’ve already mentioned where they can help, but maybe we can give a concrete example once more. What can merchants gain from our logistics solutions, or especially, I think this is about eBay Fulfillment: where can it really help, and to what extent?
Doreen: Yes, an absolute classic. So really now, as we are in the season, or in the context of sell-offs, or as I said, the eBay Deals program or merchants’ own coupons: processes simply have to work. It really goes from goods receipt to storage, outbound, automated tracking upload, etcetera. The nice thing is that merchants who are well prepared can fully focus during times like the one we’re in now on selling their goods rather than really having to concentrate on pick, pack and ship, which is actually not their.. at least in my view, not their core competence, but instead they can outsource that. So whether it’s eBay or multichannel, with a reliable fulfillment partner at your side, you can enter the season with a clear conscience. I have another example for this. Maybe this is also interesting for merchants who are right in the middle of the season and are wondering how they can keep growing. With a global partner, as we now do together with Orange Connex, we have the ability for merchants to serve all of Europe from German logistics centers. We have merchants who are simply venturing back into the UK market after Brexit, which is always a bit of a sacred cow. But yes, that works. Expanding into the USA is absolutely no problem at all. Fulfillment is available there too — eBay Fulfillment — or, what I actually think is really cool, and this also adds to the additional business, is balancing seasonality as well. We have one example. We have eBay Fulfillment in Australia too; a classic example here is lighting, for instance.
David: Yes, of course!
Doreen: That can also turn into two seasonal businesses, or motorcycle accessories, for example.
David: Yes, that’s not so easy in winter either, that’s true, yes.
Doreen: Exactly, you can simply.. It’s not earth-shattering, but it may be something worth thinking about.
Isabell: Definitely, you mentioned earlier that some of the shipping solutions we offer can also help, for example, protect sellers during seasonal periods or with returns and shipments, so that shipping solutions can provide support there. Do you have any more examples?
Doreen: Totally, yes, what I deal with every day. Of course I have those, I’ve got them with me. eBay actually offers a very broad range of shipping solutions that really address the various needs of merchants, to simply do justice to them, namely the needs of buyers. The eBay shipping platform, now in the classic sense for private or commercial sellers and buyers, is ultimately characterized by the large number of integrated shipping service providers, to simply ensure here: a) the seller has a good shipping offer, but also to ensure that with fast transit times, tracking, etcetera and so on and so forth, buyers have a good delivery experience. For almost all of our offered services we also have tracking and thus eBay seller protection. In addition, it’s super convenient, and you don’t have to keep switching back and forth between platforms. So, you don’t have to, of course you can at any time, if you don’t want to, of course not. After you’ve sold something, you can of course also go to the shipping provider’s online platform and buy your label, your shipping label. But you can also do it super easily on eBay, it’s really about convenience. In many cases it’s a different price, a cheaper price, especially when it comes to commercial merchants and the packing platform, and in addition the tracking number is automatically uploaded. That means there can’t be any typos, etcetera, there can’t be any.. My classic thing was, back then, when this wasn’t automatic yet, you had those little slips from the drop-off and maybe entered the wrong number into the wrong field. That doesn’t happen anymore here. That means we always have good tracking that is uploaded automatically.
David: Just briefly, you just mentioned tracking for buyer protection, and for all our listeners I’d like to mention again why it’s so important to provide tracking so that seller protection takes effect. I think it used to be a bit different. That has changed for some time now, and I don’t think you can repeat that enough.
Doreen: Exactly, it’s actually super easy to explain, in three words: tracking, tracking, tracking. If an item arrives late for buyers, but the data shows that the seller sent the item on time, then ratings and defects are automatically removed. So if really..
David: So if I, as a merchant, handed over the parcel on time and what happens after that is, so to speak, no longer my problem, because it’s no longer in my control.
Doreen: Exactly, that’s the point. Ultimately, especially during the season, things can.. of course it can sometimes take longer, etcetera etcetera. But if we see: okay, the seller has handed it over with a tracking number, and the standard transit time is, for example, one to two days, then what’s essentially assessed is whether the seller handed over the shipment on time at that point.
David: Mhm, and the other question was, you said we usually have lower prices through Packlink and co. - is that because we were able to negotiate better overall prices than an individual merchant could if they’re not that big yet? Or why is that?
Doreen: Yes, that’s exactly the point. We have different service providers on the Packlink platform, and there you already have the overview. So there are different shipping service providers, and what we do as eBay, with the volume we bring in here, is simply be able to offer a better price than, for example, the merchant with their shipment volume could achieve directly with the shipping provider.
