With the impact of eBay’s Autumn Seller Release sinking in it’s obvious that eBay are looking to foster International sales. And it’s not just passive selling by adding International postage to you UK listings that eBay are looking for, they want you to actively list on overseas eBay sites and are giving free listings to encourage you to do so.
That brings up a number of issues, not least of which is logistics. Comscore say that 63% of online shoppers check a seller’s returns policy before even considering to purchase. For the EU at least you also need to make sure you’re compliant with the new EU directive on returns.
ReturnYourParcel is a service of B2C Europe who also run ParcelRoute. They aim to make offering returns simple and reassure the 63% of buyers checking your returns policy before making a purchase. Returns always cost more for the consumer then the retailer paid to send the item – it’s easy to get a contract to ship to multiple destinations from a single UK location, more difficult is to get a low cost for a one off return so offering pre-paid returns gives buyers security when making a purchase.
ReturnYourParcel is a simple prepaid return service for online retailers for 19 countries within Europe, to get parcels returned from their consumers via local post offices. There are various options depending on individual needs. All have been designed to keep things simple. A customer will receive an email from the sender, written in their own language (ReturnYourParcel translate into 19 languages). A label is printed by the customer through a link. The customer then drops the parcel off at the local Post Office.
Once in ReturnYourParcel’s network, the parcel is tracked and the on-line retailer will get notification of the parcel being returned. They can then make a decision to restock, refund or replace the item.
ReturnYourParcel can be used as a standalone service or part of ParcelRoute’s product suite for both outbound and returns solutions. Having worked with on-line retailers for several years they fully understand the problems returning parcels can cause and how consumers like to see a returns solution prior to finalising a purchase. Their solution takes away the pain and provides simple to use service for both the seller and the buyer.
To find out more and bespoke pricing contact [email protected] or call them on +44 (0)1296 338313
2 Responses
Like all these clever ideas it will simply depend on the price, usability and reliability of the service.
Our experience so far is that paid for returns from Europe are just too expensive to even contemplate.
Which is why selling across Europe with certain categories of product is a mugs game despite what Amazon or eBay might like you to think.
Once you include the total costs of selling into these markets it won’t take a lot of returns to hammer your margins given the expense of shipping over their already.