Google Suggest Tool - Use to Help Your Traffic!

Google has a tool that could very help for both your store, and your blog in giving you words and phrases that people are searching for!

'Google Suggest Tool' helps you with keywords or key phrases that people USE to find information!

Here is an item in my store: Spring/Fall Zero Posur girls Jacket with 4 Velcro Pockets 6X

I used the brand name, and nothing really came up! So I went for the type of jacket I'm selling.




Do you see how the 'google suggest url' is giving me ideas on phrases to use for my store ad? Use this to have 'google suggest keyword' for you, or of course 'google suggest keywords' for you!

blogging, ecrater, Google suggest keyword, google suggest keywords, Google Suggest Tool, Google Suggest Url, keywords, online store, search engines, Web Traffic

Boycotting Ebay?

Ebay is at it again, and this time it may be a bit more serious. I'm sure they feel it will just blow over, but you have to kind of wonder. I know a number of people that are partcipating in the boycotting of Ebay, and places like Ecrater are seeing more stores opening everyday!

Diary of a Broken Vessel has a very opinion about what is happening.

The fact that paypal wants to hold onto your money for 21 days is a another huge source of hurt! Can you imagine shipping something out, and having to wait 21 days to see if you get paid?



I'm glad I sold some items earlier, because it sure looks like you aren't going to be making any money there anymore.

USPS rates effecting EVERYTHING! How to understand them.

The first couple of days I read the USPS site for information on the postage. Some of my items that I sell I do use USPS, and I was really gritting my teeth to find out HOW much more it was going to cost! The USPS site was confusing more than helpful to me personally.

Once again I did my search on the Internet to see if I could find some information that was a bit clearer as to all these changes. I knew they were going to base some of the items off size, weight and zone. I HOPE this means more effective service! I know for our area delivery can be terrible at times! We have gone months having our mail lost, delivered wrong, etc. Never received bills, bank statements and the rest! Okay. Okay. We won't go there!

We will start with the first class strategy to see if this makes any sense to everyone!
First off GONE are the days of the flat 2 oz mailing with the price being the same, and size didn’t matter. There are size considerations now. You have three categories to choose from: Letter, Flat and Parcel.



We will use the above as our example!

The weight limit for a letter is now 3.5 oz, and if you above that you need to check the two other options to see WHICH is better to suit your needs! Size is also a consideration for price also!



You have three price structures based on size more than weight. You take that 2 oz package, and depending on HOW you mail it could affect the postage paid to get there!
If you place anything bulky inside your standard envelope now chances are good it will get damaged! The standard envelope is basically for letter type correspondence ONLY! If you need to send something within the envelope you are better off sending it as a FLAT! They are placing them in a machine, and if you have anything in there it would rip open the envelope - could lose your item - or your recipient could get their correspondence in a little plastic bag called "Damaged during processing". This could be even something small like a luggage tag or pen!
Non-machine able isn’t what I thought it was! At first I felt they mean if it had the zip plus 4 and the fancy bar codes, etc that a printer can do when you print your postage online for example. I guess it means anything you can’t place in that processing machine is what is concerned non-machine able. In other words, the example above with the luggage tag or pen inside your envelope? You need to send that flat at the non-machince able price. They can’t place that in their machines! That includes envelopes that have clasps, strings, buttons, etc. Anything that can get stuck in the machine is what I have understood.
The maximum weight for a letter is now 3.5 ounces, and anything above that is considered a flat! Also anything bigger than a standard size envelope (like the #10 envelope) is considered a flat! Thickness is also a factor! If the envelope is over ¼” in height it will be considered a flat as well!

See the below picture for a visual and additional notes!



As you have read the flexiability of a flat is ALSO a factor! See the picture below for a visual as to what that means. If you ship something rigid, and it refuses to bend you will be charged MORE to ship your item!



Priority mail of course still has their boxes available at the flat rate and regular rate! I guess you could say there is a up side to this part!

The flat rate envelopes are $4.60 with a maximum weight of 70 lbs, and you can get free delivery confirmation IF you print your postage online! This price covers within the domestic United states.

They can also be used for international shipping now as well! You are limited to 4 lbs at this point!

Domestic Priority Mail Flat Rate Envelope can be used for international shipping:
— One rate to Canada and Mexico
• $9.00
— One rate to all other countries
• $11.00
— 4 pound maximum
• The dimensions of the envelope are 12 1/2" X 9 1/2".
• The contents of the flat rate envelope must be confined within the envelope, using the flap adhesive as the primary means of closure.
• The flap must close easily, adhere to the envelope and be secured with tape if desired.
• The design and shape of the envelope may not be altered or enlarged in any way to fit the contents.



What about the flat boxes? They have two sizes, and up to 70 lbs within the domestic United States. The price from what I have read is $8.95. I would check with the post office for the weight restrictions for outside the United States, because I couldn’t find it online!

• Domestic Priority Mail Flat Rate Boxes can be used for international shipping:
— One rate to Canada and Mexico
• $23.00
— One rate to all other countries
• $37.00
— 20 pound maximum
• The inside dimensions for the two boxes available are 11" x 8.5" x 5.5" and 13.625" x 11.875" x 3.375".
• The contents of the flat rate box must be neatly contained inside of the box with adhesive packaging tape.
• The box must close securely and retain its shape when taped with adhesive.
• The shape of the box may not be changed or enlarged to fit its contents.

Extra services such as Delivery Confirmation™, Signature Confirmation®, and Insurance are available to use with Priority Mail Flat-Rate Envelopes and Boxes.

Well that is as far as I have got in understanding the new postal system! I hope this helps others! I’m sure I will visit this again as I learn more! This is just the basics from what I understand!

Link to USPS Rate chart online!

Paul Harris Womens Design PHD Classic Design Vest Dress - Sz L or Large



Paul Harris Womens Design Vest Dress - Size L

I included a scan of the fabric so you can see it up close.

Details and Condition:
65% Polyester, 35% Rayon, 100% Nylon (black) Lining - Dry Clean Only

This Paul Harris Vest Dress is very pretty classic design, and would be an awesome addition for your wardrobe!

Garment laying down flat - Measurements are approx.
Armpit seam to hem 25"
Bust 40
Waist 40
Hips 42

blogging, small business, usps, home based business, shipping, domestic abuse, domestic violence, online store,

Ways to gain some exposure! Just what your website needs...

Networking is what it is called on the offline world, but socializing (is one word for it) I guess is what is it called ONLINE! When you write content for your ads or for your store, etc you have to be business like. You have to make sure this attracts those unknown people that are surfing along, and plugging in those phrases in the search engines. ATTRACT that website attention with all your might!

