Multiply Marketplace Closing on May 6, 2013

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After less than 6 months of being a dedicated e-commerce service, Multiply had suddenly announced that it will be closing its marketplace service on May 6.  This announcement came amidst several complaints both from sellers and buyers regarding various issues on their payment system.

Multiply's Announcement

Multiply's short-lived dabble in online selling was a great revolution of trying to foster honest selling and buying experience online.  Sellers had the option of using Multiply's escrow service that would accept payments from buyers thru Multiply system.  As a reward, sellers would gain points that would allow them to ship the items to the customer free of charge.

Several sellers had issues of not receiving the payment on-time since Multiply had a hard time disbursing the payments back to the sellers who should receive them.  For the buyers, the experience led them to believe that the sellers renegade on them and had turned scam after not receiving the items they paid for.

My First PayPal Payment -- Account is Limited!

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Getting an email from PayPal saying that your account was set to limited after just verifying it is quite daunting.

This mostly happens when you’ve just received your very first payment for an item sold or a service rendered.  However, this shouldn’t cause you any alarm.  First of all, ensure that there hasn’t been any unauthorized activity on your account.  Secondly, make sure that the payment you received is from your customer.

Once you’ve satisfied the above criteria, proceed with shipping the merchandize to your customer as normal.  Follow these simple steps to ensure that PayPal would lift the limit on your account and protect you as a seller as well.

1. Log-in to your PayPal account.
2. Right beside the payment you received, click the Details link.
3. At the end of the page, click Edit Tracking Info.
4. Change the Order Status to Shipped.
5. Write the tracking number provided by the courier you’ve used.
6. On the Shipping Company choose Other.
7. A new box will appear.  Write here the official website of the courier that you’ve used.
8. Click Save

After just a few minutes, PayPal would lift the limit on your account.  However, the payment you received will remain on hold.  You can’t do anything about this but wait for the standard 21days to pass for PayPal to transfer the money to your Available Fund, granted that buyer won’t raise a dispute.

Succeeding payments from any other customer would no longer be placed on your Pending Fund, but would go direct to your Available Fund even if the 21days hasn’t passed yet.

Remember to keep a copy of the waybill even if in electronic form for a minimum of 60days.  This is the time frame when customer can raise a dispute and reverse the payment.  Always update the shipping information of all your subsequent transactions to enjoy the convenience brought by PayPal.

Don't have PayPal yet?  Check this out and get your own.

Ways to Pay for Your eBay Seller Fees

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For eBay sellers who availed the eBay store feature, paying your seller fee dues is a no brainer already.  However, those new into the business will find themselves lost once due date comes in.

Every month eBay sends invoice for your last month’s transaction bills.  If you avail the very basic eBay store which costs 150pesos a month, you will see it billed the next month.  But don’t fret, eBay requires immediate payment only for invoices 300pesos and up.  Meaning you can use the store feature for 2 months before you’re required to pay.

Not paying past due invoices will automatically put your account on hold preventing you from listing new items, including those in automatic listing.

Ways you can pay

Credit Card

• Automatic credit card payments - Each month eBay will charge the credit card that you placed on file.  This is safe and very convenient.  Credit card must bear the Master Card or Visa logo.

• One-time credit card payment - Pay your seller fees manually using credit card.  Usually takes 24 to 48 hours for eBay to confirm acceptance of payment.

• One-time payment thru BDO bank deposit - Print a payment voucher from your eBay account and deposit the payment at BDO.  Great for those without credit cards.  See the detailed instruction on my next post.

eBay Voucher

Sorry guys but PayPal payment of fees is not offered for eBay.ph sellers.  Yes, I’m also disappointed with this.

eBay Online Store

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Ever since I got my PowerSeller badge from eBay, I had started to take online selling seriously.  And by saying seriously, I meant renting a store from eBay and paying for it monthly.

Renting a physical store is nothing compared to renting a store at eBay.  With only a few clicks you'll be able to set-up you're own store and have your merchandise arranged by category.  This makes browsing for customers a lot easier, plus they would be able to see your other item under the same category.  A plus for the eye marketing scheme.

There's no set-up payment.  I got the very basic store where I can have as much as 30 main categories and up to 3rd level category under it.  This basic store costs me only 150pesos a month.  And hey! I get to pay that 150pesos after 30days when I created the store.  Cool huh!

PinayShopper eBay store

I had labored day and night to transfer my normal listings to this store.  This is where labor comes in.  I had decided that since almost all my items are on pre-order basis and lasts up to 2months, then better that I list it as virtually forever (until I cancel them).

