Today, you may have seen an article on TechCrunch about a brand-new feature for ShipStation. Hidden amongst the talk about AWS and the cloud, you may have noticed something else: we now offer Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA). For any of you who fulfill your orders through Amazon, just think of what you could accomplish by using your ShipStation account to fulfill those orders over the process that you have now. Yeah, that’s a lot of time you’d save.
Here’s how FBA works to those of you unfamiliar with it: you have your store on eBay, Shopify, Volusion, Sears, etc. and you get an order. Rather than ship that item yourself, you pay Amazon to keep it in its warehouse for you and use its fulfillment and shipping providers to do everything past the “Yay, I got an order” part. So, once you have your celebration over receiving an order, you let Amazon know to fulfill and ship the order, and they take care of that entire process. Once the order has shipped, Amazon will send you the tracking number and shipment status. You then communicate that information to both your marketplace and customer through a type of copy-and-paste routine. That’s where we come in.
If you’d like your orders fulfilled through Amazon’s FBA service, rather than ship them yourself through ShipStation, you need only move the slider from “Shipment” to “Fulfillment” when you have an order (or orders) selected within the main Orders screen. Then, select “FBA” as the provider, choose the preferred Service, and ship the item! Once shipped, Amazon will immediately notify ShipStation of the tracking number and shipment status where we then instantly and automatically update your marketplace and customer with that information, just as if you had shipped the item yourself, but without the manual steps.
FBA is a fantastic way to easily fulfill and process orders from any marketplace, and now we’ve helped to make the process even easier, especially for those of you who still do some fulfillment in-house. Fulfillment can easily take up most of your time when running an online eCommerce business, and we’re sure that if you’re not already using ShipStation, we can help you cut down on your order processing time. If you decide to also go with FBA for part (or all) of your order fulfillment, our app will help you streamline that process as well, and help you save valuable time.
To sign up for FBA within ShipStation, all you need to do is go to your Settings page, and click the newly renamed Shipping / Fulfillment Providers link. (Previously, it was Postage / Shipping Providers.) Here, simply click on the Fulfilled by Amazon fulfillment provider and follow the on-screen instructions. If you’re looking to help manage your inventory, our friends over at Stitch Labs can help with their recently-announced integration with Amazon and Amazon’s FBA program.
Looking for a bit more info on FBA before you sign up? No worries; Amazon has a few fantastic videos and FAQs for more information.
I’m Erika, the social media & content manager for ShipStation. You’ll find me on Twitter, Facebook, and the other areas of the ShipStation world. In my free time, I’m a lover of video games, my cats, and other generally nerdy things. :)
Have you been experiencing slower than expected processing speeds with ShipStation? If so, we have some news that we’d like to share.
ShipStation makes heavy use of Javascript which allows us to provide a feature-rich user interface. JavaScript speed is very important in optimizing the overall performance of your ShipStation experience, including site navigation, order imports, batch processing and label generation. Unfortunately, all browsers are not created equal when it comes to Javascript performance. The following chart is from a ZDNet article that compared the major web browsers:
In the Futuremark Peacekeeper v2.0 benchmark test, Google Chrome was the clear winner in overall Javascript performance. If you’ve tried ShipStation with both Internet Explorer and Google Chrome, you’ve likely come to this conclusion as well. This is one of the reasons Google Chrome is now the most popular browser available (image courtesy of StatCounter.com):
If you prefer or need to use Internet Explorer over any other browser, then we have found a way to help. To increase the overall speed and performance of ShipStation through your Internet Explorer browser versions 6, 7, 8 and 9, you can install a Google Chrome plug-in called the Google Chrome Frame. The plug-in can be downloaded from the following link. Just hit “Accept and Install”, and you’re on your way to a much faster ShipStation (note, you will need to restart Internet Explorer after installing the plug-in).
http://www.google.com/chromeframe
Note that the plug-in is only used for web sites that explicitly support the Google Chrome Frame, which ShipStation does, so it won’t affect any other sites that you regularly visit. For your convenience, we have included a video to help better explain how Google Chrome Frame works:
We hope that you have found this information helpful and that you are now experiencing ShipStation as it was intended – sleek, powerful, and FAST!
We’re excited to announce Shipping Presets, a powerful feature suggested by ShipStation’s very own user community. Shipping Presets allow you to quickly apply settings to one or more orders.
Manage your presets by clicking on the Shipping Presets menu above the shipping fields in the Order Information pane.