Forums are a good place to start, learn and contribute! Its also a place you get let your hair down a bit!! Myself, personally I like to have a mix of people when I go to a board to learn and to add my own comments from expereince. Grab some forums and get involved! I know from my chamber experience there are those that join, and then do NOTHING! They expect the business to start just rolling in because they paid their dues. Its funny how you hear how people just don't have time to get involved! Chambers hands you plenty of fun things to help out with, and during that time you again NETWORK! I'm not sure what these people think will be asked of them, but it sure isn't blood for goodness sakes! I have children, home and a business offline and I still find time to make sure things that are important are accomplished! At times YES I'm burning the candle at both ends, but you have to look at what the reward is at the end! I just love those that think if they place an ad, or join a club, and they just sit back and WAIT for the dollars to roll in! Let me tell you something......for the most part it AIN'T going to happen! That is just part of the mix! There is WORK involved, but you can still have FUN! Find some forums, and have FUN with it......and NETWORK!

Make sure you have business cards for your online business! Make you you promote it offline as well as ONLINE! If it is just a blog - NO PROBLEM! You can't tell me others aren't interested in your subject matter right? Business cards are harder to lose than just, "Here let me write down the blog address for you!" Besides that you want a presense right? A small investment in business cards, or business card magnets can really help you out! Alot of my clients love PENS, and yes they do have their place! As a primary promotional tool? I guess that would depend on the type of pen! The cheap ones? They get thrown in drawer with the rest of the pens....GREAT for you advertising dollars huh? Postem notes are good as well! Think about it! Not only is your name in front of people, but when they use those notes - your name travels! If you make your money off the ads, or whatever you still want to get people to the site right? Promoting it can be inexpensive as far as business cards, etc but let me tell you - they do pay OFF!

You ever go to a store and they have those bulletin boards where the local painters, contractors, babysitters post there stuff? With you with your PROMOTIONAL mind you CAN come up with something to build more traffic to your site! How about all those ads "Make Money Online" if that is your gift to show to people! Awesome gift baskets for any occasion! Even mention your expertise about adsense! The traffic isn't JUST on the internet! Let your creative juices FLOW! Pings, submit to search engines, forums, commenting on others sites, etc - those are ALL awesome ideas! Don't forget about your offline world! That is ALL I'm saying!

Here is another article about getting involved, and how it helped!

Can you develop your blog with MyBlogLog? Don't forget you may not fit in all places, but the internet is endless! Find places you do, and get to the networking! It will do you good!

4 Color Business Card Magnets On Special NOW! Qty 500!





Free 4 Color Process
Free Setup
No Artwork Charges
Free Copy Changes

PLEASE NOTE THIS IS A LIMITED TIME OFFER UNTIL MAGNETIC STOCK IS TAKEN OFF SALE. WE CAN'T BE SURE WHEN PRICESS WILL CHANGE. WE WILL HONOR ALL ORDERS IN HOUSE AT THE TIME OF THIS CHANGE! SO DO IT NOW!!!!!

20 Mil is the Thickness and the size is 2” x 3.5” Quanity is 500. Cheap price for every shipment, sales order, etc that goes out! Magnets stick around also!

Price includes a 4 color process imprint on a white surface. The process allows you to print as many different colors as you want for one price. All PMS Colors will be converted to the closest process match. A perfect match cannot be guaranteed.

We will help as much as possible with your artwork. We will also send you one FREE proof right before production! This will be supplied online.

We so have some stock backgrounds if you prefer to use that. I have added some examples to the gallery above. Send me a note with your theme, or idea of what you might use to use and I will send back some examples. I will also do general typesetting for you.

Full Bleeds are available and your text should remain within 1 7/8” x 3/8”

Typically after artwork is finally approved and submitted production time is about 5 working days, and we have found that our customers typically get their product within 2 days after shipping.

If you prefer a thicker magnet 30 mil is also available at .22 per magnet instead of .19.

Below is for people that prefer to do their own artwork.

DIGITAL ART
The highest quality art is VECTOR ART. It is resolution independent . This means that it can be enlarged without affecting the quality of your imprint.

RASTER ART (Placed/continuous tone images)
Raster Art is resolution dependent. When you change the size of an imprint, you change the quality. This means that the resolution (dpi or ppi) of your file is critical. Files must be at least 600dpi. Grayscale and Bitmaps must be 1200 dpi at 100% of final size. Do not submit files w/linked images. Please mebed all graphics.

FONTS
Convert your text into "curves" or "outlines" before e-mailing your art.

TYPESETTING
We can add text to your imprint at no additional charge. We have a variety of popular fonts, just pick your favorite from the list on above. Then send a typewritten version of the text, and specify typeface, point sizes and case.

Artwork Standards
In order to give you the highest quality imprint, we have developed some artwork guidelines, which include minimum line weights. All copy should be 6 points or larger. Lines should be no thinner than .5 pt. We will redraw halftones and screens, filling them in or outlining them, and reset copy when necessary. BIC reserves the right to modify your art if it does not meet these quality standards.

We do have templates, and details instructions also…..just ask!

search engines, web traffic, keyword, keywords, home based business, blogging, small business, blog, online store, marketing strategies, website promotion, traffic, ranking, website popularity, popularity, business card magnets

Items you learn from blogging!

• I'm going to pass on a good article I found on this subject, but I have learned better writing skills for one!


• I also learned that I don't always agree with very STRONG opinionated people on subjects, and I can back myself up (he he most of the of time!).


• I have learned alot about website traffic, how the internet works, and how to play with items to see what draws in the traffic!


• I also learned that the internet can be a very fun and educational place!

I really liked this article! 10 things I learnt from Blogging

The content item at the end of her article I didn't know! I guess we learn from other's blogging also!

Charlotte Russe Beads Women Juniors Hippie Floral Tank



Charlotte Russe Beads Women Juniors Hippie Floral Tank

Type: Casual Size Type: Misses
Sleeve Length: Tank, Sleeveless Size: S
Condition: Gently Used
Charlotte Russe Beaded Floral Hippie Summer Top Size Small
Details and Condition:
73% Polyester, 20% Nylon, 4% Metallic, 3% Spandex - Dry Clean

This Charlotte Russe Summer Top is very PRETTY, and would be an awesome addition for your summer wardrobe! Please see the pictures for closeup of the material design - its classic! You will be the envy of all your friends wearing this one! There are bead strings hanging from the back of this top. Most are in great shape, but a couple are loose. They can be repaired with ease!

Garment Laying down flat - Measurements are approx.

Armpit seam to hem 12"

Bust 26- 27 with some stretch

Bottom 26 with some stretch

search engines, website promotion, online store, blogging, small business, home based business

search engines, website promotion, online store, small business, home based business

Tons of hits in 30 days!

You get 5 tips to try, and watch the traffic flow!

5 tips to 600000 hits in three weeks

One of his tips I use for my offline business, and that is keep a pen and paper handy at ALL TIMES! You just never know when that next brain storm is coming, and while it is fresh in your mind......WRITE IT DOWN! I have learned you don't even have to be all that detailed to get those creative juices flowing once you have some breathing space to think! I guess I have been using my OWN keywords for years! LOL! The article suggests to do this for your own content for blog or site - which is VERY good advice! I have found even new business ideas that seem so simple, but yet go right out of your head.....unless you write it down! GOOD practice!