Another good side of renting an eBay store is that you can create sales.  If you're an avid eBay buyer you'll have noticed that small ball on the right hand corner of the listing photo telling you that the item is currently on sale, or discounted for.  Great in catching those bargain hunters.

On Sale Items

Take a look at my PinayShopper eBay store and start thinking about getting yours too.

Prevent Others from Hijacking Your Photo – Sign It!

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One downside of posting pictures on the web is that it’s free for all to see and well… copy.  With just a click of the mouse your competitor or worse a scammer can copy the precious photo of your items and claim it for himself.

A sure way of preventing this is by signing your work.  Have big bold letters plastered across the photo so it would be impossible for others to claim your photos.  But do it in a stylish way.  Photoshop it if you can.  But if you don’t have a Photoshop, then drop by http://pixlr.com/editor

It’s an online “Photoshop” editor that could edit your photo as good as any Photoshop can.  Best thing? You don’t even have to sign-up to use the service.  Just make sure your browser is equipped with the latest Flash software and you’re good to go.

Upload the photo on the site and click the Font icon on the Tools pane.  Write your name, your brand, or even or store’s URL as your signature.  Tweak a bit to your heart’s content.

On the Layers pane, right click your mouse and choose Flatten image.  This will merge your photo with your signature.  To finish, just save your photo and proceed in uploading it on your store.

For those who are adept in Photoshop, you can do many styles and clean your photo on this site.

Signing each photo may be a tedious task, but it would be worth it in the end.  You do not only prevent others from copying the photo, but you also promote your brand and claim the items as truly yours.

Happy Selling!

Discount? Free Shipping? or Freebies?

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Selling online is a steep competition. Swaying your customer to click the 'Buy It Now' button or send an order form is a critical moment of just mere second. Giving an incentive to your buyer is one-way of tipping the scale and making online shopping a rewarding experience. So what are the effective ways of enticing your buyer to buy?

Discount - giving discounts to loyal customers and bulk buyers is one-way of rewarding your customers. Just make sure the discount doesn't eat out the profit margin.

Free Shipping - this is a big deciding factor for buyers. With the increasing number of online sellers selling almost that same wares, the decision will boil down to the postage cost. Giving out free shipping on high ticket items or bulk purchase can make a first time buy again.

Freebies - based on buyers I've asked before, freebies is not really a big deal for them; but is very much appreciated when received.  So, to save some of your profit margin, give out freebies to customers truly deserving them.  A loyal customer perhaps? or during missed shipment deadlines, or any mishap that had happened on the deal.  Giving a freebie as a token of amendment shows that you care for the customer.

To my fellow online sellers and buyers? Which of these tactics do you use or have experienced? Share us your thoughts and leave a freebie knowledge about online selling on the comment section.

Happy Selling!

Payment Options – The Best Way To Pay

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Keeping the shopping convenience motto high, online sellers should be able to offer several payment options for the customer to choose from. Each option should be (1) convenient; (2) safe; and (3) light on the pocket.

So what are the payment options available today and how do they rate on the three categories mentioned?

Paypal is by far the most convenient way to pay. With just the click of your fingertips you can bid/buy and check out your items. It is equipped with all the encrypting technology available online since we're talking about money here. Buyer can also file a dispute with Paypal or reverse the entire payment should the transaction prove to be unsatisfactory; for a period of 30days. But is it light on the pocket? This entirely depends on the buyer-seller agreement. Since Paypal is charging the seller a payment fee¹ for every transaction, not all sellers are keen on offering Paypal. Others would allow Paypal payments if the buyer agrees to shoulder the charges or even half of it. All in all, Paypal is still a must to offer especially if you're selling high value items.

Bank Deposit is not high on the convenience chart, but definitely pose a safer way to pay compared to GCash or SMART Money transfer. If the buyer is within the Metro then bank deposit is no problem. Not so true for people living in the province. Also, a seller should be aware if there are inter-branch charges that the bank is collecting during deposit. BDO is an example that collects 50pesos for deposits on personal accounts from different provinces. This may surprise some buyers, so always give prior notice.

Bank deposit also gives a buyer some sense of security since they know that the person they're transacting with is existing.

GCash or SMART Money Transfer

These mobile payment options are both high in convenience and risk. Many online scams are transacted thru mobile payments. A scammer can just buy any SIM card, subscribe for a GCash or SMART Money² number and be able to transact anonymously. The transaction is non-reversible to be accurate in giving your card number. Globe and SMART also doesn't keep track of all GCash or SMART Money number, so refund is not 100% guarantee.

