Besides instant communication, and more knowledge at our fingertips than we could ever read, the internet offers us an ease of shopping never before available, especially when shopping for hot tubs. It’s as if a magic genie has given us all our shopping wishes: optimum choice, access no matter the location, and the best of prices.
Shopping on the internet allows us to select a particular store or even a brand name manufacturer if that is our shopping style. We can search by product or brand name, but either way, we are able to choose the store we feel most comfortable with to make our actual purchase. We can choose our favorite leading department store, favorite discount distributor, or even go right to the manufacturer if they offer online purchasing.
Our choice of who to buy from is only the beginning; our buying experience is further enhanced by the ability to make unlimited price comparisons. Only the internet makes it possible to compare prices of 10 different distributors of a hot tub without ever leaving the comfort of our home. Some sites offer cost comparisons within a single site, allowing a person to designate an item and to then see prices from several discount online merchants.
Because buying on the internet eliminates the need for an actual store location and staffing, prices are often at a considerable discount. Whether you are buying large items for health purposes, such as a hot tub to help your arthritis or fibromyalgia, or buying something small for spiritual purposes, such as a tiny bronze Buddha, or a medium item for purely decorative purposes, such as a brightly colored abstract framed jazz poster—all can usually be found at a fraction of the cost you might expect to pay if you purchased them in a specialty store.
Another benefit of doing our shopping online is the ability to find various ratings or evaluations of the products you are thinking about purchasing. Frequently web sites will offer various customer rankings and even customer reviews of the products, as well as web sites that offer more objective evaluations of items. Researching what you are buying can help guide your final choice, and in the end can lead to increased satisfaction with your ultimate decision.
One thing you need to consider when shopping online is the cost of having your purchase delivered. Frequently, you will be offered various speeds of delivery, with the longer you are able to wait to receive an item, the less expensive the delivery charge. Even for instant shipping, such as overnight or two-day delivery, often the discounted price is more than enough to offset the shipping. This is something you will need to think about when you make your cost comparisons. If the item will be taxed, that is, the distributor has a store in your state and is required to charge state sales tax; this should also be factored into the cost of the item.
When buying online, always consider the date that you want to have the product in your hand; ask yourself if there is a particular date that the item must arrive. This date, if it exists, will guide you in your choice of shipping method, and may, in fact, dissuade you from making a purchase that is not available by the time you need it. If your delivery requirements are more open-ended, and you have no specific time that you must receive the purchase by, you will have more flexibility in both shipping methods and who you order from.
Since more and more people have turned to the internet for their shopping needs, companies have developed ways to safeguard your personal information, especially credit card information. Look for assurances that your information is protected. If you are still wary of giving such information online, many internet companies allow you to print out order forms, and mail or fax them with your check or credit card information. While this may take a bit longer, it can be reassuring if you still do not feel comfortable providing such personal information, like your credit card number and expiration date, online.
Internet shopping also makes record keeping a breeze; printing a copy of your online order is often as simple as pushing your “print” button. The shipper almost always provides an order confirmation or code, which can be quickly jotted down and kept in a safe place near your computer. Many shippers, besides confirming your order by e-mail, will also confirm the date of shipment and inform you of the tracking number for the shipment. Some merchants even have places on their web sites where you can check the progress of your order, where it offers you several responses, such as awaiting shipment, shipped on a specific date, or expected arrival date.
If you are seeking a very specific or unusual gift, online shopping is often a wise choice. Want a specific animal breed cup for a loved one, or a towel featuring a certain college sports team? Instead of becoming frustrated when your local stores do not carry exactly what you want, the internet can locate even the most esoteric characters and team mascots. It is as if you are able to travel the world, shopping for that special gift to delight your loved one, that gift that says how much you truly care. Sometimes, if the item is very specific, you may have to search several sites before locating exactly what you want, but your chances for procuring a specific item are definitely enhanced by shopping online.
On a cold, rainy day, many of us dread taking an unnecessary trip outside the house. On just such days, we can easily do our shopping online, wearing our most comfortable clothes, sipping our favorite hot chocolate and watching the weather from a cozy vantage point in our own home. Imagine doing almost all of your holiday or birthday shopping for the year in a single afternoon? With the internet, this becomes a real possibility, saving you time, stress and money. Makes you glad to be alive in this day and age, doesn’t it?
woensdag 29 juli 2009
dinsdag 28 juli 2009
5 eBay Selling Tips for Newbies
I’m directing this article to those who are just starting their eBay Selling Venture. Whether you’re selling books, DVDs, CDs, collectibles or clothing, all things (with the exception of eBooks and services) need to be mailed. And it’s the postage, handling fees and mailing that seems to cause a great deal of angst among new sellers.
