Try Stamps.com -- If you ship Ebay AND Amazon orders or eCommerce Orders (Promo=3 months for 11$ Total out of pocket)

One Stamps.com account can be used for Ebay+Amazon+eCommerce Websites (such as Highwire.com).  You can bring ALL your "awaiting shipment" orders into Stamps.com to work on all of them at the same time.  Enter package weights (as needed), then hit print and walk away while all 5, 17, or 28 come out of your printer).

Benefits:

• View all your orders on one screen. No "forgetting" about a stray Amazon or eBay order    (when desired, you can view orders from a particular source only)

• Yes, you can print First Class Mail International, no problem.
• Yes, you get USPS "online rates" including free Priority Delivery Confirmation, etc.

• All addresses are checked against USPS database.  Discrepancies are displayed for your approval.  
• +4 digits are added to all US address zip codes (this can make your package move more quickly)
• Easy to search for previously shipped packages if/when you need to track them.
• Request to void/refund labels for up to 2 weeks (Paypal gives you either 24 or 48 hours)

• You can create "Pre-sets" for similar kinds of packages.    For example, create one to include "Your Amazon.com Marketplace Order" on the label of your Amazon orders.   After setting it up, just tick the boxes for the applicable orders and choose the pre-set name from a drop-down list. 
• You can specify how you want your return address to display for each "profile" (each source of orders.. ebay, Amazon, etc)

• Prints 2 labels per sheet.... no turning around the pages like with Paypal.
• No ebay or Paypal ads or other ads (just very tiny and inconspicuous "stamps.com").
• Manual entry screen --- where you can copy an address as a block, rather than field by field by field.
• Print postage stamps for post cards, letters, etc.
• Buy up to 250$ of postage at a time, rather than tons of small $ transactions for each label.

Go to www.stamps.com/tell and use code C-96QP-PVG.  

You'll get:

• 4 weeks free,
• 5$ in free postage to use during the trial
• 10$ free postage a month for the next 2 months.

After the 4 week trial, the account costs 17.99$ a month.... but with the free postage promotion, you would actually be out of pocket 11$ to use it for 3 months.

PS.   Ill get 20$ in postage if you stay a member for at least 1 month after your trial period ends.   And so will you, if you refer people to use your code.  :)

How it works

For Ebay and Amazon

• After downloading their software, enter your ebay and amazon IDs once.   
• Then, each day, click Refresh and it will bring in un-shipped paid orders including item name(s).
• For ebay listings with calculated shipping, it will bring in the weight and mail class, etc.  
• After you print, it writes back to Amazon/ Ebay to mark the item as shipped and populates the tracking number.

For Websites

• Export your open orders from your eCommerce Provider (this is a function available in the Orders Menu for Highwire users) and save it as an Excel file.    
• ONE TIME in Stamps.com, create a profile for your site - which includes stating where the order export file is, and "mapping" that file to Stamps.com... which just means telling it which field means what, etc (most of it will be "auto-matched").
• Each day thereafter, export your open orders and save with the original file name.    
• In Stamps.com, click Refresh and all your orders will populate.

Instill Buyer Confidence with These Website Clean Up Tasks

If Ive convinced you of the need to keep your site tidy to instill buyer confidence, here are some example tasks.    I hope they lead you to think of additional clean up tasks as well. 

• Check every link on your home page --- make sure each one takes you to the correct place.    Note any page that needs to be fixed.
•  Check the links on every "kind" of page you have.  Most websites are built using templates, so if all of your product pages are created from the same "Product Page Template", and all of your informational pages are created from the same "Info Page Template", then you'll just need to check the links on one of each kind of page.   Note anything that needs to be fixed.
• If you have a "links" page, be sure all of those go somewhere too!    Remove any that go to error pages, or that do not go to the site you expected them too.
• Check the content on all of your informational pages...  policies, shipping info, etc.   This can be done from "your side" of your site, so you can edit the content as you go along.   For this Clean Up task, focus specifically on finding typos and inconsistencies in formatting and information.  Note any policies you'd like to reconsider for later.
• Find any and all items which are out of stock, and delete them (or hide them).

Take Down ALL Those Holiday Decorations
Another important thing to do while cleaning up your site is make sure all of your "holiday decorations" are down.    When talking about our websites, "Holiday" refers to any specific time of year --- holidays, seasons, events (Back to School), etc.  "Decorations" refers to any reference at all... not just graphics!