 

 
Mobile payment method should also be light on the pocket, since depositing to a GCash or SMART Money number is virtually free. Buyers can drop by any BDO branch and fill-up a merchant slip containing the seller's GCash or SMART Money number and pay only the amount to be deposited. This could very well be used as an alternative to BDO bank deposit that might incur inter-branch fee.

LBC, Cebuana, M Lhuillier or Wester Union

These payment options are a definite NO-NO, both for buyers and sellers. They are not convenient, and definitely not light on the pocket. Buyers should think twice, or even thrice when these are the only payment option a seller is offering.

 

Foot Notes:

1 Paypal charges 3.4% + 15pesos per transaction when receiving payments

2  Unclaimed SMART Money number can only transfer up to 1000pesos.  After that, it must be linked to a named SMART Money card before any other transaction can be done.

Shipping your items … and a lot more!

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Even if you haven't sold any item yet, you should start thinking about how to ship your item as soon as you've made up your mind about becoming an online seller. Identifying the courier services available to you and simple things about shipping is just another factor of online selling.

You can call yourself lucky if you're within the Metro since there are many options that you can choose from. Not so much for those living in the province. So, to help you pick the best courier service, here are the options prevalent today.

But before that! Let me tell you things that you should know about shipping.

• You call the shipping form as waybill. Here you will see the details of the shipper, name and address of consignee and tracking number.
• Most courier companies have pouches & boxes available for their customer to use and put their items on. Know the sizes of these pouches and boxes and determine if your product will fit. Else, you'll have to provide your own packaging.
• Parcels gets thrown a lot during transport, hence, it is the seller's responsibility to pack the items securely to avoid damages.

Photo by: gettingstarted.outright.com
• Different Courier Company offers different shipping rates based on the weight, value and area where your item will be shipped.
• Small courier companies offer FREE pick up. Even if you only have a single small parcel to ship, they will pick it up at your door-step for free. This is very convenient since you don't even have to step out to ship your item.
• Package weight and volumetric weight are two different things. Package weight is determined by weighing your parcel. Volumetric weight is determined by measuring the size of your item and using the equation below:

(L x W x H)/3500
Dimensions should be in cm.
3500 is used for local deliveries. 
3000 for deliveries abroad.

• Both the package weight and volumetric weight will be measured if your parcel is packed using your own packaging. The rate will be based on the value that's higher.
• Courier companies take any fraction of a kilo as 1 kilo. Better be decisive in packing your items. Remember your minima-maxima lessons in Calculus.
• You can always under-value your parcel for local shipment, but you can never under-weight them. Even if it's for pick-up, riders bring their own digital weighing scale and tape measure to determine the final weight of your item.
• Insurance is optional for local shipment. But is a must for international shipments. Fee is determined by the value of the package that you declare.

How to create a Facebook Fan Page?

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Facebook is fast becoming ‘the’ place to sell online.  With over 18 Million Filipino Facebook users as of November 2010, there’s bound to be a buyer for your item somewhere.

However, using your personal profile as store front is not very wise.  Yes, you’ll get hundreds of invites daily but you’ll also need to approve those invites first before linking your potential buyers to your store.  You'll also be spending a good number of hours tagging each friend on your album so they can atleast notice whatever it is you're selling.  A process that's starting to get really annoying for the person being tagged.  Good thing there’s a Facebook Fan page, where a simple Like can make the big difference.

Once a person hits the Like button of your fan page, he or she will automatically receive on her wall your page’s update.  No need to tag users and annoy their friends by doing so.

Here’s a simple step-by-step guide on how easily you can create a Fan page in Facebook.

1. Sign-in to your Facebook account. 
2. Go to Facebook Fan page (http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/create.php). 
3. Choose the purpose of your Fan page.  Brand or Product is the common type for online sellers.  If you have a physical store, then choose Local Business or Place.

4. From the Brand or Product, choose the category of your for sale items. Type the store name on the Brand or Product field and tick the agreement box.

5. Your page will look like below.  Just fill-in the necessary details and you’re done.

Step number 5 is a widget creator that showcases your Facebook Fan page on other sites that you have. Say, you have a blog or other ad site and would like people from that site to easily see you fan page. Just add the html code of this widget called Facebook Platform and whenever they click the Like button, people will automatically added to your rooster of fans.

Once your Fan page is complete, the only thing left is adding the Shipping and Payment details, as well as the photos of your items for sale!

Where to sell?

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Now that you already have your chosen merchandise, the next big decision is where best to sell them.  This question is not about a place that you can locate around the neighborhood.  A place that you have to rent or lease.  It's a free spot on the vast internet that you can claim and name as your own.

