Over 107 million monthly users in 2020, $2.54 billion in sales, and more than 2.4 million daily orders. These stats represent just a few of the impressive wins the online shopping behemoth Wish has achieved.

As Wish’s momentum gathers pace, the exciting growth opportunities it offers to eCommerce businesses are undeniable. The best part is, that success is for the taking on this platform for brands who understand the lay of Wish’s fulfillment land. But with access to information on Wish’s fulfillment operations being limited for non-sellers makes it challenging to know what your responsibilities will be.

Don’t fret. In this post, we’ll uncover the essential details on Wish’s fulfillment fees, rules, and requirements to ensure your eCommerce business can build a profitable and compliant strategy. We’ll also share our no-nonsense tips for thriving on Wish.

Thinking about selling on Wish? Get your fulfillment process ready for the journey.

Shipping rules and requirements on Wish: The lowdown

If there’s one area that decides whether your brand gets and stays in Wish’s good books, it’s fulfillment. Wish goes as far as to rank fulfilling orders “promptly and accurately” as a merchant’s “number one priority” once they’ve secured a sale.

Therefore, it’s crucial you stay updated on the terms of service, especially those relating to your shipping duties as a seller. Why? Customer experience. Wish cares about how shoppers feel about its brand, from the products sold on its platform to returns.

On Wish, you can choose to self-fulfill in-house or partner with a Wish fulfillment provider. But if you opt to take on fulfillment, you’ll have some shipping rules to observe.

If you trip up in following any of these rules, you’ll get what Wish calls an “infraction” recorded on your account. One too many can lead to Wish suspending or even terminating your account. Here are a few key rules you’ll need to observe. You must:

• Fulfill orders within 5 calendar days.
• Confirm orders within a set time (with 168 hours for orders under $100.00 and 336 hours for orders over this amount (Shipping costs included).
• Use authentic tracking numbers only.
• Use WishPost as your carrier if you fulfill orders from Mainland China.
• Not cancel or refund an order before confirming fulfillment.

Need a fulfillment provider that “gets” Wish? MyFBAPrep has got you covered.

Outsourced vs in-house Wish fulfillment

If you aren’t sure whether you want to outsource your Wish fulfillment or handle orders in-house, let’s take a look at some of the pros and cons.

In-house fulfillment benefits:

• Lower storage fees: If you have an in-house warehouse, you control your storage fees. This means you don’t have to pay 3PL warehousing or long-term storage fees, which can quickly add up.
• More control: Since you have full control over your in-house fulfillment operations, you can oversee every step of the process; from order tracking to prep, all the way to last mile-shipping.

Outsourced fulfillment benefits:

• Hassle-free fulfillment that helps you scale: Outsourcing fulfillment can make selling on the Wish marketplace swift and simple when used correctly. You’ll then be free to dedicate your time to other important tasks that’ll grow your business.
• Gain a competitive edge with Wish Express benefits: The right fulfillment partner can help ensure fast shipping. Once your business qualifies for Wish Express, a 2-day shipping guarantee, your listings will get a conversion-boosting orange truck symbol that alerts shoppers that your product is on the Wish Express program.
• Leverage fulfillment across multiple marketplaces: Your fulfillment partner can support you as you expand your business to different sales channels, such as Amazon and a direct-to-consumer store. Using a trusted 3PL can help you manage your inventory for services such as Fulfillment by Amazon and more.

Don’t wait for the right time. Set your store up for the win with top-notch fulfillment now.

Straight talking tips for a successful selling journey on Wish

To hit it big on Wish, you’ll need a rockstar plan and flawless execution to stand out from the crowd. But you’re likely wondering how and where to get started.

Partner with an experienced fulfillment service

Joining forces with a reliable fulfillment solution is vital. You’ll not only gain more flexibility in your business operations but also peace of mind knowing the most critical task on your Wish to-do list is in safe hands.

