Shipwire Review: A Global Logistics Alternative

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The ultramodern order fulfillment platforms cant be overlooked at. A global logistics solution needs to be far-reaching and fruitful. It’s clear to me that most solutions strive to offer a real-time integration point to all reputable channels.

The solution ought to be seamless for lack of a better word. If I put myself in your shoes, I feel the imminent pressure to get things done extensively.

I know you might have been looking out for a level-headed order fulfillment software. It’s is always a familiar story to most drop-shippers. What baffles me most is the array of companies which offer similar services.

It tends to confuse nearly everyone especially when I really want to settle on the most suitable service. Also, I want to avoid freezing in my own tracks.

Shipwire Review: Overview

shipwire review - homepage

So what does this Shipwire review knuckle down to?

As a reader, I look right on how Shipwire makes it convenient for me and my customers. How else do I know if it’s actually the real deal? How reliable Shipwire is for my business? Maybe these questions often cross your mind.

Don’t stress it. This review answers everything from a comprehensive perspective. Besides, this article lets me understand how its pricing compares to other platforms.

Also, It tests its customer support performance and fulfillment logic. This review lets me know if Shipwire is on top of its game.

But wait, there’s more to get hold of.

This article also looks at its inventory handling, warehouse storage, returns, and supplier management. After all, I want a plain sailing experience.

So let’s get everything straight.

What is Shipwire?

It’s an order fulfillment platform which powers my efforts to achieve my global logistics needs. It makes my business meet the demand from all over the world. Shipwire also curbs fulfillment drawbacks in the fast-growing e-commerce industry.

The software works towards delivering flexibility and responsiveness for me as a user. It understands the restraint faced by brands and retailers who sell products using multiple sales channels.

That being the case, Shipwire lets me access its numerous inventory locations. It has APIs which integrate with most sales channels. It expands my business to new networks. All I need is to cash in on its well-organized software.

Shipwire makes my order fulfillment a whole new experience and my inventory gets organized through its automated software. It keeps updated records too and takes care of delivery. The system synchronizes with major global carriers.

Fortunately, my business gets flexible enough to cut across all borders. Shipwire lets me have customized reports to suit my business model. It lets me set specified intervals to get detailed updates.

I’m updated on a daily, weekly or even monthly basis.

Shipwire Review: Features

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The first impression always counts.

Shipwire’s software is built on an interface which is, conclusive and makes page navigation quite easy. It gets better for me as a user if the site’s pages are fast-loading.

Lucky enough, the conversion rate on Shipwire without doubt, seems so impressive. In addition, it has a couple of notableย  APIs on board. They make all my transactions a walk in the park.

In fact, the software simply lets me sign up by filling in a few requisite details. I only type my business name, the number of orders I handle on a monthly basis, and an official email address.

My account runs once I make a confirmation through a notification sent to my email. Shipwire gives me an option to customize a few options to make order fulfillment painless.

I can choose to add all orders manually or integrate the software with my preferred third-party shopping carts. All this gets done through its trouble-free APIs.

What else can I do?

Shipwire has a well-detailed inventory system. It has a product catalog which accurately helps me to add items. All my products are sorted based on SKU, quality, and quantity.

What’s more convincing, is the huge number of warehouses that Shipwire owns. Technically, all my orders are fulfilled globally. I’m at liberty to choose any warehouse and this proves to be convenient for me as a merchant.

Let’s dive into Order management.

Shipwire comes with a dashboard to help me organize all products. So what makes Shipwire’s fulfillment process distinctive? It lets me set filters to select a warehouse.

I gain access to status updates for easy reference. As a user, I get to pick a date when the item needs to be shipped.

To shed more light on the product status, I’m always apprized anytime an order gets processed, canceled, is shipped or put on hold. It helps me to meticulously keep a record of all orders I deal with.

Here’s a more engaging feature.

I’m posted on the number of all back ordered products. In simple terms, it’s when an item gets placed on order even when it’s out of stock.ย  All features on the orders overview page prove to be a selling point for Shipwire.

Shipwire Review: Business Reports

Let me walk you through the whole process.

So this is how Shipwire tries to make my account activities look stunning and professional. Shipwire permits subscription to automatic notifications on all actions taking place.

How will my partners access these details?

