Jump to content
  • Checkout
  • Login
  • Get in touch

osCommerce

The e-commerce.

Homebusiness and sku development


jewelrytrends

Recommended Posts

Hi,

 

I was wondering what kind of solutions are out there about the following topics?

 

1. What do you put as location and address if you have a homebase business, so no showroom or warehouse. What is the info you place on you website about that, without damaging your credebility?

 

2. What kind of software do you use to create sku# if you don't want to buy right away expensive software or place the vendors# as your sku#

 

--JewelryTrends--

Link to comment
Share on other sites

for SKU#, depends on the product, but many types of products have some kind of universal code to identify them with.

 

The products I sell all have UPC codes, and that is what I use for my sku/model number.

The only thing necessary for evil to flourish is for good men to do nothing

- Edmund Burke

Link to comment
Share on other sites

For my home-based business, I use a PO Box for my business address. I also have a toll-free phone number, so between the two, I think my customers are fairly confident in purchasing from me.

 

I'm not sure if I'd be willing to purchase from a business with only a PO Box and Email address, but the addition of a phone number should do much to ease their fears.

 

HTH,

 

Terry

Terry Kluytmans

 

Contribs Installed: Purchase Without Account (PWA); Big Images, Product Availability, Description in Product Listing, Graphical Infobox, Header Tags Controller, Login Box, Option Type Feature, plus many layout changes & other mods of my own, like:

 

Add order total to checkout_shipment

Add order total to checkout_payment

Add radio buttons at checkout_shipping (for backorder options, etc.)

Duplicate Table Rate Shipping Module

Better Product Review Flow

 

* If at first you don't succeed, find out if there's a prize for the loser. *

Link to comment
Share on other sites

for SKU#, depends on the product, but many types of products have some kind of universal code to identify them with.

 

The products I sell all have UPC codes, and that is what I use for my sku/model number.

 

The problem is that I'm going to sell jewelry , and would like to have sku# that are not the same as my vendor is using, with all the competion that is out there, getting customers will be hard eough without giving the competition a map where they can get the same merchandise.I saw before that this can start like a price war.

 

I've looked around for software, but the prices are so high!!!!!!! So I tried to design my own system but I keep running in to the same problem, which is, the abililty to give unique numbers per item in each categorie. The number is no problem but to keep track of the number already given is giving me a headach.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

For my home-based business, I use a PO Box for my business address. I also have a toll-free phone number, so between the two, I think my customers are fairly confident in purchasing from me.

 

I'm not sure if I'd be willing to purchase from a business with only a PO Box and Email address, but the addition of a phone number should do much to ease their fears.

 

HTH,

 

Terry

 

I understood after reading different post in regards to business address, that customers don't trust PO Box addresses. In de beginning I also thought that was the solution, but after reading the comments on PO Boxes I got a little (much) confused :blink:

 

With the 1-800 doesn't that mean that customers are calling all hours of the day and night!!! How did you solve that? Are you using a service for that?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

With my 800 number I just don't answer it if it's after hours. I also use my home address as my business address, and publish it on my website.

 

As far as SKU numbers, you can just make them up. Use something intuitive. If you're using an accounting system such as QuickBooks, it will only let you use unique numbers - so you don't have to worry about duplicates.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

With my 800 number I just don't answer it if it's after hours.  I also use my home address as my business address, and publish it on my website.

 

As far as SKU numbers, you can just make them up.  Use something intuitive.  If you're using an accounting system such as QuickBooks, it will only let you use unique numbers - so you don't have to worry about duplicates.

 

I'm going to look in to the Quickbook option, maybe this will be a solution.

 

The problem I have with placing my home adress on the website is with the kind of merchandise I will be selling, it would be possible that I will get some "customers" at my front door with no intention to buy :( . I think the PO box option is the only way to go.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

May use a rearrangement of your suppliers number or just just your oscommerce product number. For the phone number you could also try using a VOIP number. They are cheaper than conventional numbers and you can take it off the hook so to speak after hours. The quality is improving slowly and a number of large companies seem to be switching over.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

...

The problem I have with placing my home adress on the website is with the kind of merchandise I will be selling, it would be possible that I will get some "customers" at my front door with no intention to buy :( . I think the PO box option is the only way to go.

 

In the United States, a company called "The UPS Store" (formerly "Mail Boxes, etc") allows you to use a real street address for your store.

