How to Choose Multi-Channel Inventory Software

The best inventory software for a multi-channel reseller keeps one stock count behind every listing, keeps FBA and WFS stock apart from your own, buys labels from the order, and shows profit from what each marketplace actually paid. Most tools do one or two of those. Below are the nine questions we'd ask any vendor, us included, and what a wrong answer costs you.

Does it hold one stock count behind every listing?

If the software keeps a separate number per channel, you'll oversell. The unit sells on eBay, and Amazon still shows it until the next sync. Ask how fast a sale on one channel reaches the others, and whether a cancellation puts the unit back on its own. Anything measured in hours is a spreadsheet with a login. Why multi-channel sellers oversell.

Does it keep FBA and WFS stock apart from your warehouse?

Stock at Amazon or Walmart can't fill an order you ship yourself. If the tool adds it into one number, you'll sell units you can't ship. It should track fulfilled-by-marketplace stock separately and never count a unit twice.

Can you buy the label from the order?

Every screen you switch between costs you minutes per order. Ask whether you can rate-shop your own UPS, FedEx, USPS and DHL accounts on the order, and whether Amazon and Walmart Buy Shipping are on the same screen. Amazon Buy Shipping.

Does profit come from the settlement, or from an estimate?

Estimated fees are wrong by exactly the amounts that hurt: re-rates, refunds and adjustments that post weeks later. Ask whether the tool matches each marketplace settlement back to its orders, and for which marketplaces. Why estimated profit lies.

Does landed cost reach the unit?

If freight and duty sit in a separate spreadsheet, your cost per unit is low and your profit is high on paper. Ask whether the costs on a purchase order are spread across every unit on it when it's received.

Can it track units by serial, if you sell serialized goods?

Phones, laptops and other electronics need each unit tracked from receiving to sale, through returns, grading and repair. If a return can't be matched to the unit you shipped, you can't tell a bad repair from a bad buyer. Refurbisher software.

What does it cost at your order volume?

Get the price in writing at your real monthly order count, not the starting tier. Ask about per-user seats, per-channel fees, setup fees and whether pricing is published at all. A tool that costs little at 300 orders a month can cost a lot at 3,000.

What happens when you need a channel it doesn't have?

Every seller adds a channel eventually. Ask whether the vendor builds it, whether you pay for the build, and whether you're expected to write the integration yourself against an API.

Can you try it on your own orders before you pay?

A demo account shows you the vendor's data. Connect your real marketplaces, ship a real week, and check the numbers against your last settlement. If you can't do that without a card or a sales call, weigh that.

How to test a tool in one week

1. Connect the two channels where most of your orders come from.
2. List one SKU on both and sell a unit. Check how long the other listing takes to drop.
3. Ship ten orders from the order screen with your own carrier accounts.
4. Receive one purchase order with freight on it and check the unit cost.
5. Pull the last settlement and compare the tool's profit to what you were actually paid.

How Rilk answers the checklist

Start free at rilk.ai: no credit card required. Inventory sync, landed cost and true per-order profit are on Pro and Ultimate, and every account gets one 14-day Pro trial to run them on your own orders. See plans. Comparing tools you already use? See Rilk vs. ShipStation, vs. ChannelAdvisor and vs. Finale.