From what you have read here, and I'm sure other places is NETWORK NETWORK NETWORK!

One important comment because my kids need this Nintendo DS Lite, and MOM (more importantly) needs her sanity at times! YES I have to add the post dripping with sarcasm and pure manipulation! LOL! Seriously visit the blog and give it a some link love! You will LOVE the content!

Why? (see below)

Bob over at BobmeetsWorld.com is giving away a free Nintendo DS Lite with a few games because it's his birthday in May. While you're there, check out some great posts about generating traffic and getting more rss subscribers. And don't forget to wish him a happy birthday! He is turning 30! What an awesome age! We will have to see what he offers up for the next landmark......40!

He is also offering you some great opportunities to become active in his forum about blogging! Not only can you gain some knowledge, have fun, but you also following what the offline world calls NETWORKING! LOL the online word...I might need the geek squad to help me that networking part! Follow the fun and education at Bob Meets World Forums!

Now for some HUMOR! We all need that! ATTACK OF THE TURTLE!



Cheerleader Cheerleading Shield Award Resin Trophy Gift Pewter with Gold Accents



Cheerleader Cheerleading Shield Legend can hang on wall, or use the desk stand – see picture
These are approx 8.5” x 8”, and we will send you engraved plate

The highly detailed sports figures are handsomely framed in a shield shaped pewter and gold plaque with a colored sport icon at the top of the shield. Something new besides the traditional awards we may have received in the past. I always get comments of PRAISE from these types of products!

You have a group that you need to buy for? NO PROBLEM...we can do groups for you as well! Please let us know the number you need, and we will arrange to get your what you would like for your engraving.

Product is normally shipped out within 2 business days if not sooner AFTER payment has cleared!

We will do combined shipping, and you can order different items as well. For orders of 2+ please contact us for a shipping quote!

search engine, directories, small business, blogging. home based business, keyword, keywords, articles noted, traffic, web traffic, website popularity, keyword, keywords, wordpress, online store, ranking, marketing strategies, website promotion, popularity, bob meets world

9 Ways to WRITE those "KILLER" Headlines!

Blogging seems to be growing more competitive everyday, and one way you can truly help yourself is with KILLER HEADLINES!

I have to admit some people have this gift, and another thing I have to admit is I have my days when I do VERY well and others .... LOL...BOMB! I have to say in the past one of the items I seem to come up with for my clients is a tag line for some of the products they seem to really LIKE! I have to admit at times I do get carried away with the graphics! I did a custom fly swatter once for a real estate agent. I placed their logo, and contact information on there of course! I also added the tag line, "Don't let buying and selling your home BUG you!" and then placed little FLIES (graphics) all over the handle! LOL It was cute, and was very successful for the client! That helps with repeat orders doesn't it?

I guess for me I have to TURN those taglines into HEADLINES! I'm talking the title you use for your blog entries in case your lost here! I don't know about you, but at times some of the those dramatic headlines never got me to their sites! MAKE 10,000 Dollars IN ONE WEEK! LOL Yeah right! You do need to dress it up a bit! It kind of reminds of when you are standing in line at the grocery store, and see those headlines on those gossips rags! I have to be honest I have never bought any of them, but they sure to entertain me when waiting in line! At times I have picked them up and read on - LOL Only to put them back! They are GREAT examples of KILLER headlines, but content?? Sorry but they pretty lost me there! I'm sure they get the buyers JUST from the headlines at time!

I have been doing some reading online, and some things seem to keep popping up with speaking about this. I will reference a very quick read at the end!

1) "How To" insert your goal for the reader! Don't forget to mention a reason as to WHY the reader would wish to "HOW TO" is the catch! Remember 'self interest' here okay! Most people are searching for something to make their lifes more enjoyable! Think about it! Ever see an ad: How to FEEL great while you LOSE weight!" Lose Weight...bleck....icky yucky part but necessary! I can still feel great about that huh? THEY get them, because you see that ad all the time!

2) HOW I ads are good catches also! Think about it - how many times have you see headlines that talk about RAGS to RICHES in one way or another right? "How I made 10,000 in one week!" ...LOL now I wouldn't go to that ad, but you get the point!

3) THE SECRET OF......everyone loves a good secret! Everyone has experienced this at one time or another in their lifes! Little shortcuts if you will to make things go along just a bit smoother than most people! Why wouldn't you want that right?

4) QUICK WAY to do something! Again those shortcuts could be it, or if you have something bigger AWESOME! Your readers will LOVE IT!

5) LIST POSTS are good as well! Every seen those ads about 11 steps you can take towards success? You have seen that or something similiar!

6) FUNNY headlines or sayings that you just heard that may not be so popular all over the world but they SPEAK for themselves! Your article doesn't have to be FUNNY, but your sarcasm or wit could draw them in!

7) Remember your SEO in your headlines! Get our your keyword tool and USE those terms in your headlines! Those search engines will LOVE every minute of it!

8) Remember your font styles! At times when you right your headline with proper sentence structure you may not get the response you are looking for! Remember CAPS at times, Itatics, COLOR...Remember you are looking for STANDING OUT here right?!

9) Make sure the headline RELATES to the article! Nothing is MORE annoying than clicking on that title, and the article has next to NOTHING to offer when it comes to content! I mean we are looking for regular readers here right? OF COURSE! Kind of reminds me of this SERIOUS 'Garage Sale" sign my son BEGGED me to follow today, and we did but the person I guess 'assumed' we knew the neighborhood! It must have been a couple of blocks over from their 'entrance' sign, because we never FOUND IT! Pet peave of mine in both articles AND garage sales! LOL!

Remember the reader is thinking about "What do you have to benefit ME!" For myself, I have to learn to turn those taglines into something GOOD!

Successful Advertising: Using Headlines To Capture Attention

Heart Moon Star Sheer Hippie Top with silk Tie Size S or Small



Heart Moon Star Sheer Hippie Top with silk Tie Size S

Type: Casual Size Type: Misses
Sleeve Length: 3/4 Sleeve Size: S
Condition: Gently Used

Heart Moon Star Hippie Top Size Small
Details and Condition:
100% Silk - Dry Clean

This Heart Moon Star Summer Top is very PRETTY, and would be an awesome addition for your summer wardrobe! It has the satin front and ties in back to extra fit. You will be the envy of all your friends wearing this one!

Garment Laying down flat - Measurements are approx.

Armpit seam to hem 14"

Bust 28 with extra some stretch

Bottom 36+ its FLARED
headlinesblogginghome based businesskeywordMarketing Strategiesonline storepopularityrankingsmall businessweb trafficwebsite popularitywebsite promotion

Meta Tag Analyzer Tools

When you start your store, site, blog the robots are looking for certain words, terms, phases to bring you some traffic! At times you really have to play with these to get some decent works areas! The Meta Tag Analyzer Tool can help you with this process.