You’ve heard the advice – don’t overcharge for shipping. That is very good advice, indeed, as nothing turns off potential buyers like sellers who gouge you on the shipping costs. It’s also a practice that can rack up bad feedback.
However, I’m going to play Devil’s Advocate here and suggest that you don’t go overboard and give so much of a break on shipping that you’re chipping away at your profits. It’s good to remember the “hidden costs” of shipping: bubble wrap to secure your breakables, tape, shipping envelopes, boxes, etc. Then there’s the gas you put in your car to take all those trips to the post office.
You might think I’m being cheap, but, if you added up all your eBay expenses for the year (as some did for their recent taxes) you might be shocked to see how all the packing materials and gas for your car added up and took a little chunk out of your eBay profits. And, believe me, they do add up.
Some people are even more surprised to find they underestimated the weight of their packages, causing their profits to shrink even further.
How can you be fair to both you and your buyers?
1. Buy a scale. It may sound simple, but purchasing a scale can save you a bundle in shipping. If you’re just eyeballing the weight of the package, you can often times guess too low, and be in for quite a shock when you go to the post office and see the package is going to cost twice what you thought to ship.
2. Know the dimensions of your packaging before listing the item. Some packages cost more to ship because of their dimensions. Knowing the weight alone isn’t enough.
3. Offer the buyer a variety of shipping methods. Some prefer speedy delivery with Express mailing, while some prefer to save money with parcel post even though the wait is longer. It’s always a good idea when using parcel post or other slower ground shipping to alert the buyer by email that it can take anywhere from 8 to 10 days.
4. Save yourself money whenever possible by using boxes that have been used. Most stores are more than happy to let you rummage through their old boxes and take some home with you. But, do remember to choose boxes that are presentable, secure and strong enough for your items. And, if you have breakables, don’t skimp on the bubble wrap.
5. Give yourself a small handling fee that will cover your expenses. Some sellers add on an additional $1 or $2 to the shipping fees for their handling fees (depending on the cost of the item and how much packaging you have to use). I really advocate doing this because your expenses will add up if you do a lot of selling on eBay. Be sure to be upfront with your buyers that you have a small handling fee so they can’t complain about it later.
Being fair to both yourself and your buyer will keep you both happy, and keep more of your profit in your pocket.
You’ve heard the advice – don’t overcharge for shipping. That is very good advice, indeed, as nothing turns off potential buyers like sellers who gouge you on the shipping costs. It’s also a practice that can rack up bad feedback.
However, I’m going to play Devil’s Advocate here and suggest that you don’t go overboard and give so much of a break on shipping that you’re chipping away at your profits. It’s good to remember the “hidden costs” of shipping: bubble wrap to secure your breakables, tape, shipping envelopes, boxes, etc. Then there’s the gas you put in your car to take all those trips to the post office.
You might think I’m being cheap, but, if you added up all your eBay expenses for the year (as some did for their recent taxes) you might be shocked to see how all the packing materials and gas for your car added up and took a little chunk out of your eBay profits. And, believe me, they do add up.
Some people are even more surprised to find they underestimated the weight of their packages, causing their profits to shrink even further.
How can you be fair to both you and your buyers?
1. Buy a scale. It may sound simple, but purchasing a scale can save you a bundle in shipping. If you’re just eyeballing the weight of the package, you can often times guess too low, and be in for quite a shock when you go to the post office and see the package is going to cost twice what you thought to ship.
2. Know the dimensions of your packaging before listing the item. Some packages cost more to ship because of their dimensions. Knowing the weight alone isn’t enough.
3. Offer the buyer a variety of shipping methods. Some prefer speedy delivery with Express mailing, while some prefer to save money with parcel post even though the wait is longer. It’s always a good idea when using parcel post or other slower ground shipping to alert the buyer by email that it can take anywhere from 8 to 10 days.
4. Save yourself money whenever possible by using boxes that have been used. Most stores are more than happy to let you rummage through their old boxes and take some home with you. But, do remember to choose boxes that are presentable, secure and strong enough for your items. And, if you have breakables, don’t skimp on the bubble wrap.
