Problem: B2B E-commerce is Drowning in CSVs and Emails
If you run a wholesale business or work with suppliers, you probably know the pain. Every morning, you receive an email with a CSV or XML file containing stock levels. You have to manually import it, map columns, and pray the format hasn't changed. Orders from B2B partners come in via email, requiring manual retyping into your system. It's a bottleneck that generates costs, delays, and errors.
In response to this problem, many solutions have emerged. From expensive, custom API integrations to EDI platforms. Base (BaseLinker), known mainly for managing marketplace sales, has also proposed its solution: Base Connect.
What Exactly is Base Connect?
Important disclaimer upfront: Base Connect is not a separate platform or a magical tool that connects any system to any other. It is an internal integration, a module that operates within the Base (BaseLinker) ecosystem.
Simply put, Base Connect is a digital B2B 'bridge' that allows two different Base accounts to communicate with each other automatically. One account acts as the 'Supplier' (e.g., a wholesaler), and the other as the 'Recipient' (e.g., a dropshipping store).
The Core Premise: A Pro and Con in One
The most critical piece of information for you as a decision-maker is that both parties (Supplier and Recipient) must have a Base (BaseLinker) account. This is the fundamental limitation, but also the greatest strength of the system.
- The Pro (Standardization): Since both companies operate in the same, closed ecosystem, the integration is instant and standardized. There are no issues with different API formats, authorization, or field mapping. It just 'works'.
- The Con (Vendor Lock-in): If your key B2B partner uses a different ERP (like SAP, Comarch Optima) and has no intention of migrating to Base (BaseLinker), Base Connect is completely useless in this scenario. The only option left is to build a custom API integration.
Business Scenarios: How Does Base Connect Automate Processes?
Let's analyze the four most common business models where Base Connect is applied, based on available information.
Scenario 1: You are a Supplier (Wholesaler, Manufacturer)
Your problem: You have dozens or hundreds of trading partners (stores) to whom you must provide your product catalog, stock levels, and prices daily. You also want to automatically receive orders from them.
- What Base Connect does: It allows you to share your product catalog (or a selected part of it, e.g., specific categories or tagged products) with other Base (BaseLinker) users.
- Automatic Sharing: Partners no longer download files. They simply connect to your account via Base Connect and pull the data (descriptions, photos, parameters).
- Live Sync: Most importantly, stock levels and prices are updated automatically. If you sell the last unit of a product on Allegro, all your B2B partners will immediately see '0' stock in their panels, eliminating overselling.
- Order Receiving: Orders from partners (whether wholesale or dropshipping) land directly in your Base (BaseLinker) panel, just like orders from other channels, ready for fulfillment.
Scenario 2: You are a Retailer (Store, Recipient)
Your problem: You want to expand your product range quickly. Manually finding suppliers, importing their products, and updating stock daily is your biggest enemy. You also want to easily forward orders for fulfillment.
- What Base Connect does: It gives you access to a public list of suppliers (wholesalers, manufacturers) who are already in the Base (BaseLinker) ecosystem and share their products via Base Connect.
- Quick Import: You connect to a chosen supplier (with their approval) and import thousands of products into your Base (BaseLinker) catalog with a few clicks.
- Automatic Updates: You forget about CSV files. Stock levels and purchase prices update automatically, allowing you to safely list products on multiple marketplaces.
- Order Automation: When a customer buys a product from you, you can set up an automatic action that forwards this order (e.g., in a dropshipping model) directly to your supplier's Base (BaseLinker) account.
Scenario 3: Dropshipping Model – Business Without Warehouse
Your problem: You want to run an online store, but you don't have capital to buy inventory or warehouse space. You're looking for a way to sell products without physically owning them.
- What Base Connect offers in dropshipping: The ability to run a business without a warehouse and without physical inventory. You connect with suppliers through Base Connect, import their products into your store, and sell them with your markup.
- Automatic Fulfillment: When a customer places an order with you, the system automatically forwards it to the supplier, who packs and ships the product directly to your customer. You only manage sales and customer service.
- No Inventory Risk: You don't have to invest in 'stock on hand'. You only pay the supplier when you sell a product. This drastically lowers the barrier to entry into e-commerce.
- Stock Synchronization: Base Connect ensures you don't sell a product the supplier no longer has. Stock levels update automatically, eliminating the overselling problem.
- Easy Scalability: You can quickly add new suppliers and thousands of products without the need to expand warehouse infrastructure.
Critical dropshipping drawback: Some marketplaces (like Amazon, Allegro in certain categories) may require additional documentation if you're not a manufacturer or authorized distributor. These may include purchase invoices from suppliers, distribution agreements, or certificates. Lack of these documents may result in account suspension or refusal to list offers. Before entering dropshipping on a given marketplace, check its regulations regarding product origin.