There are 3 sites that top the list of online sellers.  Ebay, Facebook and Multiply.

eBay, with its auction format attracts treasure trove seekers of every kind.  Selling is easy since the site showcases the items fairly and is sold to the highest bidder (anywhere).  That being said, there’s hardly any big need to advertise your product before anyone finds it.  A simple SEO, descriptive title and good photo is all an eBayer needs to sell an item here.

Facebook is now the 2^nd choice, a spot held before by Multiply.  The big reason is that a seller can create her own Fan page and invite one and all to like that page.  Those who did will automatically see on their wall anything that the seller would deem to show off on her page.  It’s broadcasting to the highest level.  As human nature goes, the more buzz an issue would get, the more people would be intrigue to see what the buzz is all about.

Multiply, nowadays is a site driven by online sellers.  Its original purpose was to let users interact with each other by connecting each ones pages of photos, blogs and what-not.  It is now a place to parade stuffs to sell; with albums after albums of treasures that you won’t normally see elsewhere.  Multiply even gave in to the demands of its users and implemented the order form widget, which before was banned.

What to sell?

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For an aspiring online seller, 'What to sell?' is the very first question that comes in mind.  So what are the popular items to sell?

Clothes - whether its baby clothes, Korean fashion, Bangkok shirts, plus size fashion and everything in between, clothes is always been on top of the online items that you can sell.

Shoes - selling shoes is a bit trickier than that of clothes.  There are a number of size standards being followed everywhere, and sad to say, Philippines doesn't even have its own.  It would all depend to where your stocks come from.  Having a sizing guide would come real handy if you're planning on selling shoes online.

Bags, Wallets & Purse – Liz Clairborne, Longchamp, Juicy Couture, Coach, Nine West, etc… Those are just some of the authentic bags that are selling like hot potatoes on the net today.  If you have a designer bag on your closet that never got around to using, then sell them online.  Best put on an auction site and see how much money (and fun) you’ll get disposing the item.

Electronic Gadgets - mostly guys are selling this stuff.  You won't see a guy selling out mini-dress, but you'll always see a guy selling iPod mini.

Perfumes - whether they are original or imitation, the key in selling perfumes is honesty.  Don't ever try to say that you're selling original if you know that they are not. 

Books – I’m not a book seller, but I do love to buy books online.  You’ll always find someone, somewhere selling the book that you’re looking for.  Although, selling books may not be my cup of tea, I know several online sellers who found success in this niche.

Service or Skill – now, you might wonder what I’m talking about here.  Don’t get the wrong conclusions.  I’m talking about your skill with a DSLR camera, Photoshop or XML.  Due to the number of online sellers, competition is steep.  Photo’s of the items must be near perfect and the site easy to navigate.  Hence, successful online sellers turn to free lance photographers and web designers to give their sites a make-over.  If you’re a student or an enthusiast with skills on this field, then go ahead and sell your service online.

Photo courtesy of:

theforexfamily.com
shezoos.com
pursepage.com
bindapple.com
justanotherpixel.net
voltaireoyzon.blog.frienster.com

My First Foray In Online Selling

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It is always my dream to have a small boutique.  A store that would show case the clothes that I hand picked and thought would be perfect for anyone to wear.  However, having an 8 - 5 job made that dream a bit difficult to accomplished, but not impossible.

Photo by:  clipartof.com

So, two years ago, I started buying clothes from Divisoria 168 mall and selling them to my office mates and neighbor.  The business was profitable but easily I saw that doing this would require having loads of clothes to offer my friends.  Clothes of different styles, in different colors and in different sizes.  The tight budget that I have would not permit for such a huge inventory, not to mention the big capital needed.  And so, I decided to stop.

After having my second kid and a change in job, the dream never left me.  And so, I decided to sell online.  I saw many people doing it.  They posted pictures of beautiful clothes online and someone actually buys them.  Picking a place to sell was simple.  Readily I picked Ebay.ph thinking that it's the equivalent of malls where people frequent with the intention to buy.

I took pictures of stuffs that I own but never got around using, then listed them on Ebay.  After waiting patiently, it had paid off.  I had my first customer.  I wrapped the item, and shipped it as soon as I got the payment.

I was ecstatic.  Selling online is like a waiting game.  But it's ok since I still have my day job to do.  Posting pictures was easy.  The problem?  I need to think of more items that I can sell.  The ideas of what to sell came right to me.  But that's another story.

To cut it all short.  PinayShopper was born right after the first sale.  For me, you're not yet an online seller until after somebody bought your item, pay for it and you ship.

 Photo by:  FreeAuctionDesigns.com

Happy selling!