5. Give yourself a small handling fee that will cover your expenses. Some sellers add on an additional $1 or $2 to the shipping fees for their handling fees (depending on the cost of the item and how much packaging you have to use). I really advocate doing this because your expenses will add up if you do a lot of selling on eBay. Be sure to be upfront with your buyers that you have a small handling fee so they can’t complain about it later.
Being fair to both yourself and your buyer will keep you both happy, and keep more of your profit in your pocket.
maandag 27 juli 2009
WYSIWYG?
Many web sites seem to have graphics and moving images on their pages, some even have music, personally I think that music Is just wasted space on a website anyway, as a large percentage of people don’t even have their volume on. If you want to incorporate music it is good practice to let the visitor decide if they want to listen to it or not and give them a play and stop button.
The problem with this is the time it takes for the page to load.
Many visitors to a website will not wait for the graphics to download they will simply back out and go to the next website in the listings and you have just lost yourself a sale.
High resolution graphics and music is fine for most people with a high speed broadband connection, but if you have anything less than that then waiting for graphics to download on a web page is very frustrating.
For the web designer themselves it is wise to test the website you have created on a 28.8 connection speed and see how fast your site downloads, it should be viewable within about 3 – 4 seconds maximum. It is recommended also that a site be no larger than 50k, you can still fit great graphics and content into a site with around 30k of content.
A tip is to make your graphics smaller in size and to use fewer colours, instead of a million, use 216 and try to keep your images smaller than 4k.
Instead of using graphics you can try colouring the cells, or changing the colour of borders. If you experiment a little the effects can be fantastic and obviously the less graphics you are using, the faster your webpage will load.
The thing to remember when developing a website is that less is more, we live in a world where we want everything now, so give the customer what they want!
The problem with this is the time it takes for the page to load.
Many visitors to a website will not wait for the graphics to download they will simply back out and go to the next website in the listings and you have just lost yourself a sale.
High resolution graphics and music is fine for most people with a high speed broadband connection, but if you have anything less than that then waiting for graphics to download on a web page is very frustrating.
For the web designer themselves it is wise to test the website you have created on a 28.8 connection speed and see how fast your site downloads, it should be viewable within about 3 – 4 seconds maximum. It is recommended also that a site be no larger than 50k, you can still fit great graphics and content into a site with around 30k of content.
A tip is to make your graphics smaller in size and to use fewer colours, instead of a million, use 216 and try to keep your images smaller than 4k.
Instead of using graphics you can try colouring the cells, or changing the colour of borders. If you experiment a little the effects can be fantastic and obviously the less graphics you are using, the faster your webpage will load.
The thing to remember when developing a website is that less is more, we live in a world where we want everything now, so give the customer what they want!
zondag 26 juli 2009
5 Big Internet Business Lies
You have heard from people saying Internet Business is a waste of time, you will not make any money, there is no real money to be made online, it will never work and so many others negative words coming from people who don’t really understand in this Internet Business industry.
The thing is, it does work. Why some people make a fortune and some don’t even make money at all? Simply because the people who make thousands or millions of cash knew all the lies in this business and they will not trust these lies.
So what is this big internet lies? Below here are the 10 big internet lies that you should know:
1. Starting And Running A Business On The Internet Is Expensive
Do you know that you can start your business with zero cost? You can actually earn your income by joining a very high quality affiliate program. Usually, as an affiliate marketer, your job is concentrating on marketing only. All the follow up, delivery of the product, answering questions from customers and so on are done by the owner of the program.
Usually the ‘expensive’ statement often comes from people who are living in non-U.S. countries, especially if the country’s local currency is smaller than that of the U.S. Dollar. If it is not a currency issue, it is a vision issue. See and think small to get small. See and think big and your results will have a tendency to match your thoughts.
2. You Can Make Easy Money From The Internet
Most people believe you can make money overnight and by not doing anything at all. If it is what you have in mind right now, this myth is what sets the realistic apart from the unrealistic. You have probably heard of stories of how people make 5 to 6 figure incomes in the shortest period of time imaginable.
These stories might be true but did you know most of them have failed so miserably several times before they can really make money? They have learned from their mistakes and move on. It may seem as if some gurus are overnight successes with the wild numbers some people have brought in during a day or a week selling information or products online.
Some interesting facts about overnight success – it normally takes months if not years to realize. In other words, they prepare, they create a joint ventures, they get ready and then build up anticipation for a launch – then BOOM it explodes!
