| Discussion Forum: Thread 325592 |
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| | | Author: | Calle_P  | | Posted: | Aug 14, 2022 18:18 | | Subject: | Need some advice before opening my store | | Viewed: | 138 times | | Topic: | Selling | |
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| I will soon start the verification to open my Bricklink store this fall.
My goal will be to ship orders the day after I receive payment.
I will of course write in the terms and conditions that I run my store in my
free time alongside my full time work and on occasional occasions I will have
to go away for work in another location for 2-3 days, which extends the processing
time.
Is it enough to write this in the terms or what is appropriate to do when I need
to go away?
* Temporarily close the store so no orders come in while I'm gone?
* Write a message on the stores start page so hopefully customers see this before
they place an order so they are aware that the processing time will be slightly
longer than normal?
* Send a message to the customers who place orders while I'm away that the
processing time will be slightly longer than normal?
Thanks in advance
/ Mikael
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| | | | | Author: | CCBricks | | Posted: | Aug 14, 2022 18:58 | | Subject: | Re: Need some advice before opening my store | | Viewed: | 45 times | | Topic: | Selling | |
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| Hello there!
I would opt to close the store if you are going to be gone for a period greater
than 24 to 48 hours. If I'm going to be gone for more than two days, I close
it (vacation, sick etc). I do have a note on my Terms page that states most
orders will take up to 48 hours to process (ie: time of day received; size of
order etc).
If you know you will be gone, closing the store is your safest bet. If you have
to leave for work with orders open, process what you can prior to leaving, but
email the buyers and let them know the order will be delayed "x" days until you
get back. Putting a note on your terms page disclosing work and the need to leave
is helpful. It may deter buyers as they won't know when they will receive
their order.
Just my two cents and personal process.. I would wait and see what other sellers
will offer and suggest. Learn from our mistakes 😉
Brian
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Is it enough to write this in the terms or what is appropriate to do when I need
to go away?
* Temporarily close the store so no orders come in while I'm gone?
* Write a message on the stores start page so hopefully customers see this before
they place an order so they are aware that the processing time will be slightly
longer than normal?
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| | | | | Author: | calebfishn | | Posted: | Aug 14, 2022 22:59 | | Subject: | Re: Need some advice before opening my store | | Viewed: | 41 times | | Topic: | Selling | |
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| In Selling, Calle_P writes:
| | I will soon start the verification to open my Bricklink store this fall.
My goal will be to ship orders the day after I receive payment.
I will of course write in the terms and conditions that I run my store in my
free time alongside my full time work and on occasional occasions I will have
to go away for work in another location for 2-3 days, which extends the processing
time.
Is it enough to write this in the terms or what is appropriate to do when I need
to go away?
* Temporarily close the store so no orders come in while I'm gone?
* Write a message on the stores start page so hopefully customers see this before
they place an order so they are aware that the processing time will be slightly
longer than normal?
* Send a message to the customers who place orders while I'm away that the
processing time will be slightly longer than normal?
Thanks in advance
/ Mikael
|
I'm sorry to say, that most buyers will not read your terms or your start
page before ordering, and those that do will not be terribly interested in, or
care about your real life exigencies.
The most practical, and safest thing you can do is close your store if you are
going to away. That can include an explanation of when your store will re-open,
and it can include a password for people who are willing to wait an extra day
or two for an invoice.
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| | | | | Author: | yorbrick | | Posted: | Aug 15, 2022 01:26 | | Subject: | Re: Need some advice before opening my store | | Viewed: | 32 times | | Topic: | Selling | |
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| In Selling, Calle_P writes:
| | I will soon start the verification to open my Bricklink store this fall.
My goal will be to ship orders the day after I receive payment.
I will of course write in the terms and conditions that I run my store in my
free time alongside my full time work and on occasional occasions I will have
to go away for work in another location for 2-3 days, which extends the processing
time.
Is it enough to write this in the terms or what is appropriate to do when I need
to go away?
* Temporarily close the store so no orders come in while I'm gone?
* Write a message on the stores start page so hopefully customers see this before
they place an order so they are aware that the processing time will be slightly
longer than normal?
* Send a message to the customers who place orders while I'm away that the
processing time will be slightly longer than normal?
Thanks in advance
/ Mikael
|
I would put that you aim to post orders within 3-4 days. It won't make a
huge difference to many buyers. Some won't read the terms, many won't
care so long as it is days not weeks. And the orders you get out in 1-2 days
will be nice surprises for buyers - if they notice, that is.