Click “+ New Preset” to add a new preset. Supply values for some or all of the fields.
There are 3 ways to apply shipping presets:
1. Apply a preset to a single order from the Shipping Preset menu.
2. Press defined hotkey to apply preset to one or more orders.
3. Use Bulk Update to apply preset to multiple orders.
Register now for your 30 day free trial of one of the most powerful shipping applications on the market. You’ll have access to a fully functioning solution containing time-saving features and access to discounted shipping rates!
ShipStation is a web-based shipping application that is fully compatible with Mac OSX and Safari. Whether you want to print single or multiple labels, domestic or international, via USPS, UPS or FedEx, ShipStation does it all on your Mac without the need for external software. Our commitment to intuitive and intelligent shipping software was built with Mac users in mind!
ShipStation brings a rich set of features to Mac users who have traditionally been neglected by desktop shipping software. Importing orders from multiple marketplaces and shipping them using USPS, UPS or FedEx is a seamless experience in Safari or any other web browser you choose. Customizable automation rules help you build a shipping process that’s fast, consistent, and tailored specifically to your business needs. Best of all, ShipStation can be accessed from anywhere!
ShipStation Feature Highlights:
At ShipStation, we care about the details too. By offering tools like a multi-carrier rate calculator, address validation checker, and product pick list generator, we help you to make quick and easy shipping decisions from within our platform.
If you’re looking for a powerful shipping application that runs effortlessly on a Mac, check out our 30-day free trial. Jennifer, an Apple user and founder of Gracefully Girly, gave us a shot and said, “I tried ShipStation and I’m in love. Pure love.“ We love hearing from our customers and discovering how we can continue providing top of the line shipping software for online retailers.
ShipStation is pleased to announced a new feature for our Amazon sellers to help with increased picking and packing accuracy. ShipStation now pulls in product images and weights for every Amazon order and displays them along with item name and sku.
Like other marketplaces, Amazon sellers now have the ability to hover over a product thumbnail image and see a larger version of the product image.
We’d love to hear what you think of these new features – as well as your ideas for new ones. Let us know what you think in UserVoice by selecting “Suggest a Feature” from the Support Menu.
For the last several months we’ve been working very hard on adding new features to ShipStation. Today, we’re happy to announce that ShipStation is now a FedEx® Compatible Solution!
With this addition, ShipStation now supports the 3 major US shipping carriers! Here are some highlights of our new FedEx module:
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Support for FedEx Express, Ground, Home Delivery, and SmartPost |
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Retrieve real-time rate information |
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Create labels one at a time or in batch, up to 500 at a time! |
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Validate addresses for shipping accuracy |
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Email tracking information to your buyers |
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Communicate tracking information to your eCommerce platforms |
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Compatible with your Mac or PC |
If you are looking for a user-friendly solution that will efficiently manage your FedEx shipping process, give ShipStation a try today!
We have awesome customers who sell fantastic products, and we love to spotlight them in our blog. If you would like to be included, please contact us and let us know. This month’s spotlight is Cutting Edge Stencils
Name: Janna Makaeva and Greg Swisher
Title: Co-founders and CEOs
Company: Cutting Edge Stencils
Web Site: www.cuttingedgestencils.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cutting-Edge-Stencils/130488356769
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CEStencils
Where do you sell online?
We sell on our own website, CuttingEdgeStencils.com, also on Etsy, Amazon, Artfire, Ebay, Bonanza and Ecrater.
How long have you been designing stencils?
We have been designing stencils since 1996, and we used them mostly for our decorative painting business, SpecFin designs. We used to paint and stencil upscale homes in NY metropolitan area. And in 2008 we decided to open a stencil store and start selling to everyone online.
What inspires you to create your pieces?
Most of my inspiration comes from nature and my garden. I also draw lots of inspiration from historic sources such as architecture, pottery, tiles and textiles.
How has ShipStation helped your business?
Shipstation really transformed our whole order fulfilling process! We used the Paypal system before and it was so slow and unsophisticated, and it literally took hours and hours to print the shipping labels. With Shipstation it all miraculously changed, the time savings are amazing and I only wish we have found you guys earlier :) it is so easy to use, very intuitive and well-thought out.
What is your favorite ShipStation feature?
Our favorite feature is Automation, it’s such a time-saver! We love creating custom rules so there is less and less info to enter for the person printing the labels.
We have awesome customers who sell fantastic products, and we are going to begin spotlighting some of them in our blog. If you would like to be included, please contact us and let us know. Our first spotlight is Society 43!