However, it’s important to remember that Wish has many rules with costly consequences for non-compliance. So, your chosen fulfillment provider should:

• Have significant experience in managing Wish orders
• Integrate their tech with your Wish store seamlessly
• Make speed and accuracy a priority in your fulfillment process
• Have a deep understanding of Wish’s rules and requirements for fulfillment
• Handle shipping and returns efficiently

Optimize your inventory

Keeping your inventory organized on the shelves and digitally is a must to ensure your Wish store maintains optimal stock levels, dodges inventory-related issues, and delivers a great customer experience. Optimizing inventory should be an ongoing task. Here are some areas you can tackle to get started:

•  Assign stock-keeping units (SKUs) to every product and variation for swift identification.
• Arrange stock strategically so they are easy to pick and pack (if fulfilling internally).
• Use inventory forecasting tools to predict demand more accurately.
• Have backup units to avoid stockouts.
• Stay on top of stock counts to avoid errors.

Turn your product listings into sales-generating machines

Your store will need a healthy conversion rate to make selling on Wish worthwhile. Luckily, product listings are your 24-7 sales vehicles that go to bat for your store in the ultra-competitive online market. Invest in your listing to ensure they shine. Some areas to improve include:

• SEO: Conduct thorough keyword research periodically to discover new keywords to test in your product listings and ads to drive conversions.

• Headline copy: Your headlines should be simple to understand, optimized with relevant keywords your target customer is searching for and used to describe your product.

• Product descriptions: Sell the benefits your item provides the buyer to help them justify the purchase and reduce buyer’s remorse later on.

• Photos: Get your image sizing right to catch shoppers’ attention. For example, use 100 x 100 pixels aspect ratio for your hero image. Also, mix in lifestyle images, highlight key features, and show off product variations to help shoppers picture how the product will fit into their lives.

• Video: Utilizing video can help increase product engagement and stats. 94% of marketers say video helped them increase dwell time on their product or service. So, create engaging explainer videos to increase the perceived value of your products.

• Product branding (packaging and labeling): Your branding should be attractive, exude quality, and breed confidence and trust.

• Reviews: Encourage honest reviews and photos from your customer to breed trust in site visitors and drive more sales. 79% of consumers say user-generated content affects their buying decisions.

• Pricing: Competitive pricing is a must on Wish. So, conduct competitor research and use it to guide your pricing.

• Product availability: On Wish, you can sell to more than 78 countries, opening huge doors for building your brand, sales, and customer base on a global scale. So work with your fulfillment provider to create a shipping strategy for each product category in your Wish store and update your listing to include the international shipping options you offer.

Wrapping up — Wish fulfillment fees and requirements

With a growing customer base and ironclad brand, Wish is a force to be reckoned with. But the kicker, with the right fulfillment strategy, a can-do attitude, and a willingness to pivot according to market needs, your store can piggyback off Wish’s success to win big. Combine this approach with great products, optimized listings, and enticing ads, and you’ll be well on your way to scaling your Wish store to new heights.

Looking for a way to stand out on Wish? Learn how MyFBAPrep can help.

Are you considering an additional sales channel for your eCommerce business? Or are you a popular retail brand looking to get started with eCommerce, and want to get your products in front of millions of customers?

If so, the Wish marketplace may be the platform for you. In this article we’ll introduce Wish.com and how it works. We’ll also break down the company’s recent changes and how they’ll affect you and your business.

What is Wish.com?

Wish is a highly popular online marketplace that primarily focuses on mobile eCommerce. Through it, third-party merchants can sell their products to the platform’s customers around the world.

The San-Francisco-based company — founded in 2010 by Peter Szulczewski and Danny Zhang — aims to sell a wide range of affordable items to consumers. The platform also provides customers a personalized and entertaining shopping experience.

Recent changes on Wish

Earlier this year, in an effort to minimize fraud and foster a trustworthy community of merchants and users, Wish transformed into an invite-only marketplace.

And, to supplement the company’s efforts to improve logistics for its sellers, Wish will be ending its Fulfillment By Wish (FBW) program on April 11, 2022. Its new emphasis will be on achieving more consistent and faster deliveries, plus improved tracking throughout the process.

Benefits of selling on the Wish app

Becoming a seller on the platform is more difficult than before, but it still has numerous perks that make it worthwhile. Plus, now that it’s invite-only, you have less competition to worry about.

Tap into its wide base of mobile shoppers

The Wish platform has 90 million monthly active users in over 60 countries around the world. The company also boasts about 1.7 million products sold daily in its marketplace.

