FirstCry seller guide
FirstCry Business Models Explained: Dropship and Bulk Supply
When FirstCry onboards a brand, it agrees a working model and commercial terms. The model determines who holds stock, who packs orders and how returns are handled.
Dropship (seller-shipped orders)
You keep inventory in your warehouse. FirstCry sends orders; you pack them with FirstCry-generated invoices and shipping labels, and logistics partners pick them up from your location. You keep control of stock and can sell the same inventory elsewhere, but you need a reliable daily packing process.
Bulk supply
FirstCry purchases stock in bulk and handles order-level fulfilment itself. You ship larger consignments rather than individual orders, which suits brands with production capacity and predictable volumes.
Which suits you?
- Small and growing brands with wide size ranges often prefer dropship.
- Brands with strong production and stable best sellers may prefer bulk supply.
- Your agreement with FirstCry sets which options are available.
Running dropship efficiently
The daily merged PDF of invoices and labels is the core of dropship work. Crop labels, stamp style and age from the invoice and pick by SKU – the FirstCry label crop does this and flags any label that does not match its invoice.
Daily dropship rhythm
- Download the day's merged invoice + label PDF at a fixed time.
- Process it: pair labels with invoices, stamp style/age/qty, crop to 4×6.
- Pick by style and age using the picklist.
- QC, pack, seal and hand over.
- Inspect returns and update stock.
Stock planning across ages
Kids' demand is spread across many age sizes. Track which ages sell most for each style and reorder by that curve. Popular sizes such as toddler ages often sell faster than newborn or older ages for many styles.
Scaling up
Automate label processing, label storage bins by style and age, and write a packing SOP before volumes double.
Returns under dropship
In seller-shipped models, returned items come back to you. Inspect them on arrival – ideally on camera – restock good units and record reasons by style and age. Kids' returns are often about size, so return data is a direct guide to improving your size charts.
Choosing stock levels by age
Each style may come in eight or more age sizes. Holding equal stock in every size ties up capital in slow sizes and runs out of fast ones. Use the last season's sales by age to set a size curve per style, and keep a small buffer in the two or three fastest ages.
Planning for growth
As orders grow, more SKUs and ages make picking harder. Organise storage by style and age, label every bin clearly and keep the picklist sorted in the same order as your shelves.
Checklist
- Model and terms agreed
- Warehouse capacity planned
- Daily label workflow set
- Returns process defined
Free tools for FirstCry sellers
The FirstCry label crop with style and age stamp on LabelCroppers pairs each FirstCry label with its invoice, checks the customer details match, stamps Style Code, Age and Qty, drops the invoice pages and gives you 4×6 labels with a picklist. Everything runs in your browser – your orders and customer data are never uploaded.
Frequently asked questions
Does FirstCry provide labels in dropship?
In dropship-style models FirstCry generates invoices and shipping labels for each order.
Marketplace fees and policies change often. Always confirm current rules in your seller panel.