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Frequently asked questions.

Looking for more information?

Below are some of our more common questions, which hopefully provide you with the information you are looking for. If you can't find what information you need please feel free to contact us for more information.

For pricing information, please have a look at our pricing calculator for a quick quote.

Order fulfilment | FAQs

Do you have minimum order quantities?

We work with online retailers of any size, so whether you are a start-up or established brand, we would be more than happy to chat further with you. On our basic fulfillment package, you will pay a fixed fulfillment charge, which includes up to 250 orders per month. 

Do you charge setup fees?

No, not usually. We do not charge for platform integrations, as long as we already have a pre-existing connection. Unless you are using a bespoke ecommerce platform, there is a high chance we already integrate with the one you are using. We have over 20+ ecommerce shopping cart integrations together with 20+ inventory systems. For more complex or bespoke setups, we would discuss any potential setup costs with you before you make your decision.

For other aspects of the setup, including the booking in of your initial stock, this is charged in the same way as any other inbound delivery. 

How does your late 10pm order cut-off work?

Our late 10pm cut-off is available for retailers who are using the Shopify or Magento 2 platforms, and wish to use Hermes as the parcel carrier. This includes economy, next day and Saturday delivery services. We also offer a 8pm last order cut-off if you wish to use Royal Mail as the parcel carrier. See 'How late cut-off works' for further information.

Do you have long-term contracts?

No, our standard contract is a 30-day rolling contract. We believe that we don't need to tie you into complicated long-term contracts. If you would like us to provide you with something a little longer term, we would be more than happy to sort this out for you. 

How much does your fulfilment service cost?

We pride ourselves on our simple and open pricing, you can obtain a quick quote using our pricing calculator. If you would like to obtain a more formal quote, you can submit your details via the calculator, or alternative please contact us to discuss this in more detail.

Do you handle returns?

Yes of course. We help with all apsects of returns, across an array of product sectors. 

Do you have a web portal or system I can log into?

Yes, our system is cloud-based, so you can access our system across any device with a web browser. We can provide you with muliple logins with different user permissions should you need different access for members of your team.

Do you ship parcels internationally?

Yes we do. Across our chosen carrier partners we offer various services for international parcel delivery. 

Can you fulfil my Amazon orders as well?

Yes we can. We have a simple integration for Amazon's Seller Central, so this means we can also fulfil your Amazon orders as well as your other selling channels, so you can use us as an alternative to Amazon FBA. Subject to certain seller performance, you can also offer Prime listings on Amazon too, through Seller Fulfilled Prime (SFP). This puts you in greater control of your customer experience, no matter which channel you sell via.

Are you a bonded warehouse?

No. We are not a bonded warehouse, and don't plan for this to change at this time. 

Getting started | FAQs

How long does it take to get up and running?

That depends on a few different factors. However for some of our smaller customers, with a small number of product types, we can be up and running within 48 hours of your stock arriving (sometimes sooner). For larger businesses and more complicated product ranges, it would be best to give us a call to discuss your individual business.

How do I know if I'm ready to outsource my order fulfilment?

That's a big question, and it depends. Some of the retailers we partner with decide to outsource their order fulfilment from day 1, as they just know it's not something they want to get involved in. Like yourself, you may already be doing your own fulfilment, but things have grown and now you are struggling to manage this and everything else you need to do. If this is the case, it would be a great time to at least have a chat with someone like us to see how we could help.

I'm currently using another fulfilment provider, how do I transfer to you?

We understand how important a decision it can be to move your fulfilment operation, especially if the your current solution is not working out for you. We deal with this all the time, so are quite experienced in managing this process. Talk to us about any concerns you have about this, and we can talk you through how we can help. We would always ask you to check whether you are tied into any form of contract with your current provider.  

Once I've agreed to go ahead, what happens next?

As soon as you let us know you would like to join us, we will explain the whole onboarding process, and agree timescales with you. Actual timescales to 'go-live' will be affected by many aspects, but these will be discussed with you upfront. Once onboarded, you will be passed over to the day-to-day operational team.

Platform integrations | FAQs

Which ecommerce platforms do you integrate with?

We have over 20 pre-built shopping cart integrations, which includes Shopify, Magento, WooCommerce plus many more. We also have several integrations with the main marketplaces, including Amazon & Ebay, plus also integrations with several inventory systems such as Linnworks & Storefeeder.