Besides the ability to reach a huge customer base, mobile shopping is expecting to see continued growth. Statista reported that mobile commerce accounted for 5.9% of total US retail sales in 2021. It’s even projected to reach 6.9% in 2022 and climb all the way up to 10.4% in 2025.

Decrease your risk and increase your revenue

If you’re looking to implement a multi-channel approach, an additional sales channel in Wish can diversify your income streams, thus lessening your risk. If any of your earlier-established sales channels fail, a flourishing business on Wish can counteract your losses.

As for increasing revenue, Shopify reported that businesses with multiple sales channels generate 190% more than those that only use one. It makes sense: more places to buy from you means more opportunities to make a sale.

Low and convenient fees

You don’t have to worry about a monthly subscription for selling on Wish. In fact, you only have to pay a fee when you make a sale. Wish also deducts it automatically, making payments convenient for the seller.

Since the financial hit isn’t as substantial as other eCommerce platforms, joining Wish is friendly to businesses of all sizes.

Control over the Wish shopping experience

On Wish, you’re expected to provide customer service to buyers who request assistance. And, with the company’s fulfillment program ending soon, you’ll also be taking care of fulfillment shortly.

Since you’ll be responsible for packing, handling, and shipping your products, you can freely use branded materials — like custom packaging and marketing inserts — which helps your items make a strong first impression.

Plus, providing consistent and timely product deliveries and customer support can nurture loyalty from your buyers.

How to sell on Wish

Here’s a quick run-through of how to get started on Wish. Before jumping straight to your request to join the platform, however, take note of its Merchant Criteria.

Step 1: Gain access to Wish

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Visit the Wish for Merchants invite page, where you’ll be prompted to complete a brief questionnaire. It asks for information about you and your business, and only takes a few minutes.

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Once your questionnaire is submitted, all that’s left is to wait. Wish will evaluate your request and email you a sign-up invitation if you pass. The invite contains your personalized sign-up link, which you’ll need to finish the process.

If your application is declined, you’ll also receive an email. For any questions about the outcome or the reapplication process, you’ll have to contact Wish. Besides the aforementioned sign-up procedure, the company sometimes invites qualified merchants via outreach or strategic partnership.

Step 2: Validate your store

This is the most important step. Store validation keeps your account secure and can unlock other features. It also removes any potential limitations to your store’s sales and impressions.

Requirements

Prepare these before going through the validation process:

• Individual merchants will need to provide their government-issued ID.
• Business merchants will be asked to provide proof of identity for their business (i.e., their business registration license, articles/certificate of incorporation, or tax documents).

Validation process

Visit the Validate my store page to get started, then fill out the necessary forms.

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Your country/region of domicile should be:

• For individual merchants, your permanent residence or fixed legal address
• For business merchants, where the company that owns and operates your Wish store is incorporated

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Your address should match your country/region of domicile.

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Wish will then send you a verification code via text message, which you’ll need to continue your store’s validation.

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Based on your account type, provide your prepared requirements.

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For individual merchants, make sure your ID clearly shows your full name and your country/region of domicile.

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For business merchants, the primary contact person is considered the merchant account holder. They should be able to provide requirements and initiate transactions — like disbursements and refunds — on your company’s behalf.

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Lastly, click “Submit.”

Wish will then process and review your request within two business days. To view your validation’s status, navigate to your Seller Profile. Your status will be marked as “Validated” if successful, and you can start listing and selling your items.

If unsuccessful, however, your status will say “Rejected.” It’ll also show a list of your items that didn’t meet the criteria. You can try repeating the process by clicking “Validate store again.”

Wish seller fees

Wish takes a small commission or “revenue share” percentage that varies depending on the value of each transaction. It follows a tiered structure, but rates can range from 5% to 25% and is based on the following factors:

• Your Wish Express status
• The order’s destination and origin
• Your region of domicile or legal establishment
• The corresponding product’s category

For instance, a Wish Express order bound for Germany is subject to a 5% revenue share. On the other hand, a non-Wish Express order under the Household Supplies category that’s bound for the U.S. is subject to a 10% revenue share.