• Look for and remove any references to holiday shipping schedule and special return policies.  
• Check your product descriptions for "great stocking stuffer" or "perfect for her Easter Basket" or even "keep cool this summer in ....." when summer is winding down.

Be a smart seller... Do some of these tasks today.  Set a date in your schedule for the others - and a date to repeat the tasks you did today.     Regular clean up keeps the messes away, and the website buyer confidence up!    

I would love to hear what you find while cleaning up!   Id also love to hear additional clean up tasks beyond the examples Ive given here.   


Thank you, and Best Wishes

Cindy

Instill Buyer Confidence and Trust with Current Information

 Clean up, Clean up, Everybody, Everywhere....

Have you browsed your own website recently looking for spills or items left out of place?   If not, this is your reminder!  

Cleaning up our websites is something smart online business owners need to do regularly.   A great idea is to schedule this every 3 months or so on your calender.  

When you don't clean up these small messes, they can easily accumulate into a large mess - from your customer's point of view.     I suspect most online shoppers don't mind an occasional item in an incorrect catagory or an occasional image which overhangs the page layout.   Imagine, though, a customer seeing the exact same same mistake - still there when they return a month later.... that buyer is likely losing confidence in your ability to fill their order promptly and correctly.  

Example:

Someone left their decorations up too long...
Today is July 11th.   I added some items to my cart on an online store's website I'd never heard of before.   On the cart page is the following message (details changed)

Note: PARCEL POST shipments will NOT arrive by December 24th.
PRIORITY MAIL might not arrive by December 24th, especially to states east of the Mississippi,  as we ship from the Los Angeles Area. 

My guess is an old note the seller forgot to remove from the website.  But, I can't help but wonder if the site is now defunct, and I don't much feel like taking the chance with my time or my money.

I've clicked every link I can find, but cannot find any way to contact the site to ask them if they are still in business....  but THAT'S another subject for another day!

Even though I know its smart to shop with small, independant businesses,  I just did not feel comfortable enough to proceed with giving my credit card information, and expecting the items to arrive.      

Next time, 

Ill suggest some specific clean up tasks, to help make your site appear as good as it really is.


Thanks!  (Don't wait... start your clean up now!)

Cindy 

Choosing a Merchant Account to Accept Credit Cards for Your Online Sales Business.

Note... this is a continuation from this article.  Accepting Credit Card Payments on Your Website

So, you know you want to offer credit card payments right on your website.  Youve looked into Propay, but it isnt right for your situation.    Now, you need to look for a merchant account. 

Merchant Accounts

For more than 3K a month,  a merchant account is likely the way to go.  This is trickier, because one has to "shop around" to find a good deal.   

Start out by finding out what "gateway" your shopping cart works with.  This is a service that goes between the website and the credit card processor - to communicate check-out information TO the credit card processor,  and to collect information FROM the card processor .  Authorize.net is a popular "gateway", but there are others.      You will then need to look for merchant account providors who offer/work with the gateway you need to use.

To shop around, I'd just start the way I do with everything new I get into.  I call a company I'm unlikely to go with, and fumble my way around, not knowing what to ask about, not knowing the lingo, etc.     I allow myself to "play dumb" - and just start at the begining "Hello, I have an online store, and I want to process credit cards - how much will that cost?"  

I always learn a lot doing that, and thus "know what to ask for" when Im ready to call actual potential vendors.       Still... Id again go with a company Im less likely to go with, to brush up on "playing smart".

There are a lot of different fee types used in the credit card processing business.  So you need to be sure the company you are speaking with is giving you ALL the associated costs.   Do not be too quick to narrow down your list based on advertised pricing.... because you will likely NOT be comparing  "apples to apples".    Some will charge a fee for integration with Authorize.net... some include it.    Some charge a "monthly statement fee" (and require you get a monthly statement).    (and lots of other stuff).    


The company that looks most expensive, may actually be right on par with the others... but is choosing to be upfront about the total costs (or, they may just BE more expensive!)

You should also ask the costs and fees in the case a customer disputes a charge (wether they win or lose, the credit card processor typically charges their customer a fee).   And, of course, ask "what other fees are there?" AND "What other charges are there monthly?  annually?.   Ask what happens if you start to process  more transactions than you are expecting?  Less than expected?


Before committing to anything, have them send it to you in writing, and go over it with them to be sure you have ALL the information.