Isabell: Okay, so the tracking number is already provided when I use one of eBay’s shipping services, and everything is a little more convenient, more automated. What’s it like with Orange Connex?
Doreen: Exactly, there I ultimately.. this may sound weird, but that’s actually how it is: we handle shipping end-to-end and can really achieve a fairly high degree of automation. If everything is well connected, meaning my eBay listings are linked to Orange Connex’s inventory, the process runs automatically, which means it is picked up the same day, goes to the shipping provider the same day, and is delivered the very next day at a very, very high rate. Merchants basically only have to make sure that inventory is always replenished.
David: But is there a match between inventory and.. and uh..
Doreen: Exactly, that’s actually what makes it work. So we see, okay, that’s the inventory, and no matter what is sold, whether it’s an eBay order or a multichannel order, it’s deducted accordingly, the inventory is ultimately managed, and don’t worry, the merchant doesn’t have to keep track of how much inventory they still have all by themselves. There are notifications that you can simply.. so minimum stock levels that you can ultimately specify, and then you receive a notification prompting you to replenish inventory.
Isabell: Yes, purchases aren’t necessarily over once shipping is done. Many buyers decide to send the parcel back, keyword: returns. Doreen, do we also have a solution around returns?
Doreen: Here I can highlight our returns solution, because even if the return rate at eBay is clearly below the market comparison, namely under 10 percent, the customer experience around returns is of course decisive for buying. If, for example, it’s not clearly communicated how returns can be made, potential buyers are often inclined to buy elsewhere, and of course we don’t want that.
Isabell: Okay, so in addition to a good returns process, I should also make that clear in my listing.
Doreen: Absolutely, the classic 30 days are simply a must, especially now in the pre-Christmas and Christmas season, when things may have been bought in advance already during the pre-Christmas period. Offering an additional option there, or even a longer return period, can be worthwhile.
David: I can also recommend another podcast episode we did on this, the returns 101. We had our merchant Maximilian Uhlenberg from Green Works Tools there, who gave a few tips on how to map returns management well. We’re also very pleased that for this episode not only our partner DHL but also Orange Connex could join us for a short interview. Boris Getz, Senior Business Development Manager at Orange Connex, briefly explains how the company’s offers can help merchants on eBay in their day-to-day business. Boris, how does Orange Connex support merchants in automating the order and delivery process?
Boris: So, in principle, we try to support our merchants by giving them certain tools, such as an existing API connection between Orange Connex and eBay, and we have also integrated various other tools, such as plentymarkets, JTL, afterbuy and so on, whatever they are called. For us, it’s simply important that the ordering process runs as easily as possible and that the seller has as little to do with the order process as possible.
David: Boris, let’s move on to scalability. How does Orange Connex adapt to merchants’ growth, and what flexibility do you offer in terms of storage space and delivery options?
Boris: So, we always try to adapt to the market and to the needs of our customers. That means we have a parcel-post product, we offer standard up to 40 kilos. We also offer seller protection for our eBay partners, an auto-claiming process as well as better visibility through our service. It is also important, of course, that we have virtually unlimited resources when it comes to warehousing and personnel. We can respond ideally to seasonal fluctuations and tailor what our customers actually need from us.
David: Let’s move on to cost effectiveness. In what ways does Orange Connex help merchants save operating costs, and how is that reflected in your pricing?
Boris: That’s a very good question, because especially after the crisis that broke out in Ukraine now, it’s clear that energy and wage costs have completely spiraled out of control, and here we simply have the ability to keep our customers’ operating costs low, since we have already factored heating costs and labor costs into our products. We can plan incredibly well because the prices are set on an annual basis, and we are not really affected by fluctuations because everything is already included in the calculation.
David: So more security for merchants because they can simply plan with the costs, unlike if they had to do everything themselves.
Boris: Exactly, and the issue that was present during the Covid crisis, namely that we were able to observe very high levels of sick leave among our customers, and since we work with both permanent and external staff, we essentially had unlimited capacity in warehousing, packing, and of course in maintaining cost efficiency.
David: Boris, the topic of a global network is a big one for you. How can Orange Connex’s global network help merchants with international growth?