You play with the meta tags SO often at times you forget what combinations you used first, second, third and so on! What I do is take out my notepad on the computer. Cut and paste what I started with. Then cut and paste every combination I come up with after that, until I get to the point you like what you see as far as the meta analyzer score goes! If you get really stuck look for a competitors site that is successful, and place their site in the Meta tag Analyzer tool I will link to today! It will give you some clues as to what things you may wish to change a little, and what you need to add or delete! For myself I can use another site that sells clothes, but remember I sell mostly gently used clothes so "New with Tags" for example wouldn't be something I would use for a meta tag! "Gently Used" might be a better word for me! They may sell more of a different brand than I do! I need to pay attention to WHAT brands I have on the site as well!

Remember how you word your products within the site as well! It will not do any good for me to place "Womens Dress" in a keyword if my descriptions all say just "Dress" for example! I found the little details like this can really help bring up your numbers! I changed two items to a phrase like this, and I JUMPED in my percentage of acceptance!

Don't get to frustrated at first when you first use this tool, and find out WOW I thought I did GOOD! We are using our HUMAN brains, and are NOT a machine like the internet! Anyway, I found it as a COOL Meta Tag Analyzer Tool to help make sure we have the right terms that the search engines like! At first you will spend TONS of time it seems just to get it right! Just remember to make sure you use the same terms over and over again within your description also ! For example lets take LEVI, or LEVIS, LEVI'S, LEVI STRAUSS as a combination! Try to use ONE and not all! Trying to find a good keyword tool to find what 'levi' combination is best is also a good place to start with some of these! I even found that adding just the word - levi "JEANS" instead of just LEVI made a different! Play with it and have FUN! Look for the overture keyword tool I have linked to on my sidebar!

Meta Tag Analyzer Tool Is something you will use again and again!


Cheerleading Cheerleader Gold Silver Resin figure Status Trophy Award



All Figures have antique silver with gold highlights, and are individually packaged.

Size is appox 6"

With this charming design you have the weight of resin material, and you can see the details of the figures. Something new besides the traditional awards we may have received in the past. I always get comments of PRAISE from these types of products!

They are Individually boxed and we will send you an engraved plate for it.

You have a group that you need to buy for? NO PROBLEM.....we can do groups for you as well! Please let us know the number you need, and we will arrange to get your what you would like for your engraving.



ecrater, online store, small business, home based business, blogging, HTML, search engines, search engine, keywords, keyword, Meta Description, Meta, Meta Tags

Meta Description Tags

I am going to start on the basics that I have found for Meta Descriptions tags first. I will go into more detail later. You have to understand the basics (at least for me!) first, before you learn how to use them! I have to say this was MORE than confusing for me at first, but I have enjoyed learning about them in time!

Here is a video that speaks about META Description tags in a very general form. It will help you understand some of the basics, and we will go on from there!

One thing I learned about posting youtube videos on wordpress is - what a pain in the BUTT first of all! Then I found the help file - at least for me wasn't all that helpful! What I gathered from reading alot from others having the same issue is:

• Look for your "CODE" section of your posting. If you look up top where you are writing in your blog they have "visual" and "code" tabs. See the code part to include your video!


• Another thing that wasn't all that clearly mentioned was adding "youtube=" and then your link. Of course the use of the [] also.


• You see this portion over to the right hand side of youtube video, OR next to all the videos that allow you to link to them. You are concerned with the "URL" code. Copy that first!


• Go into the "CODE" section and type "[" then type "youtube=" then paste the link you copied. Then end it with the opposite bracket "]" You are basically closing it in!


• For me I have figured out DON'T look at the window you are typing in for the preview - look at the preview section below to make sure it worked! LOL That is AFTER you 'save and continue editing".


• I have also heard to clear your temp files to help it load.

Anyway - ON WITH THE SHOW! Learn more about Meta Description tags...and we will drive more deeply later!


Lot 12 VHS Tapes Barney, Spot, Clifford and others!



Barney, Clifford, Berenstain Bears, Spot, Richard Scarry, Baby Songs (12)

For Clifford:
Fun with Numbers - no Original Jacket
Fun with Letters with Jacket

For Barney:
Barney in Concert
Barney Best Manners (With Jacket)
Rock with Barney
A Splash Party, Please!

Baby Songs with Hap Palmer
Volume One
More Baby Songs (with Jacket)
Even More Baby Songs (with Jacket)

Spot Goes to School

The Berestain Bears and the TRUTH plus Save the Bees

Richard Scarry’s Best Busy People Plus Silly Stories and songs Video EVER!

The Jacket that came with it states: Best Learning Songs Ever!

My children enjoyed this tapes for years, but they have now informed me they are to “old” for them! I placed all the videos in our VCR, and they all do work. Some of the jackets are missed - noted above. If you have Preschool children they aren’t going to care about the covers just the stories!
wordpress, wordpress tips, online store, small business, home based business, blogging, HTML, search engines, search engine, keywords, keyword, Meta Description, Meta, Meta Tags

Google Base Attributes

When I started to read about attributes I had NO idea what the heck they were talking about! As I dug digger I found they are basically facts about the product you are selling! Size, Color, Model Number, Measurements, etc. are part of the list! Its actually a pretty cool idea I would think! If you are hard to fit, and you KNOW what sleeve length you need for example you can search for shirts that FIT instead of going into all these ads that don't apply!

I found two articles that go into more detail!

Google Base Attributes Redefine Online Shopping and Google's Froogle (Google Base Uploads) To Require Specific Fields

Here is google page of requirements worth noting! GOOGLE

Golf Trophy Resin Statue Full Color Award



Midnight Wreath Resin Trophy Award or Gift

Size is appox 6"
Plate area is approx. 1-3/8 x 3-1/4"
Second picture is the packaging it comes shipped in.

With this charming design you have the weight of resin material, and full color and almost a 3-day effect for this very inexpensive award! Something new besides the traditional awards we may have received in the past. I always get comments of PRAISE from these types of products!

They are Individually boxed and we will send you an engraved plate for it.

You have a group that you need to buy for? NO PROBLEM.....we can do groups for you as well! Please let us know the number you need, and we will arrange to get your what you would like for your engraving.
online store, small business, home based business, blogging, search engines, search engine, googlebase, attributes, golf, google,

Quick Tip for Product Title Description

Some people now use UPC codes, ISBN Numbers, RN numbers, etc in their searching. If you have products that those are available make sure you include those! It was also mentioned that in google base type as much as you can with 54 characters as you can in the title. The Codes, numbers above is critcal! For example if you are selling a Fax Machine, Printer, telephone - whatever ... Make sure you include the model number, etc in your title! In the description portion you can go into MORE detail, but the title needs to have some in it to grab your readers attention!