----Don't be afraid!  Just be informed!   This is just the way some industries are.   Most likley, you will find a representative  you feel comfortable with, and find a great match for your business


Whatever you do - be smart and do it!   Accept credit cards on your site.... without sending your customer AWAY from your site to Paypal or Google checkout.   (Can you imagine a cashier in a mall store telling you to walk down to the next store to swipe your credit card, and then come back to pick up your bag of goodies?????   No matter how convinient they made this.... its still not great customer service.  

Cindy

Accepting Credit Card Payments from your Online Store - Getting Started

You're on your way to bringing customers to your online store, you're helping them feel comfortable buying from you, so now.... you need a way for them to pay you!

You've been accepting Paypal and Google Check-out, but you want to add more professionalism and stop loosing sales from uncompleted check-outs.   Accepting credit card payments directly on your website is a smart thing to do.

One smart option for accepting credit card payments directly on your website is Propay.     You will need to check with your Cart provider to see if Propay is an option.   If not, read ahead anyway, as it may be something you want to suggest, or a reason to choose one Cart/eCommerce Provider over another.   

HighWire Commerce (formally Buy It Sell It eCommerce Solution Provider) offers easy integration to Propay.

Propay is VERY easy to set up and very easy to understand and use, making it a smart choice for those new to accepting credit cards directly on their website.      While you may well out-grow it, its a smart way to get started.  

Propay's website is very easy to use - to refund customers if necessary (full or partial amounts), to transfer funds to your checking account (or paper check if you prefer), and also allows you to very easily process payments manually - such as when taking an order by phone.  
 

Propay's fees are similiar to Paypal.   You will pay more to use Propay, but the sales not lost during checkout will easily cover the additional costs.

Propay fees differ from Paypal fees in the following ways:

• Annual fee, approx 55$
• Transaction fee charged on refunds, as well as purchases. (35 cents each) and, the transaction fee from the initial purchase is not refunded.
• Transaction fee charged to transfer funds to your checking account (35 cents)

Propay offers the best deal for small volume/ small dollar amount per transaction sellers.   If you expect to process under 3000$ a month (for now!), they are the lowest price option, and an easy way to get what you need.

When you need the ability to regularly process more per month, a Merchant Account will be the way to go.  Stay tuned for info on those.

Cindy

NOTE:  Propay does have more restrictions than most Merchant Accounts.   These include restrictions on the type of items sold (such as ammunition), and deposit requirements for sellers of expensive and/or items they deem high risk, such as electronics and fine jewelry.      If this applies to you, you may want to apply for an account with them, and see what they ask of you - which could be nothing, could be something you'd fine acceptable, or, might cause you to opt for a merchant account instead. 

Be a Successful Online Seller

PART of being a successful online seller is "what will sell". At LEAST as important is "those items being found", and "those who find (and want them) them being comfortable enough to place an order with you".

To get your items FOUND, I very highly recommend the SEO Techniques eBook by J Cricket Walker - http://www.gnc-web-creations.com/seo-techniques.htm . Its over 50 pages of solid content, explaining what needs to be done, AND, how it all works together.

To make your visitors COMFORTABLE buying from you, I highly recommend her "Website Marketing" articles, found here: http://www.gnc-web-creations.com/marketing-tutorials.htm.

This is not Marketing as in "advertising", its Marketing as in "Be appealing to your customer".

The articles address how to make your site appeal to shoppers, how to KEEP visitors on your site, and how to instill visitor trust/confidence.  From making your site "user friendly" to allowing them to trust you to fulfill their order (and enter their payment info!)... she touches on so many common sense things that many of us just won't see when viewing our OWN online stores.

Most is free and fast and easy to implement... but things you may not have thought of in terms of how online buyers react to sites. (The articles posted there are in alphabetical order, so please look through all the topics, rather than working in order)

Take the smart path, and take advantage of this out information to help you succeed! Let me know how it goes!

Cindy

Take the Leap to Selling from Your Own Website

I'd been selling on eBay for several years, Amazon too. I'd considered creating my own site a few times, but it never seemed worth the work for the reduction in fees. In April or May of 2008, I took a fresh look, and finally, Went For It.

These three key things finally got me to DO IT.

