Skubana vs. Sellbrite

Skubana is a browser app with a fairly typical user interface design. A central login page links to management dashboards for orders, shipments, inventory, analytics, and so on.

We thought that Skubana’s interface was reasonably intuitive and easy-to-use. It’s not the most straightforward on the market, and there is a slight learning curve, especially when it comes to the analytics dashboard. That said, it’s by no means the worst.

"It's a fantastic platform that has helped us leverage multiple additional technologies."

"It takes a little bit of time to fully learn everything about Skubana, I'm sure we still have a lot to learn."

"It takes a little bit of time to fully learn everything about Skubana, I'm sure we still have a lot to learn."

Sellbrite excels when it comes to ease of use.

It’s a browser-based app with a straightforward interface. The login page contains an array of analytics widgets, and users can access dedicated pages to manage products, orders, channels, and reports from a navbar across the top of the screen.

Time-saving features like one-click marketplace integrations and listing templates are an added bonus.

"The Sellbrite application is extremely user friendly, so easy to navigate and what impressed me the most was the support team behind Sellbrite."

"Easy to use and small learning curve."

"Amazing App! Even better support!"

On the surface, Skubana’s feature-kit appears less comprehensive than many of its competitors. There’s no mobile app, native barcode scanning, POS, or accounting integrations.

But it’s important to remember that the platform has been designed with multichannel retailers in mind. For this specific group, few other platforms come close to providing the same level of functionality.

Among the most notable features are the individual channel reporting tools, the API for building custom integrations, automation bots which can be used to manage inventory on third-party marketplaces, and advanced options for organizing parent-child and bundled products.

Skubana also excels on the training front. Users have access to onboarding consultants (full onboarding takes between four and six weeks), long-term client success managers, and a complete and highly-praised support package.

The analytics tools also rank among the best in the industry. Retailers can access a myriad of metrics, including turnover for specific channels, fulfillment rates, carrying costs, inventory age, and more. There are dedicated features for calculating customer value, keeping on top of accounting tasks, and maintaining a big-picture view across multiple stores.

Finally, all Skubana servers are run using AWS (Amazon Web Servers) and are fully secure. Reviews indicate that software is well-maintained from a technical standpoint and suitable for scaling companies.

Sellbrite has a comprehensive set of features. With a robust package of inventory, reorder, and delivery tools, most retailers will find everything they need to manage stock effectively. Sellbrite also offers several time-saving extras, including one-click installs, listing templates, and selective stock pushing to set which warehouses are used to fulfill orders.

Users also have access to product variation options (size, colour, etc.), negotiated rates for FedEx, UPS, and USPS, order routing and splitting tools, and an API (on the premium plans).

Unfortunately, some features commonly found in other platforms are missing. There’s no mobile app, for example, and retailers can only access a POS through their ecommerce platform. Barcode scanning is also unsupported. Furthermore, the integrations library is somewhat limited, with the exception of the marketplace connectors.

Training, on the whole, is good, with dedicated onboarding assistance. That said, sessions are limited to 30 minutes on the lowest-priced plan and two hours on the premium plan. There are extensive resource guides and webinars for new users.

Finally, the analytics area is fairly standard, with multichannel sales and inventory reports available.

All in all, there’s nothing major to quibble about in regards to Sellbrite’s feature-kit. Our only complaint is that some features many retailers would consider essential are absent. Make sure to check that Sellbrite offers everything you need before you part with your hard-earned cash.

Skubana relies quite heavily on third-party integrations to supplement its core feature-set. Barcode scanning and POS, for example, are only available through connectors. The downside to this approach is that it incurs extra costs because users have to pay for separate services.

While the Skubana integrations library is fairly solid, it’s not the best we’ve seen. Accounting apps for Xero and Quickbooks were notably absent, although Zapier makes up for this to an extent.

Where Skubana really shines, on the other hand, is in relation to omnichannel selling. A variety of EDI tools (SPS, eZCom, B2BGateway, etc.) enable retailers to sync up with practically any third-party marketplace, and native integrations are offered for Amazon, eBay, Groupon, Houzz, Jet, Newegg, Sears, Target, and Walmart. On the shopping cart front, 3dcart, BigCommerce, Magento, Shopify, and Shopify Plus are supported.

Skubana also offers an excellent array of its own integrations with shipping providers, including DHL, Endicia, FedEx, and UPS.

On the whole, while the integrations library might not be the most comprehensive we’ve reviewed, we were left with the impression that it’s been uniquely designed for multichannel retailers. If you sell on various marketplaces, you simply won’t find a more extensive set of connectors.