Boris: That’s a very, very good question, because usually when people ask, what is Orange Connex? Orange Connex is actually a supply chain company. For example, how do we support our merchants with a sourcing platform so that they can connect with suppliers or potential new suppliers in Asia. We have a forwarding service, meaning: how does the goods get from China to Europe? We offer very good prices in ocean freight, air freight, and rail transport. The goods can then be stored with us, and we also offer, on the one hand in Germany, shipping to over 26 countries in Europe. In addition, we have further warehouses in the UK, Australia, and also in the USA.
David: That definitely sounds very comprehensive. Of course, what matters for our merchants is customer satisfaction, meaning the satisfaction of their customers. What does Orange Connex do to ensure fast and reliable delivery, and how does that affect the satisfaction and loyalty of our merchants’ customers?
Boris: So we make sure to work with standardized processes, meaning we offer our customers a standard setup with a cutoff of 4 p.m. I deliberately say cutoff and not pickup, meaning we say all orders that come in by 4 p.m. will also be shipped the same day, and we also receive the scan the same day. That is also very important, and quite crucial, because the customer wants to know when the goods are ordered that they are sent out the same day, ideally arrive the next day, and the seller shouldn’t have to worry about where the parcel is, that’s our job. That is a very, very important point in terms of customer satisfaction, and we also ship more than, let me say, 100 or 200 parcels a day. As a result, we are naturally a premium partner for our last-mile partners, and our parcels are definitely shipped. That means we have standardized processes. However, the most important thing in my view is that we have an incredibly great team here in Germany. We have a customer service team based in Germany. These are employees we all know by name, and from experience we’ve simply found that customers are also very satisfied when there’s a great team behind it, and that is something we can truly offer here in Germany.
David: Very nice, many thanks in any case for all the impressions and insights, and, uh yes, maybe until next time.
Boris: I thank you for the opportunity, see you again.
David: Many thanks to Orange Connex, and back to shipping solutions at eBay.
Isabell: We’ve now talked about many different issues. At this point, maybe the question to our listeners: what shipping issues do you encounter with your goods in your day-to-day work, and how do you solve them? You’re welcome to leave your feedback as a comment on the eBay for Business Facebook page or directly in our eBay Community.
David: Merchants constantly have to adapt to buyers’ wishes and to market conditions and the available logistics solutions, at least it feels that way. How flexible are the shipping solutions eBay offers so that they can do that?
Doreen: Mhm, an absolutely exciting topic, because ultimately it has to remain flexible for merchants, and with the solutions we now offer, meaning the eBay logistics solution, merchants do not enter into any obligations, for example regarding minimum purchase quantities or minimum shipping volumes. There are also no fixed contract terms, and yet the solutions are simply flexible in themselves and with each other. That means if, for example, you suddenly have ad hoc shipping to a specific country, you are totally free to use eBay Shipping by Packlink to.. the Bahamas, to name a purely fictional example.
Isabell: What if I suddenly want to ship more, keyword: scalability? Can the shipping solutions I’ve chosen also grow with me?
Doreen: Actually, we can even do better. Ultimately, it’s the case that our logistics solutions don’t just grow with you, but we actually drive growth, because through a good delivery experience that merchants offer their buyers, eBay already ensures more visibility on the eBay listing and a clear buying signal, which you’ve probably already seen. The signals on the listing are, for example, free two- or three-day delivery, or eBay Plus.
David: And if they still find themselves facing the decision, okay, I’m growing now, how flexible can that be.. do you need a long lead time or can it happen relatively quickly? What’s the situation there?
Doreen: It depends on what you’re selling and how much of it there is. I’ll use eBay Fulfillment by Orange Connex again as an example: if you say, okay, you’re not using a third-party tool, for example. In the end, you can simply take your eBay listings, send in the goods, link both together, and start from eBay Fulfillment within four days.
David: As soon as the goods are there.
Doreen: As soon as the goods are there, exactly. The goods-in process is ultimately a maximum of 48 hours from goods receipt to storage, then it is released and can ultimately get going.
Isabell: And how important are logistics solutions for the business success at the end of the day? Can we quantify that somehow, although it’s probably hard to put a number on it.
Doreen: Looking at it very black and white: without a good logistics solution, e-commerce becomes difficult. Ultimately, almost all sales have to be shipped. Efficient delivery of goods is therefore a decisive factor for customer satisfaction and thus also for loyalty to merchants. Through logistics solutions, merchants can ultimately optimize their business processes and improve customer service, which ultimately leads to a successful business.
Isabell: You just talked quite a bit about automation and technology in logistics processes - are there any market developments you’re currently seeing?