The software gives an allowance of up to 10 email recipients.ย  To make the most of this system, a user selects a report-frequency. I can set it to daily, weekly, monthly or even quarterly(3 months).

Shipwire furnishes me with a sample report and it records each category of action. It’s more like a template which shows an excerpt of each record. What are the various reports at my disposal?

Getting down to it.

  • Inventory performance report

It gives me a brief overview of the inventory at a specified period of time. This report captures clustered information based on the SKU, warehouse, and status. All inventory related details are well explained and the report presents them in a simple format.

This report is suitable for inventory turnovers. From a financial point of view, this is a huge plus for me. This helps me control the liquidity of my inventory. Keep in mind that increasing sales is at the top of my priorities.

Stock replenishment works well with this report too. I always see it as the best practice and a means to enhance order fulfillment.

  • Inventory transaction detail report

Yet another unique summary.

So this lets me see how many products Shipwire receives at their respective warehouses.

It has two key features. First, it sends me a summary of all transactions related to my inventory on each SKU and fulfillment location. The second bit is, it keeps track of any changes on a daily, weekly or monthly intervals.

Where do I use this report? Shipwire lets me count on it for Inventory accounting and financial accounting reporting purposes.

  • Tracking report

I want to gain clarity on my shipment to avoid any frustrations. This report does all the tedious work for me. It’s more like a watchdog which monitors package movement and any shipment hitches.

This report usually has a tracking number, customer details, and a tracking status. The tracking report supports a number of renowned carriers. I can choose Canada Post, FedEx, DHL, Royal Mail, just to name a few.

  • Returns report

Why is it important? Let’s find out.

It feeds me with all the necessary details as to which warehouse the product is returned to. Also, the summary shows whether the return is one which I can anticipate or not. On top of that, it shows me the condition of the product and its current availability status.

I render it valid for returns management and part of boosting customer service.

  • ย Long-term storage detail report

Shipwire lets me know of any inventory that stays in their warehouse centers for more than 12 months. This is a handy guide which helps me make a provision for storage fees. The payment covers any inventory aged over 6 months.

  • Inventory performance 6 months report

This acts as my SKU velocity calculator. It shows me how my products I sell over the past 6 months. The numbers are significant since I can make adjustments to the inventory based on the sales report.

Shipwire Review: Pricing

If I’m allowed to be forthright, I’m not impressed by their pricing guide. The site doesn’t list any fees. It directs me to the pricing overview only upon a request to get a custom quote.

In spite of that, this review captures all important costs.

All handling expenses are calculated in respect of where the warehouse is located. Reliable sources indicate that Shipwire charges $30 to store 5 different products in one pallet.

Their pick and pack fees apply up to 20 items per order. If I want to include promotional inserts, I pay $0.20 for each marketing material.

How much do I pay for commercial invoice preparation? Shipwire charges a small fee of $1.50 per order. All inventory needs to be “Delivered Duty Paid(DDP)”. It means that I have to first clear all taxes, duty, and customs.

Account billing.

Shipwire reserves the right to charge the difference between my monthly usage and $500. It uses this formula when my total bill per month is below five hundred bucks.

This monthly minimum billing applies only when 90 days have elapsed after storing my products with Shipwire. The platform accepts Paypal or wire transfer from a US bank account.

My account must be prepaid. It means that all accrued charges are deducted from my balance.

What are the long-term storage fees?

The software bills me twice a year. Every 1st March and 1st September, I pay for inventory which has been in their warehouses for over 12 months. Shipwire calculates my fee at the rate of $20.50 per cubic feet.

Suppose I’m a merchant who deals with large volumes, Shipwire requires a security deposit. What do I mean by this? If I store items that exceed 500, I must pay for costs incurred to send products to the warehouse.

Shipwire Fulfillment

Is it a global fulfillment platform to count on? Let’s dig deeper.

To begin with, Shipwire has a huge network. It has a scalable solution for my business. Here’s how. I can access 154 micro managed fulfillment centers situated in 45 countries. As a merchant, this makes my logistics run smoothly.

Remember, I must be mindful of the shipping flexibility. Besides, I want to save on costs precisely when I handle tons of orders. Shipwire promises to cut down my expenses and shipping time automatically.

Shipwire guarantees same-day order processing. What do they mean? If I send my orders to their respective warehouses before the day breaks, my products are shipped the very same day.