Interest Video online about this!

Goodbye Froogle ... Hello Google Product Search!

Google recently decided that they are doing away with Froogle, and making a product search instead. On Wordpress I found this quick note about it Farewell Froogle. I followed one of the links to the main google blog and read an article called Back to Basics.

Now one of the selling points to Ecrater was that they automatically submitting the stores within Ecrater to Froogle. I also have got the impression that you may get higher rating within the new product search if you offer the google checkout option. On Ecrater community board it had been mentioned that placing your items into the google base would also help your chances of success. More exciting also they mentioned that MSN is now picking up ecrater store items which helps the store owners.

MSN Product Upload

Google Base

If you have alot of product this could be very time consuming. I will be checking out both options, and since I have NEVER done anything like this before it should be interesting to see how easy or hard it is and I will post about that also!

On my faith side I found some videos last night on youtube, and I have to admit I am a bit of a history nut! I found a program: National Geographic The Secret Bible Jesus Rivals. These history items are just very interesting to me. If speaking about rival Gods, and competition to Jesus bothers you greatly I wouldn't watch these. From a history standpoint I found it interesting. I wanted to share!!

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

Final Part They were all very interesting!

Well I'm off to check out google base and MSN to see what I can learn!

Goofy Comic Golfer Bandit Trophy Award Gift



approx 7" with engraved plateThey are Individually boxed and we will send you an engraved plate for it.You have a group that you need to buy for? NO PROBLEM.....we can do groups for you as well! Please let us know the number you need, and we will arrange to get your what you would like for your engraving.Product is normally shipped out within 2 business days if not sooner AFTER payment has cleared!We will do combined shipping, and you can order different items as well. We also have Qty discounts for larger orders - please inquire.

What about Directories?

Was an interesting article about directories! If you look towards the bottom of our blog you will see a section called 'Recipital Links", and I have a number of blog directories listed there. For now I have decided I will go with some free directories until I learn a little more about them. I realize some you have to pay for, and as I learn a bit more about them I may use those as well!

There are number of places that will show you links to directories. Follow the advice in the above article, and pick out which ones will work for you! Its a great way of driving traffic to your blog, and then you STORE for more sales! Keep in mind there are directories for different areas. You have directories for those that write ebooks, gardening, SEO, etc. If you do a search I bet you will find directories around your interest, and in the end THIS is who you are targeting and will benefit you the most!

LIST that found during a search on the internet!

I did a tag search on wordpress, and here are some good examples of different types of directories:

Geared Towards India

Geared Towards Science

Geared Towards Business Services

Geared Towards Ebooks

Geared Towards SEO

Geared Towards Gardening

Jalate Summer Dress Embroidery Size 13 SO NICE!



Jalate Denim Wear Dress Size 13
Details and Condition:
100% Cotton

This Jalate dress is very CUTE, and would be an awesome addition for this upcoming summer! Please see the pictures for closeups on the stitching. Snap Buttons.

Garment Laying down flat - Measurements are approx.

Armpit seam to hem 25.5 - 26"

Bust 38-40

Waist 33

Hips 36

From the center of neckline in the back to hem 33

Front neckline to hem 28

Expanding On Keywords

The more I search about keywords the more deep you get! One thing you want to keep in mind is just because a keyword is popular, and you include it (which you should) doesn't mean your ranking on the search engine is going to sky rocket! Keywords that relate to your main ones can help you within a niche. The keywords that everyone is using like customers and search engines will 'expect' to be there is a base. They will help with time for your rating for the search engines later on! Its the next step in this overwhelming (at times) process for beginners like myself!

What other words do I use along with those keywords, or secondary keywords? I guess the best term for this would be 'qualifers'. I found an interesting article about this called: Keyword Stategy. You are searching for terms they are going to use, along with your base of regular keywords. The author of the article suggests at times your location. Sometimes you may wish to use a short phrases, and it also suggests to find out the most popular misspelled terms.

It mentions keyword placed on each page, and I have to assume they are talking within the html itself. Ecrater is limited in that aspect. I will have to keep that in mind as I search for more knowledge to make sure that is indeed the case. We only have one place within ecrater that we can place the keyword for meta tags.

Another trick I keep hearing about is using keywords that RELATE to what you are using. What words would people USE that relate to the subject. For example, if you write about knitting maybe you could use yarn types. I don't know if that would WORK for knitting okay? I just threw it out there as an example! Others could be maybe sweaters, hats which are products you MAKE while you are knitting!

When I started this journey, and I knew NOTHING I started with the normal keywords that I could think of. Then I thought about how people would term looking for an store with Nice Used Clothes! Other terms they might use for the clothes themselves! One item that I changed when I started to use Ebay (novice there also) is when I found some nice men's pants. I found that people don't always use the word PANTS for the search. I found they either use PANTS, TROUSERS, SLANKS for their searches. I was reading this post on ebay in the community section, and people from all over the place were fighting about what term to use. I had enough room, and I ran with IT....I used all of them! I guess I expanded on my keywords that way huh?

One thing I seem to keep running into is mentions that you need to keep up on your keywords. Make sure you check the words, the secondary words, the phrases, etc that you place there because they may change with time. Again you are looking for fresh content for the spiders to crawl aren't we? It has been suggested that you keep adding on to the keywords, and as my journey continues that really does confuse me! Some places tell you to keep it short and sweet while others tell you the opposite! I guess we will have to see what works for us!

Here is an example of pants, slanks, trousers......

Louis Raphael 38 x 32 Mens Pants Slacks Trousers NICE!



Louis Raphael Mens Polyester Pants 38 x 32

Details:

Up for sale is an authentic pair of 100% Mircofiber Polyester pants by Louis Raphael in men's size 38 x 32.
The Louis Raphael Pants are front pleated and they feel very soft.

Condition:

Louis Raphael 38x 32 Pants are gently worn, but do have one button missing on the rear pocket.

They have been washed, and are ready to go right out of the box!
Very Nice pair of Louis Raphael pants, but check the measurements below!

Waist - Top of Pants 38
Hips - Around Bottom of Zipper 48
Rise - Crotch Seam to Top of Pants 12.5
Zipper to Top Of Pants 9.5
Inseam - Crotch Seam to Hem of Pants 31
Bottom of Pants - Length folded in half 9.5

Scams - one I got and you need to watch out for!

I placed a couple of promotional products within my store, and within the trophy and awards section. I had heard of scams, and I had heard how they word things to get people to bite! Some people will get so excited because they get a hint of the first sale that they might even go for it! Be careful!

