bugtussle Posted February 9, 2010 Share Posted February 9, 2010 Well, I never thought we would have to do this, but we're closing our website for orders for a while. It is browse only for our local customers. Just not enough orders to make it worth it. Let's hope the economy picks up. Carole Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Misty Posted February 10, 2010 Share Posted February 10, 2010 I'm sorry you are having to do this. I almost closed mine, because of the merchant account fees, but my website designer switched my shopping cart over to paypal. I still don't get any traffic these days though. Fortunately, it's not a situation for me, where it's my only source of income.I sure hope it picks back up for you soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitn Posted February 10, 2010 Share Posted February 10, 2010 I am sorry to hear that. Lets hope and pray the economy picks up soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kandlenutz Posted February 10, 2010 Share Posted February 10, 2010 Thats a good idea to have for local customers to browse. I just use my facebook for people to look at, but never thought of a site just to show what I have. I think I will have to research that....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holly Posted February 10, 2010 Share Posted February 10, 2010 (edited) Sorry to hear that. My online sales have been lousy too. Although, I am sure part of the lack of online sales is caused from me trying to balance my life better.....have not sent any newsletters to our customers since I think at the end of last Oct. The newsletters always have some sort of sale and I think most people are waiting for good deals. Store sales were pretty good last Holiday season though. Most of my online sales are local personal customers and most are on our mailing list. We do have some out-of-state customers but not a whole lot. If they are still able to browse, how is that saving money? I would still have to pay for my site to show. Your site may work different than mine. I hope things get better for you and all of us. Edited February 10, 2010 by Holly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
islandgirl Posted February 10, 2010 Share Posted February 10, 2010 Ahhh.. Bug.. That's stinks.. Can't you find a less expensive way to keep your website up an running.Change hosting companies, or the way you take payments. That way you can still take those orders that people need shipped.My hosting site only costs me 85.00 a year.I do my own website and updates so there are no fees.I use http://ewisoft.com/ to make my site. It is very simple to use.They give you a 30 day free trial if you want to play around with it before ordering it. (You can get this program for under $100.00.)Can you change the way you take CC so that the fee's are not so high? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TxSioux Posted February 10, 2010 Share Posted February 10, 2010 So sorry to hear this, Carole. I didn't pour a single candle last yr, but ready to test some new waxes & get back at it. The economy is so scary. Are you still doing a lot of fundraisers? My prayers are w/ you.Susan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bugtussle Posted February 10, 2010 Author Share Posted February 10, 2010 I am keeping the "browse store" open instead of printing brochures. My website has been prepaid and is about $12.00/mo. I kept my merchant acct in tact because we use it as a virtual terminal when our store is open. We've had 3 orders this year for 1 candle each and one was not paid for. It's just not worth fooling with right now. I will keep it up for browsing and just wait for better times. Carole Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bugtussle Posted February 10, 2010 Author Share Posted February 10, 2010 So sorry to hear this, Carole. I didn't pour a single candle last yr, but ready to test some new waxes & get back at it. The economy is so scary. Are you still doing a lot of fundraisers? My prayers are w/ you.Susan.Well, we did a few fundraisers last fall and we'll see for this spring. All the fundraiser details are on the website so hopefully we'll get some inquiries. Our store is OPEN Saturday, maybe we'll get some business. Carole Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Foothills1957 Posted February 10, 2010 Share Posted February 10, 2010 That just sux, I'm sorry to hear it. I hope business picks up for everyone, but I just don't see it happening anytime soon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KoalaGirl Posted February 12, 2010 Share Posted February 12, 2010 I have a free website from Webs.com. Well not totally free, since I choose to pay $15 a year to keep it advert free! People were forever asking me for brochures of my products and since they are very expensive to have made, I just give them a business card with the web addy on it. It was easy and fun to do and I can change anything, anytime {unlike brochures}. People who become site members, receive notification of upcoming markets etc. It does have a shopping cart facility but I havent activated that since I dont want to check it one morning to find that someone has ordered and paid for, a heap of stuff that I dont have on hand! They email me their order directly from the site and once I confirm order details etc, they pay by direct deposit into my bank account. It works great for me and costs almost nothing to run!Im not sure how it works as far as being noticed by search engines. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bugtussle Posted February 12, 2010 Author Share Posted February 12, 2010 Good use of your website, Koala. That is basically what I have done. Orders can be emailed to us and I can collect by CC, PP, or check. A lot cheaper than constantly printing brochures. Carole Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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