Putting Up My Online Store

I've been busy for the past two weeks putting into reality my dream of having an online store.  I timed putting up My Gift Shop this October to take advantage of the Christmas gift buying frenzy.  I sell scented candles, perfumes inspired by well-known brands and cosmetics.  

My Gift Shop

My store should address the needs of why people buy online in the first place.  From my experiences in buying items be it food or what have you, booking flight reservations and  paying for seminars through my credit cards or through cash payment portals, my main argument was convenience.  I need not go out of my house to get things that otherwise could be purchased from the web.  True there are fees like delivery rates that a buyer shoulders when buying online but if you thing about it, the delivery charge is just a small price to pay.  Try putting a price to the fuel that your car consumed in going to the nearest mall to buy that item.  Chances are it is cheaper paying for the delivery charge than going to the physical store.

Another thing that makes buying online attractive is that it is most of the time cheaper.  Sellers have minimal overhead expenses maintaining an online store.

When my dream of an online store was about to be hatched, I thought of what items to sell bearing in mind the reasons why people buy online.  I thought of gift items for my first ever online store as Christmas is just around the corner.  Again from past experience, home decor like scented candles, toiletries, perfumes and cosmetics are popular gift items.  But for my retailing business to succeed, I have to partner with payment gateways like PayPal, Cashsense, banks, and telecommunications companies for Smart Money and GCash to make it very convenient on the buyer.  This is literally shopping at your fingertips!

At first I was apprehensive in buying online because of the many horror stories that I heard about credit card scams that came about from divulging credit card information when purchasing online.  This has already been addressed with the emergence of bank debit cards, virtual cards and cash payment gateways like PayPal, Cashsense, GCash and Smart Money.  No need to give out credit card details.

It not enough to have payment gateways, it pays to partner with a reliable courier service company like Xend, OCS, LBC, JRS, Aboitiz ToGo.  Delivery charges are shouldered by the buyer.

To date My Gift Shop is still a work in progress.  I am customizing the theme of my website to give it a distinct and personalized touch with the help of professionals.  I also attended the PayPal 101 Workshop under Eireen Diokno Bernardo to know more about PayPal and putting up an online store.  I am also not letting up on finding unique items both locally and internationally.

I hope dear readers you will visit My Gift Shop.  We know we have something that will appeal to you that you or your loved one will treasure.

True Friendship

For the past weeks, the news feed of my Facebook account had been flooded with sayings, words of wisdom and quotations, ranging from the serious to the hilarious.  One of the postings that caught my attention was about true friendship.  Here goes:  

We may have a lot of good friends, but a best friend is hard to come by.  At least for me.  I treasure all my dear friends but it can't be helped that a few stand out as my best friends.  My best friends were there for me during the good times as well as the bad times.  Even though some may be thousand of miles away, I know that they are just a phone call away.  Physical presence is not necessary to show their love and support but if they happen to be around town or nearby, that is a bonus.  

http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ5-Gh_66OPMhfeMSBNBK3rOnuvDGO0

To all my best friends, thank you for your friendship, love and moral support.  Looking forward to sharing menopausal tales, karaoke sing-along nights, coffee breaks, birthday celebrations, online chat sessions and what have you. 

http://wallpapers.free-review.net/wallpapers/15/Cat_and_Dog_-_the_Best_Friend.jpg