#1. I Wanted my sales to be higher, and saw postings to the eBay stores board over and over that there was an ADDITIONAL market outside of eBay.... eBay store sellers stating their sales were up from their websites, while they were down on eBay

#2 Yet another announcement from eBay manipulating how *I* run *my* business.

#3 Reading a woman on the eBay Stores board state she was selling 1000 a month through her website.

Still... I really did not believe these additional sales would come......

My eBay listings were very very often shown in Google search results in those 3 Google Base results, and fairly often in the first page of regular goggle results. So, I assumed anyone who wanted my items, but did not start out on eBay would find them, and buy them. I assumed there was only ONE market.

I ALSO firmly believed that no one would choose to buy from "Cindy's Website" when they could buy from eBay - a household name, with a feedback system, "seller protection", etc.

Turns out I was TOTALLY WRONG in my assumptions. There ARE people who have never purchased through eBay, and feel its too complicated to do so now. Thus, they simply ignore any Google search results that are from eBay. If they do happen to open a listing through Google base, they click right back out when they see its on eBay.

As smart sellers, we know that customer perception is what matters. And customers who perceive our items as too complicated to purchase will not be purchasing any of our available items.

For me, taking the leap was definitly the Smart thing to do.

Perhaps its time for you to make that smart leap too. If so, I use BuyItSellIt eCommerce Solution. Don't worry, you can keep one foot planted on eBay or Amazon... but leap with that other foot.

Cindy

Ill be posting again soon regarding how I transistioned from selling through online marketplaces (such as eBay and Amazon) to selling through my own Independent Online Website. If you cant wait to get started

A quick, free, easy, low skill way to make-over your blog, online store, ebay store, or informational website.

Give your site a mini-makeover (No Money, No HTML, 15 minutes)
When I hear the word make-over, my first guess is making over someone's appearance, more specifically, their face.

Let's consider the top of our websites as their face. Its the first thing a visitor sees, and usually appears on every page of our site. It needs a mini-makeover from time to time.

Your Site's Header
This section is usually called the header, and includes the name of the site. It might also include other information, a graphical logo, and/or other graphics.

Your site's Header might be an image file, or a simple line of text. For an eBay store, consider your store logo as your header.

Why its Smart to Makeover your website's Header
Whether your site's Header is looking stunning, or plain, or anywhere in between, its a smart idea to make some changes about once a month. Changes will show visitors that someone is actively caring for and tending to your site. It will show those who've visited in the past that there is a reason to take another look.

Take a look at Amazon.com or OldNavy.com... you'll likely notice a slight change from the last time you looked - often with no functional changes at all... just an aesthetic change.

Let's do it.
Yep, even if you paid top dollar to have a header made for you, its smart to give it a little makeover. If you have nothing but a line of text, don't worry, its easy to give that a quick make-over too.

Tools for job
I have been using XHeader to create my website headers and banners, but you can use any graphics/photo editing tool you are comfortable with that provides high resolution jpg images.

XHeader is a free download. I like that it allows me to save a working file, to go back to later to move elements around, remove elements, etc.

If your header is a line of text
Duplicate the text in your graphics program, using the same font, same color, same size, etc.

If your header is an image
Open that image in a graphics program. You may want to first crop various elements of the header and save them separately, so you'll be able to move them around in the new image. (Be smart - keep at least 2 back up copies!)

Keep in mind....
The purpose of a mini-makeover is not to CHANGE a person's appearance so much that they are unrecognizable, nor is it meant to change the way they function. So, be sure to retain aspects of your current header.

When people open your site after this makeover, you want them to instantly know that they ARE on YOUR site. Whether they type in your url, use a bookmark, or find one of your pages from a web search, you want them to know instantly they have been here before.

What to keep the same
Perhaps retain the graphic logo, the color Scheme, and/or the way your site name is written. Perhaps leave everything just as it is, and only add to it.

Give it a makeover!
Perhaps....

• Add a stripe of color to the top, or bottom of your header (or maybe the middle)
• Tweak the color scheme just a bit.. go a shade darker or a shade lighter in every color used.
• Add a background color - either to blend into your sites background, or to stand out from it.
• Add additional graphics or product images. (or remove existing ones)
• Add quick text promoting a current or upcoming special
• .Add information your viewers might be interested to know... Payment methods accepted, shipping charges, date your blog started, whatever.

Try getting inspiration from:

• Upcoming holidays, upcoming change of seasons
• Look up some more obscure holidays, or events related to your site
• New products or new information added to your site

Want Examples?