Re: Ultra Round Stic Grip Promotional Pen .44 at Quantity of 500

Buyer: donsmith

Hello ,
i am to notify you my interest in buying your ITEM on behalf of my
Boss.He has given me a quick notice to placed an order for your
particular ITEM .I need to get in touch with you on the negotiations if you
would accept a (Money Order or certified check) as a mode of payment.If
yes,send your address phone&name and the final asking price.I am
counting on your support in concluding this transaction within the shortest
time,but my Boss is going to send you( Money Order or certified check) of
an excess money which you will deduct your ITEM fees there and send the
excess Fund to the reputable shipper for Pick Up......

don_smit20001@yahoo.com

This is something I received recently, and it sounds JUST like those notes everyone was talking about when they speak of scams!

There is no need to 'chat' about the price, because all the details are very clear on my sale page of the store. The buyer (if he was real) would know what terms of payment I accept, and wouldn't have to ask such a silly question. Since I offered free shipping the comment at the end doesn't make any sense at all! The smell of scam is all over this email!

From what I have gathered from reading around its normally people based outside the United States. They will send you the money order or what have you - but it will bounce!

Don't get to excited when you read these type of things. Please be careful! For me you notice he made no mention of artwork for this product, and yet that is KEY for the product he is writing about. RED FLAGS are waving in the wind over this type of thing! Place your excitement to the side, and try to look for scams. They will be coming your way, and you need to realize that so you don't get burned!

WideBody Promotional Pens - Qty 300 mininum



We will help with your artwork as much as possible, and provide an online proof!

Product ships in 5 working days after art approval. We will do our best to help you with your artwork, and we will supply an online proof before production begins. Shipping is a 2-day service at ground rates.

Keep in mind this is a quality pen. It does not fall apart, imprint doesn’t rub off, and the ink doesn’t dry up quickly or leak! Seniors especially love the bigger size of this pen. Enjoy 1.2 miles of writing ink.

Our price is based on .99 per pen with a quantity of 300 minimums.
This is end quantity pricing so the next price break would be 10,001. Free shipping within the United States. We are hoping this sale continues until the end of the year. Orders in house with artwork already approved with be honored at promotional price.

Order Checklist
Quantity: Minimum 300 pieces. Point Style/Ink Color: Medium Point: Black, Blue or
Red Ink. Fine Point: Black or Blue Ink.

Barrel/Trim Color: Choose 1 barrel and 1 trim color from the selection shown.
Please note that barrel and trim colors may not be an exact color match.

Barrel Imprint:
Imprint Area: 2 1/8 x 1"
Color 1: Included.
Color 2: Add $.11 per pen.
Color 3: Add $.11 per pen.

Optional Clip Imprint:
Imprint Area: 3/4" x 5/32"
Color 1: Add $.14 per pen if requested.

Imprint Colors Specify:
1.) Match trim.
2.) Stock colors (see above).
3.) Custom PMS colors are available, but at an extra cost.

Packaging: Standard - 11 lbs. (approx.) @ 500 per carton.
Shipping: 2-day service at ground rates.
Enjoy 1.2 miles of writing ink.
Wide-profile design with large imprint area.
Over 100 possible color combinations!

Repeat Orders: Shipped in 4 working days. We will hold onto artwork 24 months, and after that new artwork must be resubmitted.

Legal Information and returns policy is below.

Product Performance Policy: All products adhere to strict international quality and safety standards and are produced in accordance with all applicable federal, state and local laws, rules and regulations.

Returns: Merchandise found to be incorrect due to our error would be replaced at no charge when returned within 180 days from receipt of merchandise. Authorization from us is required prior to return of merchandise. Unauthorized returns will be refused and returned to sender. No credit will be issued for merchandise, which is unavailable for return to us.

Authorization Indemnification – by placing an order with us you represent and warrant that you have the authority to order, purchase and distribute merchandise containing the names, trademarks, logos, copyrights, etc identified in your order. You also agree to indemnify, defend and hold harmless our company, its parent, subsidiaries and its affiliates, representatives, from and against all claims, liabilities and expenses (including attorney fees) arising out of or related to any actual or alleged infringement or misappropriation of any trademark, copyright or any other proprietary right of such merchandise. This provision will remain in effect after delivery of your order.

Shipping Options and Sales Tax Sections on Ecrater

I'm going to go into this whole section all at once. To be honest there isn't much to it, and it's not the most HELPFUL section to the free online store in the world!

The Weight Scale section:
You need to choose the section that best fits your needs. For myself I picked the first section: Small. I left it at that also!

In the shipping zones it depends on WHERE you are and WHERE you want to ship - you pick it! For me being in the United States every country outside of here can be very confusing for shipping! I choose NOT to include any other countries. For now I want to stick to pants, since I'm not all that familiar with other things. Most of the time pants will weight anywhere from 2-3 lbs on average in the box. I know alot of people use those tyvec bags from the postal service, and I get kind of afraid of that! I have ordered some bigger bags that aren't offered at my local post office to see if I can use them. For now I place the item into a shopping bag, so it will protect it from the weather once it arrives. I use a box just because to me its more sturdy! That might change once I receive the ordered items. I don't know yet! I'm not sure if taping the crud out of the envelope will give me peace of mind it will get there in one piece to be honest! I do note that I ship internationally, but they need to contact me. Certain orders if they are large enough I need to use insurance, and possiblity another carrier besides USPS.USPS Site for Supplies You can get all kinds of sizes of boxes, bags, and supplies from there. Most of the items are FREE! Can't beat THAT! If you sell more DVD's, Books, Shoes, etc they have special boxes just for you! I used one of their shoe box items for shipping lots of old VHS Tapes I had around the house that sold on Ebay.

The shipping Matrix I will have to play around with a bit. Either I am NOT very quick, or I'm over thinking it! For now I just filled in amounts for 1lb, 2lb and 4lb. The one pound I will just use a standard flat rate envelope! The 2 lb package I picked middle of the road postage zone for the rate. The 4 lbs I used the standard flat rate box charge for USPS. The most anyone has ever purchased from me was 2 items, and that is all I could fit in the box anyway.I came across an interesting conversation about "What if you use Ounces? You know for light items! Here is what poster came up with!

So, the problem. I sell items that are very light and usually ship 1st Class and only weigh 2-4 ounces. With this system I couldn't see how to set it up so when someone purchased more than one item so they wouldn't get raped on shipping charges.The sollution. What I figured out was that instead of using the shipping matrix as it was ment to be used with pound weight's I use it instead based on ounces.Example. For Mainland US in the shipping matrix I have shipping set to
$1.50 for column's 1 and 2 (ounces) then it starts going to even numbe weight's. 4 is set to $1.65, 6 at $2.10, 8 at 2.60, 10 at 3.10, 12 at 3.55, 14 at 4.60, 16 at 4.60 and for 16+ which add's the set ammount for each additional 2 units I set it to .30 cents.Created some store items and did a test checkout and it works!!!Just make sure that when you create your listing's when you put in the weight to do it in ounces and not pounds. Not perfect but it works.Hope this helps anyone else that ships very light items.

Pretty COOL huh?

