Last week, we wrote a pretty extensive post about the pros and cons of working with resellers. We concluded that most of the time, it just isn’t worth the risk. This week, we’re going to spend more time talking about WBX Commerce in the context of resellers.
Every so often, we get potential clients asking us: I’m sending my product to you, and you’re selling it for me… how exactly are you different from resellers? And, if you’re telling me working with resellers is risky, why should I take the risk of working with you?
The short answer is: we’re pretty darn different, but not completely different. We’ll let you be the judge, but we think we take most of the upsides and leave the downsides. Also, our differences happen to be a great way to explain what we do for our clients. So, think of this post as a primer of what we do through the lens of resellers.
We manage inventory with year over year trends in mind
Like resellers, we basically remove the management aspects of ecommerce, so that you can focus on other things. When you send us your item, we’ll take care of sending it on to Amazon. After that, our software will track ups and downs in sales, to limit out of stock days. We also aim to hold 30-60 days worth of inventory at a time in order to keep the freshest product in the forefront, as well as limit stock from sitting. With resellers, there’s no guarantee that they’ll buy extra for ramping up during the holidays, for example. They may want to buy from you on a weekly basis in much smaller amounts.
We take excellent care of your customers
Another thing we manage is customer service. As the old saying goes, stuff happens. Fortunately, many of these issues – such as damaged or lost items – actually fall to Amazon or eBay. However, when something does go wrong, we’ll always reach out within 3-4 hours to customers to make sure it is fixed whether that means a refund, overnighting a new product, or simple sending a different flavor that they may like better, we’ve got you covered.
Basically, we’ve got 100% positive seller feedback for a reason. Resellers may have low seller ratings, which can affect a customer’s impression of your brand, as well as the ranking of your product. There are tons of resellers with low ratings because so many consumers have had issues receiving their product, and if they are a reseller of your product, this bad taste can rub off on your brand.
Resellers buy your product, we sell it for you
This might seem like a fine line, but it’s the fundamental difference between us and resellers. We aren’t purchasing your product from you in bulk, rather we are selling the item for you. That reseller will most-likely pay in 60 or 90 day terms for the bulk amount they bought, but we pay every 30-days for everything that sold the previous month.
There is, however, a much bigger upside: you’re going to make much better money while working with us. We take only 10% which, even when you take into account added Amazon fees, will give you consistently better margins than any reseller could.
Don’t like the way your product page looks? No problem.
We will brand how you choose. This is a big deal for many manufacturers. We’re always willing to be proactive about your listing, we can adjust it if you see things you don’t like. This also means if you ever need to re-brand or adjust your strategy, you can easily implement it in minutes across all sales channels – your website, eBay and Amazon – for a consistent brand image.
Your Website
We know your website is important, and we will sell on it for you. And, if you’ve been less than happy with your storefront, we’ll even help you setup a Shopify cart to sell your items. With resellers, your website’s success may actually be harmed by fluctuating prices, or drawing customers away to Amazon. With us, we’ll work to ensure every platform is doing its job.
Resellers don’t necessarily keep data, we do
We keep numbers for you, so we can respond to demand and prep for the holidays. Our software responds dynamically to shifting sales. Whether or not your resellers rely on their own data for your product’s sales, WBX Commerce offers something they don’t: access. Since we’re gathering the data on your sales as well as consumers, we share that with you so that you can nurture that group, improve your product, and plan ahead.
We’re an ally, resellers are competition
Our ongoing success is your success, and vise versa. Think of us as ecommerce bouncers. We’re always motivated to do our job right, to avoid brawls and keep your product the best it can be.
While this may seem less concrete than many of the other differences we’ve mentioned, it’s perhaps the most important. Resellers are interested in moving product, first and foremost. While they may develop some loyalty to you if your brand sells, that loyalty isn’t going to stop them from competing with you once you’re pushing your products yourself.
If you still feel confused about where resellers end and WBX Commerce begins, it’s probably because this week’s blog was a TL;DR situation. We just wanna say: that’s cool. We know you’re busy. We’re busy, too. If you’d prefer to chat about how we’re different from resellers, or basically anything else under the ecommerce sun, we’re always excited to hear from you! Just drop us a line.