Key Questions Before Starting Cooperation with a Wholesaler: Before deciding to cooperate with a specific supplier, make sure you have answers to these questions:
- Shipping Logistics: Does the wholesaler ship on their own labels, or do you need to provide shipping labels in the order? This affects process automation.
- Financial Settlement: Do they issue consolidated invoices (preferably monthly)? What is the payment term? Do they accept card payments, bank transfers, or require prepayment?
- Customer Service: Do they accept returns and complaints directly from your customers? How does product warranty work? Who bears return costs?
- Logistics Providers: Which carriers have regular pickup at the wholesaler? Can you choose a specific courier for your customers?
- Product Data: Does the wholesaler provide accurate dimensions and weights of products? This is crucial for correctly determining shipping costs and number of packages.
- Catalog Reliability: Review the entire wholesaler's product feed - are descriptions, photos, and specifications truthful and compliant? Are there no errors that could expose you to complaints?
- Legal Documentation: Does the wholesaler have terms and privacy policy? Is a contract signed before starting cooperation? What are the cooperation terms?
- Technical Communication: What contact details (email, phone) do you get for automating communication related to orders? Do they have APIs or webhooks for status notifications?
- Sales Policy: Does the wholesaler have an established pricing policy? Can you sell in specific markets (e.g., only in Poland, or throughout the EU)? Are there territorial or pricing restrictions?
Practical Tip: Before signing a contract with a wholesaler, request a test order. Check packaging quality, fulfillment time, communication, and return handling. This will help you assess whether the cooperation will be satisfactory for your customers.
Scenario 4: You run a Fulfillment warehouse
Your problem: Your clients (e-commerce stores) sell on various platforms. You need an efficient system to automatically receive their fulfillment orders (orders to be packed) and send back feedback (status, tracking number, label).
Base Connect standardizes this process. Your client (the store) transfers orders from their Base (BaseLinker) account to yours (the warehouse). You fulfill them, and Base (BaseLinker) automatically syncs the statuses and tracking numbers back to the client's panel, who then passes them to their store and the end customer. This eliminates emails and manual retyping of logistics data.
Analysis: Costs, Pros, and Cons
What are the Real Costs of Base Connect?
This is a key question for any CFO. According to official information, the Base Connect integration itself is free. There are no additional fees for its activation or for the number of connected partners.
So, what's the catch? It's in Base's business model. You pay a subscription fee and (depending on the plan) fees for orders retrieved from *external* sales channels (like Allegro, Amazon, Shopify, etc.).
- Cost Scenario: A Retailer (your partner) pays Base for an order downloaded from Allegro (according to their price plan).
- Then, this Retailer forwards that order to you (the Wholesaler) via Base Connect.
- You, as the Wholesaler (Recipient of the order), do not pay an additional fee to Base for this *specific* order received via Connect. It is 'free' for you within the ecosystem.
- Conclusion: The cost is borne by the one who 'imports' the order into the ecosystem. The B2B exchange inside is already free.
Objective Advantages
- Elimination of Development Costs: This is the biggest material benefit. Building and maintaining a stable, two-way API integration between two ERP/store systems can cost tens, sometimes hundreds of thousands of złotys. Base Connect provides similar functionality 'for free' (as part of the Base subscription).
- Speed of Implementation: Connecting two accounts is a matter of generating a code and accepting. B2B automation can start in one day, not after quarters of development work.
- Standardization and Reliability: Operating in a single ecosystem eliminates the risk of formatting errors, API problems, or failures from a 'third-party' integrator.
- Out-of-the-Box Automation: Stock and price sync, automatic order forwarding, status returns – you get all of this in the package.
Critical Disadvantages and Limitations
- Hard Dependency (Vendor Lock-in): As mentioned, if your key partner does not and will not use Base, this solution is worthless. It's an ecosystem hostage situation.
- Lack of Full Customization: This is a ready-made module. It will not handle highly non-standard business processes. If you need complex B2B discount logic, dynamic category mapping, or integration of unusual fields, Base Connect may prove too simple. A dedicated API offers infinite flexibility.
- Indirect Costs: The 'free' integration only works if both parties are already paying for a Base subscription. If you have to persuade a partner to implement and pay for a new system (Base) just to connect with you, the barrier to entry becomes high.
Conclusion: When is Base Connect a Golden Mean, and When a Dead End?
Base Connect is a pragmatic and powerful tool, but only in a very specific context.
- Worth considering if: You and your key B2B partners are already using Base (or are planning to migrate). In this case, it is an absolute *must-have*. The implementation cost is zero, and the immediate savings in man-hours from manual data and order handling are enormous.
- Look for another solution if: Your partners operate on closed ERP/WMS systems (SAP, Oracle, Optima, Subiekt GT) and there is no question of migration. In this scenario, the only path to automation is a dedicated API integration that connects their system directly to yours.
As a CEO or CTO, your decision comes down to analyzing your partners' technology ecosystem. If it is compatible with Base, Base Connect is a huge financial and operational lever. If not, the path of custom development remains.