eBay has unveiled its latest plan to get orders shipped out to customers faster and cheaper than ever in a bid to win customers back from Amazon’s own fulfillment services.
The new service has been named Managed Delivery. Rather than open its own warehouse like its competitor, eBay has opted to negotiate discounts with logistics partners around the US for warehouse space, packing and delivery services. The global technology platform will be run by eBay while third-party partners take care of operations.
Sellers can expect to pay less on fulfillment costs, offer better customer support and be able to promise faster and more reliable delivery to their customers. The orders will also be shipped out bundled up in eco-friendly eBay branded packaging much like Amazon’s iconic boxes.
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eBay is likely trying to steal business back from Fulfillment by Amazon, a feature used by many eBay sellers to ship out stock. Managed Delivery is expected to be cheaper to use than the service currently offered by Amazon. eBay also plans to go a step further by taking over responsibility for lost or damaged goods from the seller, a feature that Amazon does not currently offer.
eBay seller David DeBartolomeo participated in the US trial last year. DeBartolomeo claimed that “eBay’s fulfillment pilot has made it easier and faster to get our products in the hands of customers”. He continued to explain that “today, shoppers are looking for fast and free delivery and this new service has allowed us to increase customer satisfaction while simplifying our business and saving money at the same time”.
“Managed Delivery will be a competitively-priced logistics solution for businesses selling high-volume goods in popular categories like electronics, home and garden, and fashion”, said eBay CEO Devin Wenig. “The implementation of this service will dramatically lessen the shipping burden on sellers, while improving the shopping experience and making unboxing fun for buyers”.
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Managed Delivery is the third ‘pillar’ in eBay’s ongoing efforts to stand up to Amazon and establish itself as a competitive and trusted online marketplace. The company has already unveiled a new catalog to make it easier for buyers to search for what they need and developed its payment options to give users more choice when it comes to ordering products on the site.
eBay has already trialed Managed Delivery this year in the UK, US and Germany and plans to begin rolling out the service properly in the US in 2020. You can learn more about the Managed Delivery by visiting eBay’s Seller Center.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