I'm not technical at all, do I need the help of a developer?

For the majority of the platform integrations, with access to your system, we can walk you through the integration setup, it's ususally very simple. If you have a bespoke system, or a high customised setup, then it is likely you will already work with a developer, we will need to talk direct with them about how the connecting the systems would work. 

What does the system integration actually do?

In very simple terms, there are 2 main elements to the integrations. First is the order importing, so once a customer completes an order on your website, this is imported into our system so that we can fulfil it. Once an order has been fulfilled by us, we then send back a notification to your system to say the order has been fulfilled and despatched. Second is the stock sync, this just makes sure that both our systems are showing the correct amount of stock, so if we have accepted a delivery of your stock, we publish this to your website to esure this is available for sale.

Do you sync the stock to our website?

Most of our connectors allow this function. Typically this is set to happen every 3 hours to avoid overselling low quantity items. Once inbound stock has been booked in and accepted on our system, this is published to your website on the next stock sync, ready for sale.

How is the order status for fulfilled orders updated on my website?

We send order status changes back to your website every time our connector 'fires', which is typically between every 15 to 30 minutes. If configured to do so, your website will then send any relevant notifications to your customer about the update to their order.

Can I amend an order on my system, once it has been imported into yours?

No. Depending on the status of the order at that particular time, you would need to log into our system, and make the amendments to the order directly. If an order is showing as despatched, amendments unfortunately cannot be made. 

Can you integrate with more than one website?

Yes. We can sync both orders and stock across mutiple selling platforms. 

Can I also upload orders into your system manually?

Yes you can. This can be done via your login, individually or as a bulk upload.

Product sectors | FAQs

Do you handle larger products, like furniture?

Sadly not. We ony deal with smaller sized products, typically products that don't require a 2-man lift and is below 25kg in weight. Think a large box, and this would give you a good guide as to what we can handle.

What types of products do you handle?

We currently deal with a large, and varied range of products on behalf of our customers. This ranges from clothing, nutritional products, beauty all the way through to general small-sized consumer goods. If you have a specific requirement just ask.

Can you fulfil alcoholic-based products?

At this moment in time, we are not a licenced premises, so cannot distribute alcoholic products. This is a common question for us, and it may be worth speaking with us to discuss your requirements, as we do have some previous experience within this sector.

Are you organic certified?

Not at the moment. We are considering this at some point in the future, so it may be worth asking the question if you would like to work with us.

Do you provide a garment processing service?

Whilst we provide fulfilment for many fashion brands, we are not a specialist garment processing operation. This means we cannot provide such services as sewing, pressing, kimballing or dry cleaning. If your clothing is folded and bagged, then we can certainly help with that.

Insurance | FAQs

Who insures my product when in your warehouse?

We do. As part of our fulfilment service we provide a comprehensive insruance cover for the replacement value of your products whilst they are stored within our warehouses. We would ask you to provide this value on a regular basis to ensure we have the right cover in place.

Do you insure against courier damages or lost parcels?

We don't no. Each parcel carrier will provide a fixed insurance value against them either damaging or losing your products whilst in transit. Should this happen, we manage any claims direct with the parcel carriers on your behalf, you will however need to provide certain information about the product to support these claims. We cannot accept any form of liabilty for lost or damaged parcels, whilst not common, this is a normal aspect of using a parcel carrier.

Parcel carriers | FAQs

Which parcel carrier do you work with?

We believe it is really important to provide choice, for you and your customer. Therefore we work with most of the main parcel carriers to ensure there is a service which suits your needs, which includes DPD, Royal Mail, Hermes, and DHL. If you have a specific parcel carrier requirement, please talk to us about how we could possible help.

Can I use my own shipping account with your service?

No. You have to use our carrier accounts should you want to use our fulfilment service. We try and offer every possible option, so there is something to suit you already. By consolidating everything through our accounts, this means we can provide all our customers with a great value shipping service, no matter what volumes they currently ship. 

Get in touch

Talk to us today about how easy it is to partner with us. Contact us here:

  • 01270 758000
  • Core Fulfilment,
    Units 1-3 Orion Park, Orion Way,
    Crewe,
    CW1 6NG.

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