I know you could ask this. How about handling returns? The platform has a range of options laid out for me to choose from. This is a huge plus for my business. I get to save money.

Carrier Compatibility

Also, it allows me to optimize returns via cheap shipping methods. The software integrates with a couple of carrier companies. The carrier optimization, on the other hand, helps cut down costs by a significant margin.

I can achieve my projected results by use of the listed local, regional, international carriers and postal services. All these services are tried and tested. No worries whatsoever about losing my orders along the way.

Imagine this.

I fulfill all deliveries across Europe and North America in just two days. I know you may wonder if this is attainable. Actually, I can quicken this process by use of their road network fulfillment centers.

The delivered duty paid (DDP) method is paperless on Shipwire. It lets me shift all these charges to my end customers.ย  Cross-border commerce and fulfillment come as part of the package.

The APIs help me integrate the global supply chain to one single point. What’s the end result? I can easily reach the doorstep of any potential customer from any corner of the world.

So how does Commercial invoicing work?

This is so paramount. The whole process requires me to fill in all the necessary information. If not, my orders are put on hold. I know that sucks.

Since I might have to deal with a variety of orders, Shipwire allows me to edit my invoices. There is a documentation fee structure highlighted on the site. This helps me know what I should have at hand depending on the total retail value.

It’s quite incredible that the Business to Business (B2B) sales are part of Shipwire’s fulfillment service. It has automated retail compliance and supports drop-ship on behalf of my retail counterparts.

Multichannel Integration

But here’s the kicker.

Shipwire makes it possible to virtually connect to third-party sales channels. Major stores like Shopify, Magneto, eBay, Amazon, and many others integrate well using their pre-built connectors.

This lets me automate all shipping rates, manage all orders and inventory at one point. Want to know the best part? It lets me build a custom integration to add my preferable cart if it’s not part of the listed carts.

The site has a retail compliant integration system. It’s scalable and this means that I can tailor the system’s pricing to suit my business needs. This lets me expand my products distribution whenever I want.

Both B2B and B2C sales are effortless here. I can access notable retail channels like BestBuy, Groupon, Wallmart, and Staples. It incredibly helps me mitigate so many setbacks. Having to struggle with compliance is no issue here.

Shipwire automatically links me to the most appropriate carriers. Also, it helps me verify addresses to avoid making errors.

To make a smooth transition, Shipwire includes a detailed guide on how I will connect to my cart.

How it works.

Let’s use Shopify for illustration purposes.

Shipwire has an App on the Shopify App store which lets me connect to the e-commerce platform. The integration process comes with significant features.

I can do order entry and fill an inventory status to include the number of items and the condition. It has an automatic push notifications feature which sends order tracking information.

What excites me most is the real-time shipping rates update at checkout. Depending on my optimizing options, Shipwire gives me access to the most affordable warehouse, carrier and packaging services.

 

Shipwire Review: Support

It has a frequently asked questions section which is quite comprehensive. It answers common queries which may come up during a user’s interaction. There’s an official mail to help me make further inquiries.

For instance, I can request a custom quote for any services. In addition, there are a couple of articles with reliable information. There are import/export guidelines which help me comply with all trade requirements.

Shipwire Review: Pros and Cons

What to like

  • I can do custom packaging
  • crowdfunding support
  • multichannel sales compatibility
  • B2B and B2C shipping
  • It has resourceful articles
  • I can access detailed report notifications
  • Ground shipping is available
  • Comes with a friendly user interface
  • There are several warehouses across borders

What not to like

  • Several complaints about customer service
  • The pricing is not well elaborated

Shipwire Review: Conclusion

So how powerful is this order fulfillment platform?

I can’t term it as the top notch solution in the market. Besides, there are reputable platforms which offer much more. It’s prudent to look at what others have to put on the table before testing Shipwire with your wallet.

In a nutshell, Shipwire is slightly above average if we are to look at its success rate. I wish that the team tries to resolve issues raised by customers promptly and make the entire process uncomplicated.

The main dealbreaker is that of customer service. There are lots of bad reviews posted online. That can’t be erased in the minds of potential customers.

Lastly, I strongly recommend one to first deal with few orders to test Shipwire’s efficiency.

 

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