Sears has been in the news a lot lately because of its issues with bankruptcy. However, they are still in business and making a big push to improve their online shopping. A few years ago, Sears opened an online marketplace that allows vendors to drop ship for them. Dropshipping is a business model where customers place orders on a big website, and orders are then fulfilled by partnering vendors from their respective warehouses. Getting your products into these big department stores can be challenging, so in this blog, we have put together all of the information you need about dropshipping with Sears.
After this application has been filled out and submitted, a member of the Sears buying team will reach out if they are interested in your products. Whenever a buyer reaches out to you, they will want to know more about your brand and your capabilities as a company. From here, you and the buyer can make the decision about moving forward as a vendor with Sears.
Sell On Sears – Fulfilled By Merchant
The Sears Fulfilled By Merchant (FBM) program provides sellers with the opportunity to sell their products directly to an already existing customer base. There are some costs associated with selling on Sears, including a monthly fee of $39.99 and a commission fee of 7%-20% depending on the category of your products.
The Process
Once you are approved to become a seller with Sears, you will be able to move on to the next phase. Sears provides webinars and videos for training. Training videos are available for Portal introduction, item creation, and seller tips. In addition to their training videos and resources, Sears also has a Seller Support team that can help you if you need it.
Performance
Sears continually evaluates its sellers by keeping track of specific metrics; the two main metrics they keep an eye on are the Seller Initiated Cancels and the Late Shipments. It is important to stay on target for these two metrics to avoid being kicked out of the seller program.
Sellers are also required to provide customer service for the orders they received. Sellers must respond to all messages from customers within one business day of being contacted. You will also be required to provide a customer service phone number and email for customers to reach you.
Product Management
There are several ways for sellers to manage their items on the Seller Portal; API, User Interface (“UI”), or through a 3rd party aggregator.
Product Listings
All products that you list are required to have the following basic information:
- Item ID (SKU or Part number)
- Product Title
- Brand
- Product Description
- UPCs
- Shipping Dimensions and Weight
- Item Condition
- Product Attributes
- Product Category
Every product you upload will also be required to have product images submitted. All product images must meet the Sears Image Standards.
- JPG, JPEG, TIFF, and PNG image formats only
- Minimum of 1 product image
- Maximum of 7 images, including the main image and any videos
- Minimum size: 500 x 500 pixels
- Maximum size: 5,000 x 5,000 pixels
- Images should be void of watermarks
- One image of product out of the box
Here is a guide to help you understand the image, attribute, and copy standards for your Sears listings.
Inventory Management
Sear requires that sellers update their inventory regularly to prevent it from becoming expired. Any products that are not updated within 90 days will be considered expired and removed from the Sears website. It is essential to provide frequent and accurate inventory to avoid having to cancel customer orders.
Cancelations
Ideally, an order should only be canceled upon the request of a customer and should never need to be canceled because of an error in inventory. If a customer does decide to cancel their order, a notification will be sent to the seller to stop the order from shipping out. If the seller has to cancel an order for any reason, they must use the cancellation reason code that best fits their reason for canceling. However, sellers need to keep their cancelation rate under 2.5% of all orders.
Shipping and Returns
Sellers can set their own shipping rates from within the Seller Portal. The seller is responsible for setting their shipping rates or offering free shipping, if possible. Once the seller sets their shipping rates, Sears will then collect the shipping costs for each purchase and pay the seller that money when paying each invoice.
After an order is shipped, the seller is responsible for providing Sears with the tracking numbers. Tracking numbers and carrier information should be provided within the same day of the order shipping.
After receiving their order, customers may decide they want to return the item(s) they purchased. Sellers are required to provide a prepaid shipping label if the customer has received an incorrect, damaged, or defective product. All returns must be processed within two business days of receiving.
Sears Payments
Sears pays its sellers 13 to 15 days after an invoice has been issued. Sellers are paid by EFT to whatever bank account they have on file.
Right On Tech Support
After a seller has completed the registration, completed the training, and uploaded their products, they will begin to receive orders. Sellers should make an effort to maintain their metrics and keep their inventory accurate. At Right On Tech, we have created solutions specifically for sellers like yourself. We can help you stay ahead of your competition on this and other platforms. Contact Us for more information.
