Answers to the most frequently asked questions

At the end of the billing period (usually once a month), you will receive an invoice overview including two to three CSV files in which every sold and returned item is listed, including the commission (and any manual corrections by Zalando). The customer pays Zalando and we transfer the value of the goods minus the commission to you one week after receipt of the invoice.

All sales minus returns, commission and 19% VAT on commission are shown. Only orders that were actually shipped are listed in the statement. Orders that were not processed are not included.

In addition to the statement, you will receive two to three CSV files in which all sold and returned items (and if applicable, manual corrections by Zalando) are listed separately.

If you have any further questions about the settlement, please contact: accounting-connectedretail@zalando.de

We recommend that you equip your stores with the following starter kit before you start selling:

• Using the Google Chrome browser

• Inventory control system and scanner

• Color printer

• Paper

• Clear tape

• Transparent envelopes

• Shipping bags/cardboard boxes

• Sorting box (outbound and returns)

• Optional: Label printer & labels

Specific product recommendations:*

• Merchandise management system (e.g. Advarics, Cloudstock, etc.)

• A normal colour printer is sufficient (e.g. from HP, Canon, Epson, etc.). 

*Zalando does not gain any advantage from making recommendations for these products and companies - they are only intended to serve as pointers for new partners.

• Cardboard

• High-quality, resealable plastic bags

• Please tape off price tags on your items!

• Use new packaging

• Use cardboard boxes for high-priced items

• Always use cardboard boxes for shoes

• Use an envelope for delivery documents

• Sender should be recognizable

• On the package: Feel free to use packaging material that shows your own brand - e.g. tape, cardboard or shipping bag with your own company logo.

• In the package: Your logo is automatically visible on the delivery notes and invoices. Please do not put any flyers or other advertising in the package.

We suggest adding additional packaging as a "shipping box" to which the original packaging of the item should be placed inside. This will prevent the carrier or customer from sticking tape or labels to the original packaging and thus damaging it.

The generation and processing of orders takes place in four steps:

1. Your stock is transmitted to our system via a .csv file - ideally in an interval of 15 - 60 minutes.

2. Customer orders are assigned to your store and enter the Connected Retail Tool (CRT). This is browser-based and can be accessed on any digital device.

3. All transactions are recorded in your merchandise management system. We take care of all payment processes and transfer the earned amount minus commission and VAT to you on a monthly basis.

4. You pack the items and hand them over to the DHL courier.

By default, order and delivery documents are often printed with headers and footers. To avoid this, the print settings in the browser must be changed. This guide can help (in German language only).

• Printer guide

Possible reasons are the following:

• The customer address is incorrect: unfortunately, this is often the case with orders delivered to packing stations. Please check the customer address on the pick list and forward this information to your Partner Consultant.

• Your DHL number range has expired: please pass this information on to your DHL Key Account Manager/ Sales Representative/ Tele-sales as well as to our Operations Team (cr-partnercare@zalando.xx). They will take all further steps. However, the Zalando Operations Team usually informs you in advance that the number range for the labels will soon be exhausted and a new one must be applied for.

• If you are receiving an error message, please contact connected-retail-tech-support@zalando.de with your Store Name shown in Connected Retail Tool (CRT), Error Message, and Time of Error Message.

Yes - but there is no process from our side.

With https://www.pdf-xchange.de/pdf-xchange-viewer/index.htm you can create a sequence of commands. For example, pages 1-2 are printed on normal paper, pages 3-4 on label paper. To do this, the printer must have two paper trays in which the different types of paper are inserted. Further information can be found here (available in German only).

Customer satisfaction is Zalando's top priority. Strong partners whose cancellation rate is low therefore enjoy higher visibility. They are displayed with priority to partners whose rate, processing and shipping time deviates from the guidelines agreed with Zalando.

Important key points here are:

• Cancellation rate: Under 5%

• Processing and delivery time: Processing within 48 hours - delivery within 3-4 working days.

If you have any questions about this process or need support to improve your performance, please contact our Partner Care team cr-partner-care@zalando.de.

In addition, we agree the following points with you:

• Individual settings: We have the possibility to introduce some "precautionary measures" - these include an order cap, price floor or a stock buffer.

• Analyses & assortment planning: We regularly analyse your performance together with you and are happy to make recommendations regarding assortment planning based on your sales.

Don't worry. There are three reasons for orders appearing with a high time stamp:

1. The customer has ordered with a pre-payment method and the order is only entered into your tool when the customer has transferred the order amount to Zalando.

2. The order is still in a fraud check status and will only be forwarded to you after it has been successfully checked.

3. For retailers with several shops, a cancelled order will be forwarded to the next shop with stock - this can be the reason for a delay.

• In order to ensure a smooth process in the store, it is important that the available capacities (staff, time, space) are not overstretched. In order to adapt the order volume to the respective circumstances, you have the option of setting an order cap for each store. This set limit determines the maximum amount of orders you would like to receive each day.

• Between the time an item is ordered by the end customer in the webshop and the time the order appears in the CR tool, there can be a time difference of ~ 20 minutes. If further orders of your articles are placed within this period, we are not able to "block" them. This may temporarily result in exceeding the set "Order Capacity".

To set or adjust the order cap, or taking stores online and offline please contact our partner Care service through our Contact From (also for Netherlands).