3. You Must Know HTML, Programming And Graphic Designing In Order To Start Your Business
You don’t need to know all of these at all. Period. In fact, one of the biggest shockers was the discovery that most of the biggest on the gurus today do not have the first clue as to how to build a web page.
These gurus earned more money because they knew how to reach people. They either outsource for professional help or establish Joint Ventures with other individuals who can compensate their lack of knowledge in any one of these areas.
As a matter of fact, most successful people are true successes because they only focus their time on what brings them successes.
If you want to create your web pages without having to learn programming, HTML and designing skills, just find someone else that can do it for you. There are many professional web designer you can find on the Internet which you can hire them to design your web pages exactly like you wanted.
4. On The Internet, There Is No Need To Know How To Sell
This statement has make people who hate selling are attracted to ads that read “no selling required”. Think for a moment, is there any logic at all you can make money without doing anything at all? Usually these programs are usually unworkable and some are run by fly-by-night operators.
In this business, don’t try to sell to other people. Instead, you inform your potential customers. Show people what their lives would be like with what you offer and you will have a sale without selling anything at all!
5. You Don’t Have To Build A Mailing List At All
Laughing out loud – that is like saying, “I don’t want to be in business”. Put this in your head, your mailing list is as important to you as the “Yellow Pages” is to a conventional B2B business.
“The money is in the list”. You probably heard this from most gurus out there. But you should also have this word in your mind, “The money is in the relationship”. The idea of networking with people is unattractive to most who hate to sell.
Remember though, you are not selling anything. You are just showing people their life and how it can easily be enhanced by what you have to offer.
All the above are just some of the big Internet lies. Actually there are a lot more Internet lies you should stay away from. You have to be smart in order to really achieve success that you could possibly imagine. Success is like enlightenment. It is a path and not a destination.
The thing is, it does work. Why some people make a fortune and some don’t even make money at all? Simply because the people who make thousands or millions of cash knew all the lies in this business and they will not trust these lies.
So what is this big internet lies? Below here are the 10 big internet lies that you should know:
1. Starting And Running A Business On The Internet Is Expensive
Do you know that you can start your business with zero cost? You can actually earn your income by joining a very high quality affiliate program. Usually, as an affiliate marketer, your job is concentrating on marketing only. All the follow up, delivery of the product, answering questions from customers and so on are done by the owner of the program.
Usually the ‘expensive’ statement often comes from people who are living in non-U.S. countries, especially if the country’s local currency is smaller than that of the U.S. Dollar. If it is not a currency issue, it is a vision issue. See and think small to get small. See and think big and your results will have a tendency to match your thoughts.
2. You Can Make Easy Money From The Internet
Most people believe you can make money overnight and by not doing anything at all. If it is what you have in mind right now, this myth is what sets the realistic apart from the unrealistic. You have probably heard of stories of how people make 5 to 6 figure incomes in the shortest period of time imaginable.
These stories might be true but did you know most of them have failed so miserably several times before they can really make money? They have learned from their mistakes and move on. It may seem as if some gurus are overnight successes with the wild numbers some people have brought in during a day or a week selling information or products online.
Some interesting facts about overnight success – it normally takes months if not years to realize. In other words, they prepare, they create a joint ventures, they get ready and then build up anticipation for a launch – then BOOM it explodes!
3. You Must Know HTML, Programming And Graphic Designing In Order To Start Your Business
You don’t need to know all of these at all. Period. In fact, one of the biggest shockers was the discovery that most of the biggest on the gurus today do not have the first clue as to how to build a web page.
These gurus earned more money because they knew how to reach people. They either outsource for professional help or establish Joint Ventures with other individuals who can compensate their lack of knowledge in any one of these areas.
As a matter of fact, most successful people are true successes because they only focus their time on what brings them successes.
If you want to create your web pages without having to learn programming, HTML and designing skills, just find someone else that can do it for you. There are many professional web designer you can find on the Internet which you can hire them to design your web pages exactly like you wanted.
4. On The Internet, There Is No Need To Know How To Sell
This statement has make people who hate selling are attracted to ads that read “no selling required”. Think for a moment, is there any logic at all you can make money without doing anything at all? Usually these programs are usually unworkable and some are run by fly-by-night operators.
In this business, don’t try to sell to other people. Instead, you inform your potential customers. Show people what their lives would be like with what you offer and you will have a sale without selling anything at all!
