When collectibles come to mind, you might think of Beanie Babies, trading cards, action figures, TV and movie merchandise, and other decades old toys and limited edition items. While one-off Ebay, Etsy, and Facebook Marketplace sales still cover this gap, there’s a growing market for new collectibles — companies that create an online store to sell through large volumes of this type of rare but accessible product that will likely be worth more in the future.

Ecommerce brands that sell collections, sets, and other memorabilia in bulk often need help storing inventory and fulfiling orders. That’s where collectibles fulfilment from a third-party logistics (3PL) like ShipBob comes in.  

What is collectibles fulfilment?

Collectibles fulfilment involves order filling for rare and limited edition items. Collectibles fulfilment isn’t just someone selling a couple of old, mint-condition action figures on Ebay — they can easily handle storing and shipping those few items themselves — but rather is the dedicated effort required to fulfil orders of collectibles and exclusive products in large quantities.

How ShipBob helps collectibles ecommerce brands grow

ShipBob takes over the collectibles fulfilment process, so that you can focus on growing your brand. We’ll collect your inventory and store it in our fulfilment centres. When your customers place an order, we’ll automatically pick, pack, and ship it to their doorstep. 

Challenges of collectibles fulfilment

The collectibles market can be competitive in certain categories, but the formula for attracting customers is the same. Consumers are looking for businesses that ship orders quickly, reliably, and securely.  Customers don’t like the hassle of returning damaged items or having to send an incorrect order back any more than businesses do.

Ecommerce companies that sell collectibles should prioritise fulfiling orders accurately and on time. A 3PL provider like ShipBob can be of great help here. Our software automatically routes each order to the fulfilment centre closest to your customer after they make a purchase online to provide fast shipping and tracking, and to eliminate these tasks from your plate.

Challenges of shipping collectibles and memorabilia

The rareness of a collectible isn’t the only determining factor for its value. Generally, collectors consider rare items to be valuable based on their condition, future value, and specificity to a certain theme.

To ensure they stay in ‘mint-condition’ for years to come, shipping collectibles and memorabilia must arrive at your customer’s doorstep in pristine condition. Collectibles orders need to be securely stored and then packed inside boxes with dunnage when it’s ready to be shipped to a collector. 

Partnering with a 3PL like ShipBob who has years of experience in safely shipping products including collectibles means our box algorithm and Cubiscan machine helps determine the ideal box size to ship each order in, in accordance with your packaging preferences. 

Limited edition fulfilment

Selling limited edition items requires a much more rigorous fulfilment process. To handle limited edition fulfilment with care, you’ll have to consider ways to optimise fast fulfilment without compromising accuracy.

Another factor to consider is proper inventory management, which ensures higher order accuracy and inventory records. ShipBob provides safe warehousing solutions, accurate and fast fulfilment, and real-time inventory management tracking.

The ShipBob dashboard makes it easy to keep track of inventory levels and orders at any time, reduce the risk of inventory shrinkage, and offer premium shipping options for your customers, including the option to add gift notes and use custom packaging.

ShipBob’s collectibles order fulfilment process

ShipBob’s order fulfilment process maximises operational efficiency and keeps your customers happy.

Online orders are verified and processed by our automated software, and then forwarded to the fulfilment centre with your inventory that’s closest to your customer.

Our team picks out the required collectibles, packs them up safely, and ships them to your customer’s doorstep. 

How ShipBob works

ShipBob’s software fully integrates with your ecommerce store to sync inventory and orders. Once they have your inventory, you can set reorder points to restock in time, view advanced data and analytics to understand performance, and much more. Store owners can keep an eye on all logistics operations from our single, central dashboard.

Additionally, ShipBob’s partner ecosystem is extensive and even offers tools for everything from marketing and taxes to better managing returns and inventory from separate manufacturers or suppliers. 

How ShipBob helps collectibles companies

Here are some examples of collectibles companies that have managed to grow by partnering with ShipBob. 

Kula Cloth

While not a traditional collectibles company, Kula Cloth has gained a cult following with their game-changing reusable microbial pee cloths designed for hikers, backpackers, and anyone else who loves enjoying most of their time outdoors. This ‘Leave No Trace’ option has become an essential piece of hiking gear for women.

When Kula Cloth couldn’t keep up with the high order demand, they sought out a 3PL provider and chose ShipBob. Since partnering with ShipBob, Kula Cloth, they have tripled in size. Now they launch limited edition Kulas with ease. 

“To say that switching to ShipBob has been life-changing is an understatement. Thinking big picture, it was an incremental cost for me to ultimately sell a lot more. My business has tripled and I got my life back.”

Anastasia Allison, founder of Kula Cloth

BRIK

BRIK creates wall tiles, laptop cases, and custom-designed BRIKS that are LEGO™ compatible, allowing customers to play with LEGOs™ on their walls, computers, and in other creative ways. When BRIK’s collectibles got in high demand several years ago, they needed a 3PL partner to help fulfil their orders. They chose ShipBob, who fulfils everything from their Starry Night Kit inspired by Van Gogh, to all items in the design gallery, ranging from Pokemon to Mario Brothers BRIKs. 

“Working with ShipBob has allowed us to focus on the important parts of running our business and lets someone else take care of the shipping.”

Brett Miller, CEO, BRIK

Getting started with ShipBob is easy

ShipBob will take care of your collectibles fulfilment while you focus on strategically growing your brand. Getting started with us is easy. Just fill out the form below to get started.
Ready to get started with tech-enabled 3PL? Fill out the form below to request a quote from ShipBob. A fulfilment expert will be in touch to discuss custom pricing and how ShipBob works. 

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