Sellbrite scored reasonably well on the integrations front but is outperformed by some close competitors. We felt that Ecomdash, for example, had a more extensive library.

We also disliked that there aren’t any intermediary integrations which extend the native functionality of Sellbrite in terms of linking up with more third-party marketplaces. You can only sync up with the marketplaces that Sellbrite offers. Sometimes, you even have to pay extra for these integrations, as is the case with the Amazon FBA connector.

Another downside is that Quickbooks and Xero aren’t yet supported, which may be a deal-breaker for some retailers. There’s no Zapier integration, either, so you can’t sync Sellbrite up to unsupported apps in your tech stack.

It’s not all doom and gloom, however. There’s a good assortment of marketplace integrations, including Amazon, eBay, Etsy, Walmart, Google, Sears, and others. In terms of shopping carts, Shopify, BigCommerce, and WooCommerce are all supported. Notably, there’s no Magento integration, but this does make sense considering that Sellbrite isn’t an enterprise solution. Finally, ShipStation is available for handling shipping.

It’s not an outstanding selection but it’s by no means shabby. Take the time to review the integrations library before you subscribe to a paid plan. If it contains everything you need, then you won’t have any issues.

Skubana is aimed at medium and large sellers dealing with high volumes. Pricing begins at $999/month. At this price-point, we feel that it isn’t suitable for smaller retailers unless they require an inventory management solution designed to sync with multiple marketplaces. For these independent retailers, a number of cheaper options are available.

It’s important to keep in mind that Skubana is the best multichannel platform on the market. The custom pricing model is also very competitive when compared to other providers, and there are no long-term contracts. If you’re considering opting for Skubana, get in touch for a free demo before making a decision.

On the face of it, Sellbrite is one of the best-priced multichannel solutions for smaller retailers. But after doing a little digging, we found there were a few catches.

We’ll start off by saying that Sellbrite is definitely competitively priced. Plans start at $49/month for less than one hundred orders (which is the lowest entry-level price we’ve seen for this type of software) and run all the way to $399/month for up to 10,000 orders.

Sounds good, right? That is until you take into account the “hidden” costs. Adding the FBA integration to your package will set you back an additional $50. Other apps may also incur extra charges. And all your eBay listings will be branded with a “Powered by Sellbrite” badge on the entry-point plan.

So while the pricing is OK, it’s important to keep the bigger picture in mind.

Customer support, which is via email (with a turnaround time of twenty-four hours), is generally very good. Users praise both the high level of technical assistance and the responsiveness of the customer service team when alerted to bugs and other backend issues. The FAQs and support documentation is also very extensive.

Skubana provides new users with a dedicated onboarding manager to help them get up and running as quickly as possible. In addition to this, retailers can access a “client success” representative who will help them to take full advantage of the platform.

The one downside is that Skubana doesn’t offer live chat or phone support, which could come in useful when time-sensitive problems arise.

Sellbrite excels when it comes to help and support. If you’re looking for an app with a high-quality customer service package, then you needn’t look any further.

Along with onboarding sessions (included on all plans), users have access to email, live chat and phone (via callback) support, available 8 AM to 5 PM PT Monday to Friday.

Sellbrite also offers extensive documentation and training videos, including regular webinars.

The one slight downside (and we’re being really picky here) is that there isn’t a community of fellow users to consult. Given the speed and quality of the support on offer, however, this shouldn’t be a problem.

Skubana isn’t for everybody. If you’re a small online retailer, or if you only sell through one store, then there are other options available with more functionality and better pricing. Skubana also relies quite heavily on integrations.

If, on the other hand, you’re a reasonably high-volume multichannel seller, then Skubana is easily the best solution on the market, and it’s the small details that make the difference. Along with obvious tools like marketplace integrations and multichannel analytics, Skubana also provides less obvious features. These include bundled product options, management of different SKUs for identical products (which can be an issue when using marketplaces), and automation bots for streamlining workflows.

Customer support is excellent, so if you’re thinking about purchasing a subscription, get in touch with the company and ask for a free demo.

Sellbrite is very clear about its market positioning. It’s a multichannel solution aimed at small and medium retailers with up to 10,000 monthly product sales. If you fit into this category, then it’s well worth considering. If you’re an enterprise multichannel seller, on the other hand, you will likely need a more powerful solution like Skubana or Brightpearl.

While some features are missing, such as barcode scanning, POS, and accounting integrations, other aspects of the app stand head-and-shoulders above the competition. These include the customer support package, time-saving options like one-click marketplace integrations, and the intuitive dashboard.

If you think it might be the inventory management app for you, take advantage of the 30-day free trial and check out some close competitors like Ecomdash first.