5. You Don’t Have To Build A Mailing List At All
Laughing out loud – that is like saying, “I don’t want to be in business”. Put this in your head, your mailing list is as important to you as the “Yellow Pages” is to a conventional B2B business.
“The money is in the list”. You probably heard this from most gurus out there. But you should also have this word in your mind, “The money is in the relationship”. The idea of networking with people is unattractive to most who hate to sell.
Remember though, you are not selling anything. You are just showing people their life and how it can easily be enhanced by what you have to offer.
All the above are just some of the big Internet lies. Actually there are a lot more Internet lies you should stay away from. You have to be smart in order to really achieve success that you could possibly imagine. Success is like enlightenment. It is a path and not a destination.
zaterdag 25 juli 2009
3 Simple Tips For Making Money Online Even If You Don’t Have Anything To Sell!
Have an idea about making money online but don’t know where to start?
There are several ways to make money on the Internet – even if you don’t have a product to sell. Keep in mind that running an online business takes time and effort, just like running any business. However, you can get started without any products, which is one less roadblock for most people wanting to start a business.
You don’t need to be a computer expert to run an online business, but you do need to either be able to set up a website, or have the resources to pay someone else to do it for you.
Here are 3 simple ways to make money online even if you don’t have your own product:
Affiliate programs
Being an affiliate means you are selling other people’s products, and you get a percentage of the sale, or you make a small fee for each person who requests more information. Most major retailers offer affiliate programs, along with many smaller retailers (with lots of good products and services). It’s not a good idea to try to compete with an established retailer like Wal-Mart, Target, or Circuit City. A better way to make money is to find a “niche” that serves a smaller group of people, that you can easily reach.
For example, rather than selling sporting goods to everyone, you might start a fishing site that sells canoes and fishing products to people who like fresh water fishing. You can also find smaller retailers who may offer more specialized products to those who know a lot about fishing, while selling the basics from Wal-Mart to beginners.
A good place to start is Commission Junction (http://www.CJ.com), and you’ll get an idea of the products you can offer. Be creative in finding your niche, start with something you know a little about, or enjoy doing, and before long you can be making money online!
Adsense from Google
Adsense is an advertising program from search engine Google.com (there are other advertising programs you can offer, but for now Google’s is the biggest and most popular). By placing ads on your site, you earn money for each person who clicks on the ad. Google will automatically determine which ads are best for your site, based on the topic of each web page. All you have to do is place the code on your web page, and Google does the rest.
You can also sell individual ads, and determine your own terms and price. But using a program like Google is simple, and if your set gets a lot of visitors, you can make good money. Again, the best way to succeed is to find a niche, create a website around that topic, and Google will be able to determine the best ads for your visitors.
Write a “How-To” booklet
If you don’t want to sell other people’s products, but don’t have a lot of money to create your own, a simple way to get started is to write your own “how-to” booklet. Pick a topic you know enough to write about, and start writing. Information products are always good sellers – the key is to solve a particular problem. “How to catch fresh water fish” or “How to plan a fishing vacation on a tight budget” are possibilities for the fishing niche mentioned above.
To learn more, do a search for “creating information products” or “writing e-books”, and you will find lots of resources. Once you create your product, Clickbank.com offers a simple service to help you sell your information product, and there are others to help you get started.
Again, be creative, there are lots of problems out there that people need help with. And offering a good solution can make you lots of money!
Making money online takes more than just building a website. You need to pick the right products or services. Then you need to find the right audience to sell those products and services. Then you need to promote your website to enough people so you can make money. For now, you should have enough ideas to get you started – even if you don’t have a product to sell yet!
There are several ways to make money on the Internet – even if you don’t have a product to sell. Keep in mind that running an online business takes time and effort, just like running any business. However, you can get started without any products, which is one less roadblock for most people wanting to start a business.
You don’t need to be a computer expert to run an online business, but you do need to either be able to set up a website, or have the resources to pay someone else to do it for you.
Here are 3 simple ways to make money online even if you don’t have your own product:
Affiliate programs
Being an affiliate means you are selling other people’s products, and you get a percentage of the sale, or you make a small fee for each person who requests more information. Most major retailers offer affiliate programs, along with many smaller retailers (with lots of good products and services). It’s not a good idea to try to compete with an established retailer like Wal-Mart, Target, or Circuit City. A better way to make money is to find a “niche” that serves a smaller group of people, that you can easily reach.