The only orders you will miss are the ones where buyers want very fast turn around,
which are relatively rare and often best avoided unless you want to keep closing
your store every time you are away.
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| | | | | Author: | uvt203 | | Posted: | Aug 15, 2022 01:48 | | Subject: | Re: Need some advice before opening my store | | Viewed: | 51 times | | Topic: | Selling | |
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| In Selling, Calle_P writes:
| | I will soon start the verification to open my Bricklink store this fall.
My goal will be to ship orders the day after I receive payment.
I will of course write in the terms and conditions that I run my store in my
free time alongside my full time work and on occasional occasions I will have
to go away for work in another location for 2-3 days, which extends the processing
time.
Is it enough to write this in the terms or what is appropriate to do when I need
to go away?
* Temporarily close the store so no orders come in while I'm gone?
* Write a message on the stores start page so hopefully customers see this before
they place an order so they are aware that the processing time will be slightly
longer than normal?
* Send a message to the customers who place orders while I'm away that the
processing time will be slightly longer than normal?
Thanks in advance
/ Mikael
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For my shop I have a goal to pack and send invoice within 24 hours of orders
placed. Orders are shipped the first working day after payment is received. I
am retired so it's not a problem for me with 'whole job' conflicting.
However I sometimes go to small vacations of 2-4 days duration. During those
I keep my store open - but I put up a banner to notify buyers that orders can
not be processed before a given date. Plus I send a message to buyers that I
am away from my shop and when they can expect an invoice. That has never given
me problems.
For longer vacations I close my store and put a password in the store closed
text to give buyers an option to place orders if they want to place orders anyway.
You'll find the how to make banners under store settings/display.
Good luck with your new store.
Tjenara
/Asger
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| | | | | Author: | legoman77 | | Posted: | Aug 15, 2022 11:00 | | Subject: | Re: Need some advice before opening my store | | Viewed: | 51 times | | Topic: | Selling | |
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| In Selling, Calle_P writes:
| | I will soon start the verification to open my Bricklink store this fall.
My goal will be to ship orders the day after I receive payment.
I will of course write in the terms and conditions that I run my store in my
free time alongside my full time work and on occasional occasions I will have
to go away for work in another location for 2-3 days, which extends the processing
time.
Is it enough to write this in the terms or what is appropriate to do when I need
to go away?
* Temporarily close the store so no orders come in while I'm gone?
* Write a message on the stores start page so hopefully customers see this before
they place an order so they are aware that the processing time will be slightly
longer than normal?
* Send a message to the customers who place orders while I'm away that the
processing time will be slightly longer than normal?
Thanks in advance
/ Mikael
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If you have all items listed it is easier. I would wake up, pack all orders
first thing invoice them, get the paid ones ready to ship, and go to the post
office after that making sure I did go before they closed. When I started selling
I would then list and answer question after all the work was done with invoicing
and shipping. For sets I would take pictures, never using a stock photo.
I was getting anywhere from 5 thousand to seven thousand dollars a day for almost
3 months. There were days I went to the post office twice. If you look at my
feedback there were hundreds of comments praising my shipping time. Next was
good packing followed followed by good customer service.
It takes discipline but and I acknowledge I was retired and worked up to 16 hours
a day. If I went anywhere I would close the store, noting the reasons. I would
publish the code to get in when the store was closed with a note of when I will
open it and nothing will be shipped that day. Since a good percentage of my
sets were very collectable or never were on bricklink before I sold a lot when
I was gone. I also had a minimum order, first at $100, down to $25 later, then
$5 for the rest of the time. If anyone wanted somethings under the minimum I
would always allow it. If it was a piece or two I would just send it to the
buyer, not charge them. "Customer service" and those people came back buying
larger orders.
So the volume sort of offset that I was retired. It was constant selling for
the first month.
That was how I did it and it took over 2 years to sell all (8200+ sets and 820,000+
elements, some rather rare.) When I started to load my minifigures buyers were
on line and I would list one and it would sell while I listed the another. I
had to combine orders, some of which were 30 separate orders.
Hope this helps a bit.
John P
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| | | | | Author: | Sadler_Bricks | | Posted: | Aug 17, 2022 06:02 | | Subject: | Re: Need some advice before opening my store | | Viewed: | 37 times | | Topic: | Selling | |
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| Keeping it simple and or complicated regardless as long as you give a heads up
is always a plus. Wishing you much success.
Sadler_bricks
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Sweden, Kalmar
USA, Florida
Canada, Ontario
United Kingdom, England
Denmark