It's really a P.O. Box but it looks like a regular address to your customers.

The additional benefit is that they accept deliveries from all package couriers (unlike a regular USPS P.O. Box).

 

I don't use them but there's one right next to my favorite coffee shop. :rolleyes:

 

Robert

Link to comment
Share on other sites

May use a rearrangement of your suppliers number or just just your oscommerce product number. For the phone number you could also try using a VOIP number. They are cheaper than conventional numbers and you can take it off the hook so to speak after hours. The quality is improving slowly and a number of large companies seem to be switching over.

 

VOIP#, another new thing for me :P next to php, etc. etc. I'm going to google this word to see what comes up. It would be a great solution, I'm one of those persons that can not stand to ignore a ringing telephone.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In the United States, a company called "The UPS Store" (formerly "Mail Boxes, etc") allows you to use a real street address for your store.

It's really a P.O. Box but it looks like a regular address to your customers.

The additional benefit is that they accept deliveries from all package couriers (unlike a regular USPS P.O. Box).

 

I don't use them but there's one right next to my favorite coffee shop.  :rolleyes:

 

Robert

 

What gave me away, that I'm not orginally from the US, I mean probable all the gramma mistakes :blush: . I'm from the netherlands, trying to learn the rules and tricks of running a small business in the US. :blink: while keeping up with the php, html, sql (HELP!!!)

 

I didn't know that about The UPS Store, will give them a visit tomorrow, I myself was thinking about a USPS P.O. BOX.

 

I love the way this forum is giving support on all the design and php problems, but I'm missing like a small business section, what would be a nice addition to oscommerce

Link to comment
Share on other sites

VOIP is a great way to go. I have an IP phone and it works great. For $20/month I have unlimited calls throughout the US and Canada, and I can call my suppliers in China for $0.02/min. The quality is good, most of the time it is like being on a regular phone.

 

The other cool thing is that your phone number follows you. You can plug your IP phone in anywhere in the world and when someone calls your number, that phone will ring.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

VOIP is a great way to go.  I have an IP phone and it works great.  For $20/month I have unlimited calls throughout the US and Canada, and I can call my suppliers in China for $0.02/min.  The quality is good, most of the time it is like being on a regular phone.

 

The other cool thing is that your phone number follows you.  You can plug your IP phone in anywhere in the world and when someone calls your number, that phone will ring.

 

I also think it is the way to go, so after the advice of radders I right away start surfing the net. I run in to a website that gave the oppertunity to get a quote from all suppliers available in my area. As I mentioned in one of my earlier posts I'm orginally not from the US, so I before I sign up with any supplier I want to know the in and outs about VOIP.

 

Shortly after I filled in the quote form a potential supplier called me, but after I told him that I first want to know the in and outs about Voip, he ended the conversation.

 

An other lesson learned, how not to run your customer service. :o

 

Which supplier do you use?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We have a "Suite" number. Technically it is a mail box but since it can't be legally called a P.O. Box because it is not provided by the US Postal Service, it is merely a number after the street address. The city I live in will revoke your business license if you use your home address in advertising your home business. Plus our mailbox is in a more upscale are of the region (even though it is around the corner from my house) and the name of that town simply appeals to our customers better than the name of the city I live in. Go figure.

 

We also have a toll-free number.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We have a "Suite" number. Technically it is a mail box but since it can't be legally called a P.O. Box because it is not provided by the US Postal Service, it is merely a number after the street address. The city I live in will revoke your business license if you use your home address in advertising your home business. Plus our mailbox is in a more upscale are of the region (even though it is around the corner from my house) and the name of that town simply appeals to our customers better than the name of the city I live in. Go figure.

 

We also have a toll-free number.

 

 

A neat tip for businesses in the UK working from home where our addresses are of the generic form

 

xx Street Name (where xx is the hoise number)

Town \ City

County

Post Code

 

is to add your favourite, pet, street or any other proper name followed by the word house at the beginning of the address so that it now reads

 

Fav name house

xx Street Name

Town \ City

County

Post Code

 

For instance mine (slightly amended :D ) is

 

Fen House

18 Fen Way

My Town

Suffolk

Post Code xxx

 

This gives your address the appearance of a corporate headquarters.

 

Charles

A kite flies highest AGAINST the wind !

 

"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, a lover in one hand, martini in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming ~ WOO HOO!! What a ride!"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...