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How to start selling

Selling on The Seasoning Pantry

Uploading your products on The Seasoning Pantry is free of charge and there are no monthly or periodic subscription fees involved. When a sale of your products is completed, we charge a commission of 5 % of the transaction. In addition, the payment method processing fee is 2.9 % + 0.30 USD per transaction.

 

Uploading a product

1.  Upload each product separately, under their corresponding category.

2.  Add 1-6 sharp pictures of your product, preferably on a white background. Use only original pictures that you have taken of your actual product. Include a clear picture of the product information, the front and the back of the product (packaging information, bar code etc).

3.  Add a product name and a detailed description of it (including the weight of the product and the dimensions of the package). The more information you offer to the buyers, the more likely it is that they will purchase your products.

4.  Add the price and, optionally, the shipping methods preferred. You may also want to include the size of the parcel upon delivery, if available.

 

Requirements for uploaded pictures

1. The recommended picture size for your products is

        a. 1000 pixels by 745 pixels, for horizontal pictures (landscape orientation)

        b. 535 pixels by 1145 pixels, for vertical pictures (portrait orientation)

Adding pictures with a larger pixel size than specified above may disrupt the template of pictures on the homepage of the website.

2. The pictures you upload of your product must represent the item as it is. We do not allow edited images.

3.  The pictures must be sharp and clear.

4.  The cover picture must show the entire product.

5.  Do not use collages, pictures from the internet or copyrighted pictures.

6.  Do not use flash or filters.

7.  Take pictures of the item from several angles, to give the buyers a complete overview of the product.

8.  You may include close-up photos of important features, if necessary.

 

Item description

The description of your product may be the most important factor in determining buyers to buy it.

·     We recommend using a descriptive title and a brand, as well as a detailed and an easily searchable description.

·     Use keywords for the features of the product that will help your item appear in search results.

·     Add information about the herb/spice, processing method and the country of origin.

·     Share suggestions about the best way to cook or consume your product.

·     Mention classical combinations or well-established dishes where your product may be used.

 

Selling step-by-step

1.  Create a vendor profile. Include a vendor description or company information. Set up shipping methods and payment options.

2.  List your products, following the recommendations above. Listing more than one product will increase your likelihood of selling more and faster. Consider offering discounts on your products.

3.  Wait for buyers and be available to answer their questions.

4.  Once an item is sold, you will be notified, in order to begin packing and shipping.

5.  After packing, you should ship the parcel using the method that the buyer paid for.

6.  Ship the parcel within 3 business days, in order to avoid cancellations and refunds.

 

Packaging

We recommend proper packaging for the items that you send out to your buyers. You must ensure packaging that will protect the items from damage during the shipping. The package should be in accordance with the regulations of the postage provider (size, weight, dimensions), to avoid extra-payments.

When packing the items for shipping, use strong, sturdy packaging materials on the outside of the parcel and bubble wrap, foam or paper in the inside, to pack the item, so that it cannot move inside the package. Consider using plastic bags for the item inside the package, if water or rainy conditions could affect the content of the package.

As a seller, you should choose a package size that fits your products. Once the buyer pays for the product and shipping, you will not be able to charge extra pricing for another package. A wrong choice of package size may lead to the package being returned, extra-shipping costs, pickup fees or even negative review from your buyer.

Lastly, think of including a personal touch in the package: a leaflet of your other products or a small favor bag with a free sample of your other products.

 

Packing slips

Before shipping, you must print packing slips, that will be included with the package. To print the packing slips, go to the list of Shipments in your store. You can print a packing slip individually, by clicking on the gear button for that particular shipment and selecting “Print slip” or “Print packing slip (pdf)”. Packing slips can also be printed in bulk by clicking the gear button at the top right corner of the Shipments list and selecting ”Packing slip bulk print”.

To view and print the packing slips, you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader. If you cannot download the shipping label, try again in an hour. Technical difficulties may occur sometimes.

More information about this you can find in the “Seller's User Manual”.

 

Shipping

It is important to decide your shipping options and the afferent costs, before starting to sell on The Seasoning Pantry.

We recommend checking what shipping options are available from your city, given that international shipping services are different in terms of costs and delivery times. Then, considering the size of your product and the expected countries of delivery, you should calculate how much the shipping costs will be for you and compare between the choices available.

In our experience, buyers prefer the concept of free shipping. You can do that by offering your buyers a standard shipping option, with expected delivery times of 10-20 business days, and including the shipping fee in the price of the product. To offer free shipping worldwide, you should choose Standard International Shipping and set the costs to zero.

Additionally, for some customers, an express delivery option should also be available, at extra cost, with expected delivery times of up to 10 business days. The shipping costs will be added to the product price and will be paid by the buyer, as part of the total purchase price. The price of the shipping on The Seasoning Pantry platform is always covered by the buyer. The cost is added at the checkout, before the buyer completes the payment.

You will increase your sales by offering your buyers a default shipping method, free of charge, and an alternative shipping method, for express delivery, as an additional option for buyers who want it.

You must always ship the parcel using the method and the provider chosen and paid by the buyer, in order to avoid cancellations and refunds.

