How to Sell to Dillard’s: Vendor Requirements Guide

To sell to Dillard’s, you need a Dillard’s buyer to place an order, EDI set up within Dillard’s grace period, and product that arrives floor-ready with correct UPC tickets, GS1-128 carton labels, and an advance ship notice (ASN) on every shipment. Dillard’s also requires freight to be routed through its transportation management system, and its published compliance charge policy lists specific fees for missing ASNs, unlabeled cartons, and manual data fixes. Brands that set up compliance before the first PO avoid losing margin to chargebacks.

This guide is for apparel, footwear, accessories, beauty, and home brands preparing to ship to Dillard’s. It covers how vendor setup works, what Dillard’s requires, the charges to watch, and how ShipCalm’s retail vendor compliance services help brands launch.

How Do You Become a Dillard’s Vendor?

Dillard’s is a department store chain headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas, and new brands usually come in through a buyer relationship built at trade shows, through showrooms, or through sales reps.

1. Get buyer interest: Present your line to the Dillard’s buyer for your category.
2. Receive a vendor number: Once a buyer commits, Dillard’s sets you up in its vendor system.
3. Access eBiz: Dillard’s vendor portal, eBiz, holds the vendor guide, routing guide, EDI specifications, and ticketing standards.
4. Set up EDI: Dillard’s gives new vendors a grace period, historically 60 days, to become EDI compliant. Until then, POs and invoices are handled through the portal.
5. Prepare floor-ready product: Ticket, label, and pack product to Dillard’s standards before the first shipment.

What Are Dillard’s Vendor Requirements?

Dillard’s publishes a Vendor Information and Implementation Guide and a corporate routing guide on eBiz. Dillard’s also tells vendors that checking the routing guide for updates is their responsibility. The main requirements:

• EDI: Mandatory documents include purchase orders (850), advance ship notices (856), invoices (810), and remittance advice (820), along with acknowledgments and PO changes.
• UPC pre-ticketing: Merchandise must arrive with correct UPC tickets showing the information Dillard’s ticketing standards require, such as price, size, and color.
• Carton labels: Every carton needs a scannable GS1-128 (UCC-128) label that matches the ASN. Prepack cartons also need a scannable prepack UPC on the outside.
• ASN on every shipment: An accurate 856 must be sent before the shipment arrives at the distribution center.
• TMS routing: Freight other than small parcel is routed through Dillard’s TMS, and the assigned load ID must appear on the bill of lading.
• Floor-ready apparel: Garments should arrive ready for the sales floor, with correct hangers, tickets, and condition.

What Chargebacks Does Dillard’s Charge?

Dillard’s Vendor Compliance Processing Charge Policy lists specific fees. Amounts published in Dillard’s vendor guide have included:

• Shipment without an ASN: $250 per shipment
• Carton with no GS1-128 label or missing ASN detail: $50 per carton
• Manual entry of a UPC or product record: $2 per record
• Paper documents instead of EDI: A processing charge per document once the grace period ends
• Missing TMS load ID on the bill of lading: A routing chargeback
• Reticketing: Charges when Dillard’s has to re-ticket product

Charges change over time, so confirm current amounts in the policy posted on eBiz.

Does Dillard’s Allow Drop-Ship?

Dillard’s runs drop-ship for some vendors on Dillards.com, but its published vendor guide focuses on bulk orders shipped to distribution centers. If you’re invited into a drop-ship program, get the document set, timing, and label requirements directly from Dillard’s or the platform the program runs on.

How a 3PL Helps You Launch at Dillard’s

A 3PL with department store experience handles ticketing, labeling, and EDI so product arrives floor-ready. Dillard’s appears in ShipCalm’s retail integrations.

• Ticketing and floor-ready prep: UPC tickets, hangers, and prepacks prepared to Dillard’s standards. See ShipCalm’s apparel fulfillment.
• GS1-128 labels and ASNs: Labels generated from packed carton data so they match the 856 every time.
• EDI connection: Orders, ship notices, and invoices exchanged through providers like SPS Commerce.
• Routing compliance: TMS routing requests submitted on time and load IDs added to every bill of lading.
• Department store and DTC from one inventory: Dillard’s POs shipped alongside your website and marketplace orders.

Dillard’s Launch Checklist

1. Get eBiz access and download the vendor guide, routing guide, and ticketing standards.
2. Start EDI setup right away so you finish inside the grace period.
3. Order compliant UPC tickets and confirm ticket placement.
4. Confirm your 3PL generates GS1-128 labels and ASNs from packed carton data.
5. Learn the TMS routing process and add load IDs to your bill of lading template.
6. Run a small pilot PO and check for chargebacks before scaling.
7. Check the routing guide regularly for updates.

FAQ

What EDI documents does Dillard’s require?

Dillard’s mandatory EDI documents include the 850 purchase order, 856 advance ship notice, 810 invoice, and 820 remittance advice. New vendors get a grace period to become compliant, and POs and invoices run through the eBiz portal until then.

What is the Dillard’s chargeback for a missing ASN?

Dillard’s published compliance charge policy has listed $250 per shipment without an ASN and $50 per carton missing a GS1-128 label or ASN detail. Confirm current amounts on eBiz.

Does Dillard’s require UPC tickets?

Yes. Merchandise must arrive pre-ticketed with UPC tickets that follow Dillard’s ticketing standards. Product that Dillard’s has to re-ticket can be charged back.

How do I route freight to Dillard’s?

Submit a routing request through Dillard’s TMS before the ready-to-ship date. Dillard’s assigns a load ID, which must be listed in the special instructions on the bill of lading.

Conclusion

Selling to Dillard’s takes EDI inside the grace period, floor-ready product with correct tickets, and labels and ASNs that match every carton. Getting those details right on the first PO keeps chargebacks from eating into your margin. Talk to ShipCalm about launching your Dillard’s program.