• Back-to-school - school bus, backpacks, pencils, create a chalkboard look, use a school approved printing font...
• End of Summer - jewel tone colors, sunset, empty beach chairs
  
• Start of fall - earth tone colors, apples, colored leaves
  

Some examples from my site:






Be sure to save a copy of your existing header.... perhaps 9 months from now, you'll use it again, as a ready-made mini-makeover.

Remember, keep your header recognizable. Save copies as you go along... if you decide to make a lot of changes, perhaps use some of the intermediate saved copies for a few weeks each.

Id love to see YOUR mini-makeovers! Please add a link to your site in the comment section. (and one to the before header too, if possible.

Enjoy!
Cindy
PS: Ill say it again... be smart and keep a back-up.

PPS: See more make-over blog articles today. Start with Hopelessly Flawed's Makeover Monday built-in Desk

Learn Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

Smart sellers need smart resources. My highest reccomendation goes to J. Cricket Walker, owner of www.GNC-Web-Creations.com.

If you need to learn about Search Engine Optimization, there are plenty of sites and "gurus" out there - some of which know what they are doing, and some of which do not. I found Cricket through the Mom Pack... a group of over 5000 independant business owners. The founders and moderators of the group only reccomend her - because they know she is the real deal.

I took that reccomendation, signed up for her FREE online SEO class, and bought her 20$ SEO ebook. I studied - as though I were taking a college course- during August and September, 2008, implemented her strategies... and never looked back. My sales took off after Google re-indexed my sites in early October(with the improvements in place).

I, now, can also say I find Cricket to be the REAL DEAL. She isnt trying to scam you, and isnt trying to sell you anything else(I do not think her ebook links to even ONE paid service - only to free articles on her website, and free services offered by other sites). She is just sharing her knowledge, in an honest way, designed to help those new to selling online become successful!

(Sure, she DOES offer paid services, and she DOES endorse services/software - she is in business.... just like the rest of us. But, she tells you what you need to know about SEO (and other aspects of selling online) without any need for you to buy anything, AND, without any pressure for you to buy anything. )

If you have little or no training / experience with SEO, do the smart thing and enroll in her free classes or buy her ebook (I receive no commision on the sale). If you think you are well versed in SEO... do yourself a favor and follow along with her class.... to confirm what you've been doing... and to hear if from a different perspective (I expect there are plenty of golden nuggets of info, even for those up on the subject).

http://www.gnc-web-creations.com/class-registration.htm

Now thats smart!
Cindy

Give your website logo a mini-makeover

Whether you paid top dollar to have a logo created, or you created it yourself, you can tweek it a little now and then. Of course, remember to always keep several back up copies of the original!

Use whatever graphics/drawing program you are comfortable with, including Paint(from the Windows Accessories folder).

My logo was created by HP LogoWorks (I got very lucky and got in on a freebie through eBay when Logoworks first got started).

I mostly use a cropped version, seperating the girl from the text, for better flexibility. Ive also cropped it to a square to use as my Avatar on Twitter, Google, and other sites - with and without the text naming my url.

Some changes Ive made to "my girl":
I first added long sleeves, to give her the layered look. This is how I most commonly use her.

I've also....left her in the short sleeves... given her a tank top (Im not thrilled with it, but its not so bad either), and dressed her up for Christmas


..............
For Valentine's Day, I contracted with Gayla from RiverTree Designs to show her dreaming of a horse on her top.

(BTW -- Great tip from Gayla: Always start from a copy of the highest resolution file you have when making new tweeks. Then resize the "new original" to suit your needs)

In all of these iterations, its still clear its the same logo, but it gives a fresh look, and also puts viewers in the seasonal frame of mind.

Remember to use your logos in your site header, in emails to customers, on your printed receipts, on your blog, wherever. Even for a small online sales business, people will begin to become familiar seeing your logo, which will lead to a sense of comfort in choosing to work with you.

I would love to see what you smarties come up with. Please post a link to your before and after logo images!

Have fun!
Cindy
PS - Be Smart - keep several back up copies!

PPS - Yes, you CAN do it, even if you can't draw well. Remember, you are not starting from scratch, you are just making some tweeks! And... most importantly, you have several saved copies of your original. If what you try doesn't work out, just ditch it and start again.

Most Windows PCs will have "Paint" in the "Accessories" folder from the start menu. Go for it!