Doreen: Hm, one of the most important developments in logistics is ultimately the increased use of technology. That is not, in itself, a new development or a huge trend. Nevertheless, the focus is very much on automating processes. Artificial.. artificial intelligence is being applied and used. Um, and ultimately a lot of data-driven work is being done to optimize logistics processes.
Isabell: And what does eBay use there?
Doreen: A very exciting topic directly on the listing, for example, to really display correctly and specifically what the delivery times are. To do that, first we look at what the stated details are, but also what historical data can we use as a basis? Delivery times can be predicted, shipping suggestions can be made. Especially when it comes to when a certain type of item is sold, or very classically when it comes to processing in the logistics centers, it’s simply about coordinating the processes. Whether it’s goods-in processes and ultimately also the outbound forecast, to really coordinate when which pickup should ideally be made.
David: Can you briefly explain outbound forecast for people like me who don’t work much with logistics?
Doreen: Outbound forecast — I’d be happy to. Ultimately, it’s really the forecast of how many employees I need in the outbound process today and over the next three days, for example, and how many so-called bridges, meaning those large container boxes from the shipping providers, I need at the individual outbound gates?
David: Okay, just so I can get everything I sold out on time. Got it, learned something new!
Doreen: Learned something new, and very exciting, and now I’ll impress you with some numbers. We’re at what we call an outbound.. same-day outbound accuracy, meaning reliability. Let’s just say: reliability, actual reliability that the goods ordered today and still due to go out today are handed over to the shipping provider, for example at eBay Fulfillment, is above 99 percent.
David: That’s not bad. What else does eBay have up its sleeve? Can you maybe give us a preview of the upcoming exciting projects? I mean, I know you’re always working on things. What can we maybe already peek at a little behind the curtain?
Doreen: Behind the curtain is actually the right phrase, because we’re naturally in the middle of seasonal business too, but that doesn’t stop us from continuing to work behind the scenes to improve the delivery experience and make shipping and returns processes even faster and more efficient, and several further developments are actually going live very soon, so they’ll be rolled out. I brought three examples. First, we’re currently looking at how we can establish more tracking for letter mail on our platform. Exciting topic, maybe one of you has already discovered it. Then we have easier returns label provision for merchants, and that’s really exciting. That’s exactly feedback we gathered from merchants this year at our eBay local event series. We at eBay came to our merchants in the cities and collected ideas and feedback, and that is a very concrete topic we took with us and which is now already being rolled out, which I think is pretty strong.
David: That happened relatively quickly, right? So..
Doreen: Yes, definitely.. That’s why it’s so important to be in exchange with merchants and to mention something very tangible: soon, for example, our new shop for eBay packaging materials will go live. Sounds now.. #00:38:58-7# Isabell: For our eBay boxes?
Doreen: The eBay boxes, exactly—not just boxes, but also filling material, tape and so on and so forth.
Isabell: Very cool, I always get excited when I receive parcels with the eBay logo.
Doreen: Me first!
Isabell: Yes, and that brings us almost to the end of our podcast episode, at least almost—Doreen, as you know, there’s always one last question we ask our guests at the end of every episode: what was the last thing you bought on eBay, or in connection with eBay Local, what was the last thing you picked up?
Doreen: Yes, because Christmas always comes so suddenly, I needed new cookie cutters for biscuits. Unfortunately, the designs I wanted weren’t available locally. So they’ll just be delivered to me in two days, which is fine too.
David: Now I’m naturally curious what designs those were!
Doreen: Do you really want to know? One of them is an alpaca, and the other is an.. Um, how do you describe that one..
Doreen: Ah, the rocker-pommesgabel!
Doreen: Exactly, the rock hand, and that’s going to be very exciting because that’s part of what we do. At Christmas, cookies are baked.
Isabell: Very nice!
Doreen: Now just briefly about local, because one of my last sales was handled locally, because even I had trouble shipping this product. It was a big go-kart..
David: Those pedal go-karts?
Doreen: Those pedal go-karts, exactly, and it had just been sitting around our garage for far too long, and now another child will be happy about it at Christmas.
David: That’s really lovely too. This was definitely another really exciting episode today. A heartfelt thank you also to DHL and Orange Connex for the exciting insights, and of course to you too, Doreen, and thank you for sharing your knowledge about shipping with us. Now, at least as far as logistics solutions are concerned, everyone can actually look forward to the Christmas season in a relaxed way, right?
Doreen: That’s how I would do it too, definitely. I’ll say thank you very much and have a good time until next time.
Isabell: Bye!
David: Bye!
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