Name: Jason Bolt
Title: CEO/El Presidente’
Company: Society 43
Web Site: http://www.society43.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Society43
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/Society43
What does Socity 43 sell? Licensed Collegiate Sunglasses
Where do you sell online? eBay, Amazon, Society43.com (Volusion web site)
How has ShipStation helped your business?
ShipStation has been a rockstar product for us. It has cut our fulfillment time by 60-70% since we have integrated it. It provides our customers with the information they need to know to feel secure about our products leaving our warehouse and arriving at their doorstep in a timely fashion. It also provides us with crucial metrics about who we are shipping too and what we are spending on shipping.
What is your favorite ShipStation feature?
Our favorite ShipStation feature is being able to pull order information from all of our different sales channels and allowing us to setup default values for incoming products. It simplifies our fulfillment process tremendously and is an essential tool for any online company selling through multiple channels.
Do you have any tips for new online retailers?
Customer service is key. Customers will buy from you online because it is convenient, but they have to trust your products and your company. Easing customers’ worries about buying online should be priority number one. We do this by offering free shipping both ways, which ShipStation makes simple and responding to all customer inquiries within 24 hours. Gain your customers’ trust and they will become a champion of your brand.
When are you going to offer Texas Longhorn shades?!
Working on it…they should be available by April 2012. :)
We’ve been receiving some great feedback and input from our sellers and just released some new features that deliver some added efficiency to the shipping process.
The first feature covers single order shipping. Many sellers have told us that the label batch process is overkill for when they need to simply process a single order. We agreed.
The new “Quick-Ship” window is shown when only a single order is selected and the “Ship Order(s)” button is clicked. Shipping settings can be changed directly in the window and the label can be printed without ever leaving the orders screen.
The other new feature covers the other end of the spectrum. For sellers that are preparing and shipping large batches of orders at one time, this can often be difficult to organize. For that reason, we created the “Loading Dock”. The loading dock is simply a temporary bin to place orders that are ready to ship.
One or more selected orders can be added to the Loading Dock by using the new button at the bottom of the order list:
Depending on your fulfillment process, you can quickly print a pick list, packing slips or an order report directly from the Loading Dock window. When you’re ready to create the label batch, just click on “Ship These Orders”.
With the new Loading Dock in place, the size and positioning of the product preview was redesigned to make better use of space. Included with that redesign was the ability to hover over a product thumbnail image and see a larger version of the image. Unfortunately, this is only applicable to the sales channels that currently provide product images for ShipStation, but were lobbying hard to make sure all of them do eventually.
Austin, Texas Oct 18, 2011 — Auctane introduces ShipStation, allowing online retailers to fulfill orders faster while reducing shipping costs. ShipStation consolidates orders from numerous marketplaces and shopping cart solutions, and allows shipping labels to be printed in batch. This initial release includes support for eBay, Amazon, Buy.com Marketplace, Etsy, Magento, Volusion, Zen Cart, PayPal, Google Checkout, and Payvment.
ShipStation is a web-based solution that is compatible with both PCs and Macs, and does not require any software to install. With support for batch label printing as well as multiple users and warehouses, ShipStation is ideal for mid to high volume sellers. Feature highlights include:
• Intuitive, easy to use web interface with no software to install
• Unprecedented shipping discounts
• Full 360-degree synchronization with each marketplace
• Streamlined shipping system processes numerous orders in just a few clicks
• Configurable order processing engine automates tedious tasks and reduces human error
• Innovative order management features such as the Sales Channel Inbox and Priority Order Tagging
“Shipping is often a pain point for an online retailer selling across multiple channels and marketplaces”, said Jason Hodges, President of Auctane. “ShipStation helps by allowing retailers to sell their products anywhere and ship in one convenient place.”
Each ShipStation subscription includes a free DYMO Endicia account, which allows users to print all classes of USPS postage. ShipStation also integrates with Express 1, a government partner of the US Postal Service, providing discounted rates on Priority and Express Mail.
For more information, or to start a free 30-day trial, please visit http://www.shipstation.com.
About Auctane:
Auctane provides turn-key shipping systems for online retailers and shippers. With a focus on efficiency and simplicity, Auctaneʼs web-based tools allow shippers to process orders faster and more easily than ever before. Auctaneʼs shipping solution for eBay sellers, Auctane Shipping Manager, has been the top-rated shipping application in the eBay App Center for the past two years.