For the Sales tax portion you need to know HOW much sales tax you much charge for your area. Some places you don't have to charge sales tax if shipping outside the state, but DO have to charge within the state. Again ask your accountant for this, and fill in the correct amount where indicated on the chart. Leave the rest blank!

Lot of 5 Fun Boy's Tee's Sizes Vary around 6 - 7

This is a collection of Boy's Tees, and I will describe all five, and see the bottom for the pictures of them taken individually!I took these measurements laying down, and certain measurements you may wish to double.

The Red Tank Top (Sleeveless) is a Sonoma size M (5-6)Armpit to Armpit Seam is 14.5, Shoulder to Shoulder Seam is 11.75. Shoulder seam to hem is 15.75 and Pit seam to hem is 10. Armhole is 6.

The Senor Frog Shirt (Skateboard theme) doesn't have a size listed, but I would guess 7. Armpit to Armpit seam is 14, Shoulder to Shoulder Seam is 13, Shoulder seam to hem is 17. Pit seam to hem is 10 . Top Sleeve seam to hem 6, Bottom 4.

The Moose Creek Shirt is a Arizona Shirt in Size L or 7. Armpit to Armpit is 13.75, Shoulder to Shoulder seam is 12.75. Shoulder Seam to hem is 16.5, and Pit seam to hem is 10. Sleeve Searm to hem 6 and bottom is 2.5".

The "Super Troops" Army Shirt is a Sonoma Shirt in Youth S.
Armpit to Armpit is 14.25, Shoulder to Shoulder seam is 14.
Shoulder Seam to hem is 18, and Pit seam to hem is 11.75.
Sleeve Seam to hem 4.25 and bottom is 2.5".

The "SpiderMan" Shirt is a Underroos Shirt in L.
It does have a small smudge on the front that I just noticed.
It doesn't look permanate. Armpit to Armpit is 15.25,
Shoulder to Shoulder seam is 13. Shoulder Seam to hem is
17.25, and Pit seam to hem is 10.25. Sleeve Seam to
hem 5.5 and bottom is 3".

proceeds go to:
Focus Ministries

Focus Ministries, blogging, online store, small business, ecrater, home based business, shipping, domestic abuse, domestic violence

Product Section in Ecrater Store

The Next section on the list is PRODUCTS! WOO HOO we get to enter some goods for sale!

Shopping for your products, or making them, or offering services etc I do believe is the funniest part of the whole process.

What I learned early on - with a great big DAHHH - is to wash your products FIRST before taking pictures! That is of course if your product is not NEW - like mine! Then you need to write down all your specifics about your product. I have learned that if you go to Ebay - in their community section they have reviews written up to show examples how to best write up your product. Make sure you place AS MUCH information as you can! Remember people can't touch or feel this product. I had my own learning curves there myself!

You need to decide what price you are asking next. Figure out how much it weights - in the package! What I do is place the box on the scale - place the item on top of that and get my weight. We will use that weight later on. Just have it handy!

Go to the Bottom of the screen and pushed "Add new Product"

1) Name: It the title of the product. Keep in mind to place something in there that people might use to search for product. I try to place the brand, size, type of clothing, etc in my title line.

2) Description: You remember the item specifics I spoke about? This is where you place that! People will ask about:

• If you will combine ship with other products (more than one item in the same box), and offer a discount for that.


• If you will offer different shipping methods.


• If you ship internationally.


• How often do you ship out your product.


• What types of shipping services do you offer.


• Return Policy

I think you get the picture here! Place as much information as you can in the body of the description. I realize this website has a Question and Answer section, but most people aren't going to go and read that.

3) Pictures - Keep in mind when you upload the pictures for the first time use the one you want as your gallery photo FIRST! The program allows you to upload up to 10 photos, but not in one step. Just use the one for now, and you can go and add the rest later!

4) Price - Your price for the product.

5) Local Category. You remember the categories we spoke about before? Pick the one that best fits your product.

6)Global Category. This is the categories that Ecrater uses on their main site. Find one that best describes your product, and click it.

7) Show as Featured on your home page. Now lets say you have a handful of really awesome products, and you want them featured on the home page.

• VISUAL On my home page you can see the section off to the right called, "Featured Item". That is what they are talking about.


• You must manually click, and remove the check mark to include or remove items from this section.


• From what I understand if you use this feature for more than one of your products - they rotate. Each time someone comes to your store a new item is displayed.

8) "Show on the top of your product category page."

I'm pretty sure this means if you what the "Ralph Lauren" jeans you are entering on the TOP of the jeans category it will be. Again keep in mind that this system is very manual. If you decided that you want a pair of levi's next I think you might have to changed those yourself!

9) Used Product. If it is used - click it. If not leave it alone!

10) Is the item taxable? yes or no! Please make sure you get with your accountant to see when and HOW to get your tax number, and when you use this. If you really get busy, and you don't charge sales tax for items you could really get yourself into trouble. Please check into that!

11) Max Qty - how many of this item do you have to sell? Place it there!

12) Weight - we measured the weight of your item before. Place that number in that space.

13) Shipping: I think that pretty much explains itself! You have different options, and unlike Ebay and other sites shipping calulators are NOT used here! Make sure you know the shipping requirements for your items off the mainland! International shipping - I ask them to contact me for a quote in the body of my description.

14) Click your add button at this point!

Now if you go back into the product section you see see your title line, and product gallery picture. You have three choices at this point off to the right.

1) You have a icon that looks like a camera. If you have additional pictures to place in your ad - NOW is the time!

You basically upload them one at a time in the next screen.

2) The pencil is for you to edit your listing - you are back to the screen we talked about today. You can correct misspellings, or how it is presented, etc. Keep in mind ecrater does not allow html.

3) The red "X" - that is for DELETE! Once a product is sold, and you want to get rid of it - or maybe you have other reasons....its basically the DELETE button! Get rid of IT!

Go ahead and enter the rest of your stuff just like above. You can bring down the category, and then add product again. Just make sure when entering it - double check the category when you come to it!

Featured Item for the Day:



Tommy Hilfiger Big and Tall Mens Pants 40 x 30

Details:

Up for sale is an authentic pair of Tommy Hilfiger Big and Tall Khaki's in men's size 40 x 30.
Pants are front pleated and they feel very nice.

Condition:

Pants are gently worn, and very handsome. There is some slight fraying on the bottoms - see pictures. The buttons are missing on the back pockets. They have been washed, and are ready to go right out of the box!
Very Nice pair of pants, but check the measurements below!

Waist - Top of Pants 39.5
Hips - Around Bottom of Zipper 50
Rise - Crotch Seam to Top of Pants 11.75
Zipper to Top Of Pants 9
Inseam - Crotch Seam to Hem of Pants 26
Bottom of Pants - Length folded in half 9

keyword, keywords, online store, small business, blogging, home based business, tommy hilfiger

Categories in Ecrater Store

The first section of the template speaks about Categories.