How revenue share is computed

Imagine you sold an item for $25 with $5 shipping and it’s subject to a 10% revenue share. Your total sale is worth $30 and its revenue share is $3. That means you’ll get paid $27 and Wish keeps the rest.

However, you can easily see the revenue share percentage per order in your Order details page on the Merchant Dashboard and via APIs.

How to lower your selling costs on Wish

Based on the above criteria that determines your revenue share percentage, you can take the following measures to lower your rates:

• Set up primary and secondary warehouses close to your intended selling destinations. This allows you to offer Wish Express shipping for more of your items.
• Establish business locations in regions where you want to sell.
• Sell in categories that have low marketplace referral fees.

Fulfillment options

With the sunset of Fulfillment by Wish, you’ll have two ways to fulfill your Wish orders: in-house or outsourced.

In-house

This option is ideal for businesses with an existing fulfillment or logistics infrastructure. You can fulfill your Wish orders yourself, but you’ll have to do it within the company’s five-day limit. If you’re unable to do so, the order will be refunded, Wish may disable the associated item, and you’ll be fined $50 for each auto-refunded order.

Outsourced

You can also choose to outsource your Wish order fulfillment to a third-party logistics (3PL) provider. This option is better for businesses who have or plan to have multiple sales channels. 3PLs are also more cost-effective for businesses without fulfillment or logistics in place.

Tips for sellers on Wish.com

Here are some best practices to help you succeed on the Wish platform.

Utilize shoppable videos

ContextLogic, the platform’s parent company, recently revealed Wish Clips. This is a new feature that allows you to create short videos demonstrating your products. It also links users to your store, their carts, or an option to purchase immediately.

Imagine you’re able to engage Wish users in a way that mimics livestream shopping, but potential customers are able to access it on demand. You can even feature partner influencers on your Wish Clips and have them demo your products to reach more audiences.

Advertise

Wish gives you access to its native advertising tool, ProductBoost. This feature increases your products’ exposure by moving them higher up the rankings than they typically would in organic searches.

Not only will it make your new products easier to discover, but it will also land your best products in front of more customers. Using ProductBoost doesn’t cost much either:

• Joining is free
• You only pay for impressions delivered
• You can set the budget for your campaigns
• The ad spend will never exceed your set budget

If you have newly uploaded products or items with low impressions, enabling IntenseBoost — which is a ProductBoost feature — is also ideal. It increases exposure over a shorter time frame, but at a higher spend. Once activated, Wish showcases your products in premium and highly visible locations in the Wish app and website.

Ship quickly

Setting your products’ max delivery days to five days or less makes it eligible for the Wish Express program. Offering this expedited shipping option qualifies your products for the following benefits:

• Increased impressions
• Quicker order payment eligibility
• An orange truck badge that highlights your fast-shipping products
• Appearance in a dedicated “Express” section of Wish

Qualify for Wish Standards

Wish Standards is a program that aims to reward high-performing merchants and improve the platform’s community of sellers and buyers. It also provides benefits that can improve your store’s visibility, revenue, and customer loyalty.

To qualify, you have to reach a minimum of 50 matured orders within 90 calendar days. Wish determines an order to be mature when enough time has passed for an accurate assessment of fulfillment status and customer satisfaction.

What’s more, based on user feedback, your compliance with Wish policies, and other metrics, Wish classifies your performance into one of four tiers (from Bronze to Platinum). You access better benefits at higher tiers (i.e., Gold and Platinum) such as:

• Impression boosts: Your products get ranking preference on Wish. Meanwhile, Bronze merchants may experience reduced impressions, and Silver merchants’ impressions may see little to no impact.
• “Premier merchant” badge and tag: This badge is visible to Wish customers. It alerts them that you offer superior customer service and product quality.

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Wrapping up — Why and how to sell on Wish

Wish is a low-cost online marketplace, but potential and existing merchants may find the recent changes to sign-ups and order fulfillment options inconvenient. However, these developments boost the quality of buyers and sellers on the platform, which increases the likelihood of a sale.

Wish further makes up for its disruptive transitions through new programs and features that can significantly improve a merchant’s reach, customer loyalty, and performance, helping both the company and its sellers succeed.