For example, rather than selling sporting goods to everyone, you might start a fishing site that sells canoes and fishing products to people who like fresh water fishing. You can also find smaller retailers who may offer more specialized products to those who know a lot about fishing, while selling the basics from Wal-Mart to beginners.
A good place to start is Commission Junction (http://www.CJ.com), and you’ll get an idea of the products you can offer. Be creative in finding your niche, start with something you know a little about, or enjoy doing, and before long you can be making money online!
Adsense from Google
Adsense is an advertising program from search engine Google.com (there are other advertising programs you can offer, but for now Google’s is the biggest and most popular). By placing ads on your site, you earn money for each person who clicks on the ad. Google will automatically determine which ads are best for your site, based on the topic of each web page. All you have to do is place the code on your web page, and Google does the rest.
You can also sell individual ads, and determine your own terms and price. But using a program like Google is simple, and if your set gets a lot of visitors, you can make good money. Again, the best way to succeed is to find a niche, create a website around that topic, and Google will be able to determine the best ads for your visitors.
Write a “How-To” booklet
If you don’t want to sell other people’s products, but don’t have a lot of money to create your own, a simple way to get started is to write your own “how-to” booklet. Pick a topic you know enough to write about, and start writing. Information products are always good sellers – the key is to solve a particular problem. “How to catch fresh water fish” or “How to plan a fishing vacation on a tight budget” are possibilities for the fishing niche mentioned above.
To learn more, do a search for “creating information products” or “writing e-books”, and you will find lots of resources. Once you create your product, Clickbank.com offers a simple service to help you sell your information product, and there are others to help you get started.
Again, be creative, there are lots of problems out there that people need help with. And offering a good solution can make you lots of money!
Making money online takes more than just building a website. You need to pick the right products or services. Then you need to find the right audience to sell those products and services. Then you need to promote your website to enough people so you can make money. For now, you should have enough ideas to get you started – even if you don’t have a product to sell yet!
vrijdag 24 juli 2009
3 Legitimate Reasons For Getting An Immediate Product Refund
So now that you've finally decided to purchase that product and can't wait to try it out, you have to find out that it does anything else but what you've expected. Don't worry, you still have a chance to get your money back with the following tips for getting an immediate product refund.
1. False advertising
"Get 10.000 hits to your website in 24 hours". Such tempting promises might sure make you wanna flip out your credit card immediately. But when you apply the methods or use the software and have to find out that those 10.000 hits might really result in 10, then this is a legitimate reason for requesting a refund. Unfortunately it's not always that easy. Many vendors get around such false advertising by stating in the fine print that these results cannot be guaranteed. Therefore always keep an eye on such statements and if you cannot believe what's advertised then search for product reviews using your favorite search engine.
2. Product outdated
Believe it or not, but I've seen products that were still advertised and happily took the money out of the customers' pockets but were totally outdated or didn't work anymore. I once bought a product that could not be downloaded anymore but still had the sales page up and running, it even displayed the current date indicating the end of a special promotion. Every attempt to contact the creator of the software failed and after I read in a forum that I wasn't the only one not being able to download the software, I contacted the credit card processing company and got my money back.
3. Usability
Not every software is as user-friendly as Windows (you got the joke, right?!), which can be frustrating if you want nothing more than use it immediately. For most complex software products there exist written tutorials that exactly describe how to use them and sometimes even video tutorials that make the product handling even easier. If you've read and watched all tutorials and still cannot manage to use the product, then state this to the creator and you should get that refund.
If you've contacted the product creator and still were not able to get a refund despite some legitimate and acceptable reasons, not all hope is gone. Most marketplaces offer a refund guarantee for products that were sold through them (e. g. Clickbank offers its customers a general refund policy of 8 weeks after the product purchase, for a vendor like PayDotCom you have to contact the credit card processor like Paypal which has a refund policy of 60 days).
It is always suggested to clearly state the reason for your product refund and to keep a friendly communication style. Even if the product is not worth a single penny it doesn't make things easier when you insult the creator. Try to show that you've really tried to use the product in an efficient way, maybe attach some screenshots, include suggestions what could be better, etc. The product creator might loose you as a customer but still can benefit from your experience and will most of the time happily give you the refund.