The first screen you will see is called the "ROOT". From what I have figured out so far you are allowed 5 different categories that are ROOT or MAIN categories. If you look presently, I have "Men’s Wear", "Ladies Wear", "Children's Wear" and "Trophies and Awards".

Look to the bottom and view "featured Categories" to see what I'm talking about. Look at the bottom for Visual. Again with my rush I couldn't figure out WHY when I uploaded a picture to go along with my categories it didn't show up! My first Category was "Men's Wear". I typed that in the first spot, and then uploaded a picture to go with the theme. For now I just picked one of the product pictures I was going to use. I may change that in the future. At this point I was just trying to get my feet wet! The next time I went right below that and press one of the "free" buttons. That way the program knew that my pair of pants went with "Men's Wear".

Next I wanted to do a 'sub' category under "Men's Wear", called "Jeans". What I learned was to go ahead and enter "Jeans", and then use the third button with the arrow on it, which is called "Move Category" after I entered it. So under Men's wear I have jeans, slacks, etc. Look towards the bottom under categories again VISUAL

You can also add additional subcategories with for me was, "Under 40 Waist" and "40 and over Waist". When I edited a category I had to find the main category in the pull down menu of categories to place in there. For this exercise it was Men's Wear: Jeans - then I placed the waist categories in the same fashion I did to break down the "Jeans, Slacks, Shorts" sections. Visual

Remember you can add categories and subcategories later if you wish to. In order to move your products into those categories AFTER the fact you must go into the products menu, and edit those. That discussion is for another day though!

Today's Feature:



Details:

Up for sale is an authentic pair of Tommy Hilfiger Big and Tall Khaki's in men's size 40 x 30.
Pants are front pleated and they feel very nice.

Condition:

Pants are gently worn, and very handsome. There is some slight fraying on the bottoms - see pictures. The buttons are missing on the back pockets. They have been washed, and are ready to go right out of the box!
Very Nice pair of pants, but check the measurements below!

Waist - Top of Pants 39.5
Hips - Around Bottom of Zipper 50
Rise - Crotch Seam to Top of Pants 11.75
Zipper to Top Of Pants 9
Inseam - Crotch Seam to Hem of Pants 26
Bottom of Pants - Length folded in half 9

ecrater, online store, small business, home based business, blogging, categories in Ecrater

First Entry

First off I need to mention that this is a mirror site that I hosted on wordpress. They have an awesome system, but for me to many restrictions.......especially NO JAVA SCRIPT! You can use next to nothing as far as extras that I really wanted to have. Once this site is up to day it will be my primary one again I believe!


The purpose of my blog? Well I guess there is a couple of things!

1. Show others my journey of figuring out HOW to open a free store up, attempt to market it, show my hills and valleys of the learning curve...and possibly learn some things from readers!


2. Show items from my store from time to time to hopefully get them there, and possibly purchase some items so I can donate some proceeds to Focus Ministries. Focus Ministries is a Christian based Domestic Abuse Ministry. I think they do a fine job, and I hope I can help them out financially so they can keep going! There is a huge need out there for their services!


3. Hopefully at the same time place some educational items out there so others can learn about this very important issue!

So how did I find a store? I have to be honest I was trying to get rid of some of the junk around my house, and placed them on ebay. I got very frustrated with their system of placing items on there, so it wouldn't take so darn long! I did some reading on the community section, and saw an ad for Auctiva I went and read around, and saw that they actually had videos about their product. Myself, personally I love visuals!

I went ahead signed up for the free service, and decided I would offer their optional insurance of my ebay bids. I figure it was the least I could do for paying for a really COOL product! Check it out! Free templates, and once you really get the hang of things...pretty darn easy! They also have a community that you can go and ask questions to.

In their community they had a thread about online stores. They seem to speak about stores off ebay mostly. Blujay.com was the first one they mentioned, and then they mentioned Ecrater Now I signed up for ecrater sometime in the evening, and decided to take a second look later on. The next day I guess they were doing upgrades or something, because the server was down. I went back to my community thread on auctiva, and took another look at blujay I guess you can call me impatient, because I began to place my items up that I wanted to place in a store there. It was nice but I really like the idea of catagories, more pictures, some of the other extras that ecrater had over blujay. I do wish ecrater would allow links, and html. I think that is one drawback. I do think they both have good features, but for me I prefered ecrater.

So! Introducing:




It will be changing as I figure out more, and I will share will all of you! For now I need to go, and I will leave you with my first add from Ecrater!

Details:

Up for sale is an authentic pair of Calvin Klein men's Jeans size 36 x 32.

Condition:

These are nice Jeans with no holes, rips, fraying. They have been washed, and are ready to go right out of the box!
Check the measurements below!

Waist - Top of Pants 37
Hips - Around Bottom of Zipper 48
Rise - Crotch Seam to Top of Pants 12
Zipper to Top Of Pants 8
Inseam - Crotch Seam to Hem of Pants 27
Bottom of Pants - Length folded in half 10

Click on Picture to go to store item directly!
ecrater, domestic abuse, domestic voilence, online store, small business, home based business,

My Journey Continues

With Ecrater I have learned (for me anyway) is that I have to edit my pictures first, and place them on my hard drive. I use CorelDraw 9 and Photo Paint for my stuff to edit after I take the pictures. I had read somewhere that if you place color and a caption behind your items it will make them stick out. I don't know if that works, but I figure I will give that a try for a while and see what happens.

The template itself took some getting used to, but the community forum was helpful with most of the items. I figured out my logo banner pretty quickly, and if you have a program that will allow you to use pixels for the sizing your banner will be larger(I converted to inches as it says .833 x .227). Otherwise I found it just makes it to small. The bigger picture right below it was a chore to figure out. I noticed within the forum most of the time when the question is asked they are forwarded to a thread regarding images, but I had a hard time figuring out what they were saying. I'm talking about the section where is says, "Your Image Here". To be honest I was looking for the upload button like you have to the logo section, and it wasn't there. If I were guessing I would assume that is what threw me! You will get to that portion, but ONLY after you click the template that you choose for your store. Its different that just telling the program WHAT template you want! LOL After you do that you go back CLICK on the chosen template, and then the upload screen appears! Again I made sure pixel size was correct(.583 x .653 inches).



Details:

Up for sale is an authentic pair of St. John's Bay Big and Tall Khaki's in men's size 40 x 30.
There are no holes or stains. Very Nice!

Condition:

Pants are gently worn, and very handsome. They have been washed, and are ready to go right out of the box!
Very Nice pair of pants, and check the measurements below!

Waist - Top of Pants 40
Hips - Around Bottom of Zipper 50
Rise - Crotch Seam to Top of Pants 12
Zipper to Top Of Pants 9.5
Inseam - Crotch Seam to Hem of Pants 27
Bottom of Pants - Length folded in half 9.5


ecrater, online store, small business, home based business, blogging,