Ship Bol orders yourself, outsource them, or use Logistics via Bol

As a seller on Bol.com, you're faced with the decision of how to manage the logistics of your products. This article compares all the possible options:

• Own shipping

• External fulfillment centers

• Logistics via Bol.com (Lvb)

• Shipping via Bol.com (Vvb)

• Shipping via Bol.com+ (Vvb+)

• Shipping via Bol.com Complete (Vvb Complete)

Each option has its own advantages and disadvantages, depending on various factors such as cost, control, and scalability. Below is a comprehensive comparison of these options to help you make the best choice for your Bol.com store.

Own Shipping

With own shipping, you maintain full control over the logistics process, from storage to delivery to the customer. This offers more flexibility in packaging and branding, but also requires a larger investment in time and resources for logistics management. You need to set up contracts with carriers yourself and either drop off your packages or have them picked up daily. As a beginner seller, dropping off packages yourself is sometimes an option, but as you scale, experience shows this becomes more challenging. Additionally, as a relatively small player, it is often difficult to negotiate a competitive rate with carriers.

Advantages:

• Full control over the packing and shipping process

• You can choose your carrier

• Competitive rates negotiated by Bol

• All types of delivery without extra costs for you

Disadvantages:

• You are responsible for the performance of the carrier

• Hard to negotiate competitive rates with carriers

• It takes more time

• You cannot offer flexible shipping options

Fulfillment Center

Using an external fulfillment center for Bol is an alternative to Lvb and own shipping, whereby a third party handles logistics. This can offer economies of scale but also brings additional costs and a degree of dependency. Bol fulfillment centers often have large volumes because they ship packages for multiple webshops and Bol.com sellers. As a result, they can achieve economies of scale, negotiate better prices with carriers, and ultimately offer you a sharper price. On the other hand, you will have to rely on your chosen fulfillment center and yield control.

Advantages:

• You can negotiate arrangements with a fulfillment center

• Competitive rates through economies of scale

• You can focus more on your core activities

Disadvantages:

• You depend on the fulfillment center for delivery performance

• Less control over the entire shipping process

• Long-term contractual obligations or minimum volumes

Logistics via Bol.com (LvB)

LvB is Bol’s own logistics solution where Bol.com completely handles the storage, packaging, and shipment of products. Nearly everything is taken care of: you only need to ensure that your items are supplied correctly to the Bol.com warehouse. This option is ideal for sellers looking to fully outsource the logistics process to focus more on other aspects of their business. Additionally, Bol favors sellers using LvB in search results, which can be an important consideration.

Advantages:

• Complete logistics relief

• Higher chance of winning the buy box and better ranking

• Competitive rates due to Bol's scale advantage

• Higher conversion through multiple shipping options

Disadvantages:

• No control over the packing process

• You cannot inspect your products before shipping

• Inventory cap: you cannot supply unlimited inventory

• Bol sometimes extends its delivery promise by 2 to 5 business days during peak periods

Shipping via Bol.com (Vvb)

Vvb offers sellers the opportunity to ship their packages at attractive rates, with Bol.com managing transport to the customer. Sellers are responsible for order processing, but Bol.com handles customer queries about delivery and compensates for lost shipments up to 75% of the sale price. This is a good choice for sellers who want to maintain control over the packaging process while leveraging Bol.com's logistical infrastructure.

Advantages:

• Customer delivery queries are answered by Bol.com

• You are no longer responsible for carrier performance

• Attractive rates negotiated by Bol

• Higher conversion through multiple shipping options

Disadvantages:

• Costs for dropping off and picking up

Shipping via Bol.com+ (Vvb+)

Vvb+ is an extended version of Vvb and is suitable for sellers who ship more than 20 packages daily. It offers all the benefits of Vvb, but with extras like the delivery promise "order before 23:59, delivered the next day", the option to have packages picked up, and potentially higher conversion and more sales. Vvb+ requires adaptation in sellers' workflow, with specific rules for order processing depending on the order's time.

Advantages:

• Order today before 23:59 = delivered tomorrow in the Netherlands

• You are no longer responsible for carrier performance

• Attractive rates negotiated by Bol

• Higher conversion through multiple shipping options

Disadvantages:

• Costs for dropping off and picking up

Shipping via Bol.com Complete (Vvb Complete)

With Vvb Complete, you get even more options and flexibility as a seller. Vvb Complete includes all the benefits of the Vvb and Vvb+ services but adds extra services and options to make the shipping process even smoother. If you choose Vvb Complete, your customers can opt for delivery at a pickup point, office, in the evening (same-day delivery), or on a day of their choosing, without extra costs for you as a seller.

Advantages:

• Order today before 23:59 = delivered tomorrow in the Netherlands

• You are no longer responsible for carrier performance

• Attractive rates negotiated by Bol

• All types of delivery without extra costs for you

Disadvantages:

• Costs for dropping off and picking up

• You must sign up for a pickup subscription

Conclusion

Each option has its own advantages and disadvantages, depending on the size of your business, your products, and your preferences regarding control and costs. Sellers who value branding and customer relationships might find own shipping or an external fulfillment partner more appealing, while sellers prioritizing efficiency and scalability could benefit from LvB or Vvb+. In categories with high competition, LvB is often preferred as Bol shows clear favoritism toward products shipped with LvB.
The choice among the options above depends on your specific business needs and objectives. It is important to carefully weigh the costs, benefits, and operational requirements of each option before making a decision.