 

A.  If the buyer chooses standard shipping method:

This is the most commonly preferred shipping method.

You can offer your buyers free shipping by including the costs of the standard shipping method in the price of the product.

For setting up your own standard shipping method on your Vendor profile, please follow the instructions given in the “Seller's User Manual”.

After shipping the parcel, you must create a shipment and submit the tracking information, in order to send shipping notification to the buyer (detailed explanations in the Seller's User Manual”).

 

How To: Create a Shipment

Shipments are created separately for each order on the order details page in the Shipping information section.

Go to Orders View orders and click on the ID of the required order.

Create one or multiple shipments for the order:

The quick way creates a single shipment for the entire order.

The thorough way allows you to create one or multiple shipments.

The tracking numbers that you enter will appear in the Shipping Information section. If you select a carrier, the tracking numbers will show up as links leading to the shipment tracking page at the carrier’s website.

 

B.  If the buyer chooses an express shipping method:

The Seasoning Pantry offers an integrated DHL tracked shipping method with shipping label. At the moment, the DHL tracked shipping method is only available for vendors in particular locations worldwide and only some vendors will receive initial access to it. We are working diligently to ensure full coverage for all our vendors and make this shipping option available to all vendors, regardless of their location. As soon as it is available, vendors will receive full access to the DHL tracked shipping method.

 

You will receive a prepaid shipping label (see above), which you will use to send out the parcel, without the need to pay for shipping. You must always ship the parcel using the method and the provider chosen and paid by the buyer.

 

You should ship the item within 3 business days from the day it was purchased by the buyer; otherwise it may be that the transaction will be cancelled, either by our team or by the buyer themselves. We recommend not waiting until the very last day, as it may take some time for the shipping provider to update the parcel information.

If you are not able to meet the 3-day deadline, contact the buyer and explain your situation. If mutually agreed, you may ship the items at a later date or you may cancel the order altogether. If the order is cancelled, the cost of the product will be entirely refunded to the buyer.

 

Payments

When a buyer purchases an item from your catalog, you get paid instantly into your Stripe account, after deducting the commission and the payment processing fee. Funds from your sales are paid directly into your Stripe account in your own currency. Creating an account with Stripe is done free of charge, you can connect your own bank account to your Stripe account and transferring money from your Stripe account into your bank account is free of charge. 

In case the delivery is not completed, we may refund the buyer, unless buyers and sellers mutually agree on a different solution.

If there are any problems with the payments for your products, do not hesitate to contact us. We will try to help you resolve this issue.

 

Cancellations

It is possible to cancel an order (either by the buyer or the seller) if the parcel hasn’t been shipped yet. As a seller, you may contact the buyer, to reach a mutual agreement between parties and avoid negative feedback. The payment for the item will be refunded in its entirety to the buyer.

An order may be cancelled because of various reasons:

-      The buyer never received the parcel

-      The parcel was damaged during shipping

-      The buyer received an item that is significantly different from the product description

The buyer may contact you directly or reach out to The Seasoning Pantry team. We encourage the buyers and sellers to resolve the issues between themselves. However, if this is not possible, contact us and we will work together to resolve these issues and refund the costs of the parcel to the buyer.

 

Return and refund

1.  The buyer will reach out to you regarding the return and refund of an item. This message you can find in the Message Center, under Customers.

2.  The buyer will provide you with the evidence that the parcel has arrived with significant damages or that the item does not match the description found on The Seasoning Pantry online catalog. This evidence may be photos of the visible damages of the item, the damages of the packaging or the parts that do not correspond to the item description.

3.  Discuss with the buyer and try to find an amicable solution. You can ask the buyer to send back the item to you (provided the buyer covers the shipping expenses) and you can refund them the payment.

4.  If you have agreed with the buyer for a refund:

a.   the item/parcel will be directly sent to you by the buyer.

b.  When you receive a valid tracking number of the return parcel from the buyer, you can refund their purchase.

c.   Do not issue a refund if you do not receive proof of the parcel being shipped back to you. Please make sure that you have received a valid tracking number from the buyer.

5.  If you cannot agree with the buyer about the conditions for return and refund, please contact us in order to step in and mediate the dialogue.

a.   We will look into the case and make a final decision. We are here to protect the interest of both buyers and sellers on our website; therefore, we will do our best to satisfy our customers by resolving issues regarding refund in good faith.

 

Do you want to sell faster?

Here are some steps you can take to improve the visibility of your items:

-      Make your listing great on The Seasoning Pantry! Update photos and use clear and sharp pictures of your item. Improve the title and the description of your item, using keywords that would appear in a search. Offer discounts or special deals for your items.

-      Share your listed items from The Seasoning Pantry on social media: Instagram, Twitter and Facebook are a great place to advertise your items #TheSeasoningPantry

-      Advertise on product category page, using Seller Ads Booking, to create graphical ads. Contact us for more details!

-      Upload items regularly.

-      Reduce the price of your item. Potential buyers who have favorited your items will be notified about the discount.

-      Accept all payment methods and offer more shipping options, to attract more buyers.