mailorderworks.co.uk

What It Is

MailOrderWorks (MOW) is mail order management and inventory control software from 2Dmedia Ltd, aimed at merchants selling via channels such as phone, website, eBay, or PayPal. It is not a pure browser-based SaaS product; instead, a Windows client connects to a vendor-hosted UK database server. It is best suited to small and mid-sized mail order teams that need multiple people in different locations to share order and inventory data.

Core Features and Collaboration

The product covers order entry, customer databases, invoice/dispatch note printing, bulk shipping, inventory tracking, purchase goods-in management, low-stock alerts, returns/issue tracking, and sales and inventory reports. At the order level, it supports discounts, deposits, payment methods, shipping status, Hold/starred flags, source tracking, and custom fields. At the inventory level, it supports SKUs, product groups, cost prices, low-stock thresholds, and whether inventory tracking is enabled. Team features are relatively complete, with support for multiple simultaneous users and staff-level permission controls for orders, reports, profit/cost data, products, and inventory operations.

Integrations, API, and Deployment Security

MOW offers several integration options: PayPal IPN can automatically create orders and also supports eBay/PayPal payment scenarios; MOW Portal supports CSV order import; and its API, delivered over HTTPS, provides capabilities such as adding orders, creating/updating products, product feeds, and stock feeds. API documentation must be requested. Data is hosted on high-availability servers in the UK, using MySQL 5, and the company mentions secure tunnels, Linux servers, and automatic backups. However, it does not disclose certifications such as ISO, SOC 2, or GDPR compliance.

Pricing and Support

Its business model is an annual subscription based on users/concurrent connections. A company account includes 1 user connection, with additional users available. Monthly billing is available for 10+ users but requires BACS; bulk pricing can be negotiated for 30+ users. Integration tools, API keys, and Portal accounts cost extra, while custom reports are around £30-£60 and document templates start at about £60. Accounts include updates and support, but phone support is limited to just 15 minutes per month; overages or training may incur additional fees.

Pros, Cons, and Who It’s For

Its strengths are its focus on mail order workflows, simple processes, practical inventory and dispatch control, and the ability to centralize orders from multiple channels. Downsides include Windows-only support, with Mac/non-Windows users not supported; pricing is not fully public; the interface and architecture feel fairly traditional; and features such as UK VAT and postcode lookup are clearly oriented toward the UK market. It is suitable for small mail order, ecommerce, and warehouse/fulfillment teams in the UK or those comfortable paying in GBP. For Chinese users, access performance is unknown, and payment and tax localization may not be as strong as domestic ERP, inventory management, or cross-border ecommerce management tools.