What’s the best way to handle fulfillment?
The short answer: whatever's easiest for you! Running an auction can be a lot of work (as you know), so the more you can simplify certain things, the better.
Here are a few tips & options on customizing fulfillment:
By default, the fulfillment language for every item on the auction reads "A member of our team will be in touch to coordinate details. If the item requires shipping, additional shipping costs will apply." This is essentially boilerplate. But you can customize this for the entire auction, or for each item in particular. A great example might be "All items must be picked up Thursday the 24th from 2:00 - 5:00 p.m. at X Location. For shipping requests, please contact us." The benefit to this is -- even if you do ship some items -- the vast majority can simply be picked up (saving you time!). Below is where bidders would see the fulfillment text on an item:
To customize the default fulfillment text for the entire auction, head to Fulfillment on the left-side menu. This will apply whatever text you write as the default for all items.
The customize the fulfillment text for a particular item, click on the item, then click Fulfillment in the top menu.
The next option you have is around adding shipping and customizing fulfillment options through the fulfillment center. This covered in a different section below, but the gist is that you can also set fulfillment options up for each item -- allowing for pickup, shipping, or both.
Anyway, this will give you a number of options to streamline everything at the end of the auction. If you're able, we'd encourage you to automate as much as possible -- most donors are more than happy to accommodate. If setting default pickup times and offering fewer options makes life a little easier for you and your team -- we'd say go for it!
You can watch the video below to learn more about the fulfillment and shipping settings:
How to enable shipping.
We have a shipping option, where you can toggle whether or not an item can be shipped, and set the shipping rate.
Please Note: We recommend adding shipping rates before closing the auction so the winners can select shipping immediately upon accessing the fulfillment center. They will have access to the fulfillment center through the congratulatory email sent when the auction closes.
1. From the Dashboard, click on Auctions. Then click Manage on the Auction you would like to edit.
2. Click Fulfillment in the left sidebar, then Fulfillment & Shipping Settings in the top bar.
3. On this page you will find the Fulfillment methods & shipping rates table. From there, toggle the "Allow Shipping" option, and input the amount you'd charge should the donor select shipping. Remember to click Save.
Done! You have successfully enabled shipping and added a shipping rate. Once the auction ends, the donor will get an email letting them know the item they won. When they click on that link, they'll be taken to the fulfillment center, where they can make an additional donation to cover the shipping cost.
How will the winner receive their item and do they get notified?
After the Auction is over, winners will be directed via email to a unique fulfillment page for each item they won. There, they will be able to correspond with you and mark whether they have received their item. Below is an example of the congratulation email with the fulfillment center link:
Clicking on the item will bring the winner to that item's fulfillment page. Here, winners will then choose their delivery method. If they select Please ship they will be prompted to complete the additional donation and will be issued a receipt.
Once you change the item's status from "Pending" or "Ready to Ship" to "Shipped" the winner will receive a notification. Here is what that email will look like. It will be sent from [email protected]. By clicking "Check Your Item's Status" they will be brought once again to the fulfillment center.
Here they can view when the item was shipped. The winner can select "I've received my item" once the item is delivered.
The status column will change from "Shipped" to "Received." Once all of the items have been marked as received by the winners. Congratulations, your auction is complete!
Below you can watch a video about how to use the fulfillment center to connect winning bidders with their items.
How to update the status of items and keep track of fulfillment.
Once your Auction ends, the final step is connecting winners to their items. In the fulfillment center, you can easily track who has received their items.
First, from your dashboard, select Auctions and click Manage on your Auction. Once within your Auction, click Fulfillment in the left sidebar. On the fulfillment page, you will see a table of all items, their winners, the status of the item and the fulfillment center for each item. Click on the Pending button in the "Status" column and a drop-down menu will appear.
Here you can change the status to "Shipped" or "Received".
Please Note: If you did not toggle on "Enable shipping" for an item, "Shipped" will not be a selectable option.
If the shipping fee has been paid for an item, the "Status" drop-down button will change from "Pending" to "Ready to ship."
You can also click the "Open" button in the "Fulfillment Center" column, which will bring you to this page. Here you can view and update the payment status, fulfillment status, and the selected delivery method. You can also get in touch with the winners here. You can send a message or view and respond to messages the winners have sent.
You will have the option to send an email notification to the winner when you select "Shipped" under the "Status" column.
Once all of the items have been shipped or received, congratulations, your auction is complete!