Whatever you do, please be fair. It's just not right to purchase a product which you badly want and then request a refund to get your money back but still continue to use the product. Most marketplaces (Clickbank, PayDotCom) tolerate 2 or even more refunds, but after that you might not be able to purchase anything again through the specific company.
1. False advertising
"Get 10.000 hits to your website in 24 hours". Such tempting promises might sure make you wanna flip out your credit card immediately. But when you apply the methods or use the software and have to find out that those 10.000 hits might really result in 10, then this is a legitimate reason for requesting a refund. Unfortunately it's not always that easy. Many vendors get around such false advertising by stating in the fine print that these results cannot be guaranteed. Therefore always keep an eye on such statements and if you cannot believe what's advertised then search for product reviews using your favorite search engine.
2. Product outdated
Believe it or not, but I've seen products that were still advertised and happily took the money out of the customers' pockets but were totally outdated or didn't work anymore. I once bought a product that could not be downloaded anymore but still had the sales page up and running, it even displayed the current date indicating the end of a special promotion. Every attempt to contact the creator of the software failed and after I read in a forum that I wasn't the only one not being able to download the software, I contacted the credit card processing company and got my money back.
3. Usability
Not every software is as user-friendly as Windows (you got the joke, right?!), which can be frustrating if you want nothing more than use it immediately. For most complex software products there exist written tutorials that exactly describe how to use them and sometimes even video tutorials that make the product handling even easier. If you've read and watched all tutorials and still cannot manage to use the product, then state this to the creator and you should get that refund.
If you've contacted the product creator and still were not able to get a refund despite some legitimate and acceptable reasons, not all hope is gone. Most marketplaces offer a refund guarantee for products that were sold through them (e. g. Clickbank offers its customers a general refund policy of 8 weeks after the product purchase, for a vendor like PayDotCom you have to contact the credit card processor like Paypal which has a refund policy of 60 days).
It is always suggested to clearly state the reason for your product refund and to keep a friendly communication style. Even if the product is not worth a single penny it doesn't make things easier when you insult the creator. Try to show that you've really tried to use the product in an efficient way, maybe attach some screenshots, include suggestions what could be better, etc. The product creator might loose you as a customer but still can benefit from your experience and will most of the time happily give you the refund.
Whatever you do, please be fair. It's just not right to purchase a product which you badly want and then request a refund to get your money back but still continue to use the product. Most marketplaces (Clickbank, PayDotCom) tolerate 2 or even more refunds, but after that you might not be able to purchase anything again through the specific company.
donderdag 23 juli 2009
Magazine Online Subscriptions – Staying Up to Date
Online commerce and content distribution has changed the face of the publishing industry and most well known magazines have an online version available. However, if you are still a firm believer of reading a magazine when reclining on a lazy-boy then you can go ahead and subscribe to the print version of the magazine. However, the process of subscribing for the magazine can be completed online within a few minutes and you can start expecting you magazines within a few days rather than the long wait which is normal when subscriptions are sent in by post.
One of the key things you will need to complete the process of magazine online subscriptions is a valid credit card. You should also ensure that the subscription page is officially from the website of the magazine and is secured. You will see a small lock at the bottom of the browser to confirm the security status of the page. Apart from the credit card, the online form will require complete shipping address where the magazine is to be delivered. It is always useful to add a landmark.
Since many magazine publishers are looking at online users, you are likely to get a good bargain (sometimes better than the subscription leaflet in the print version). Publishers having multiple magazines often club subscriptions or promise a few issues free of charge in order to capture the subscriber’s interest. One of the most prominent offers which have been doing the rounds online is the Time magazine offer for three free issues and then subscription if you like. So if you are keen on a particular magazine, do check the online site to see I there is any subscription facility available online.
One of the key things you will need to complete the process of magazine online subscriptions is a valid credit card. You should also ensure that the subscription page is officially from the website of the magazine and is secured. You will see a small lock at the bottom of the browser to confirm the security status of the page. Apart from the credit card, the online form will require complete shipping address where the magazine is to be delivered. It is always useful to add a landmark.
Since many magazine publishers are looking at online users, you are likely to get a good bargain (sometimes better than the subscription leaflet in the print version). Publishers having multiple magazines often club subscriptions or promise a few issues free of charge in order to capture the subscriber’s interest. One of the most prominent offers which have been doing the rounds online is the Time magazine offer for three free issues and then subscription if you like. So if you are keen on a particular magazine, do check the online site to see I there is any subscription facility available online.
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