Wahms Helper

Archive for May, 2010

I’ve written about OpenOffice.org before — a couple of times! because I really like it. I like that it is quality, powerful, open source, software with all the features of the more expensive commercial packages. I like it because it is not a Microsoft product. And I like it because it is FREE!

But, like any good product, there is probably a significant learning curve to its use. This is often the primary reason for sticking with what you have and never moving on to something that is actually better. And I do think OpenOffice.org is better!

The good news is there is a great, free, tutorial site that provides extensive training on the OpenOffice.org product and, to make things even better, it is also FREE! Check out this site:

http://www.learnopenoffice.org/index.htm

Ev and Leo live in a beautiful part of the country and are developing an online business from their home outside Portland, Oregon. In addition to their new website for collectible sports magazines, old car ads, and other memorabilia (kollection-konnection) they have branched out into magazine subscriptions.

It’s a natural. People read magazines — lots of them — but they can’t always find where to sign up for a subscription. Sure, schools offer them from time to time as fund raisers but where is a school kid and a pencil when you need one?

Having an easy-to-use website available (Wishing Well Magazines) whenever you decide you want to sign up for that favorite magazine you can’t always find at the grocery store rack, or for something to help with your new hobby, or just to stay up on world events, is an excellent idea.

With almost 1500 magazines to choose from their site is bound to have something you will be interested in. Prices are excellent, too.

How would you use a website? eBay’s recent change in fees make storing large numbers of slow selling items in store inventory less affordable. The base price for a store, with even minimally affordable monthly, good till canceled (GTC) listing fees is nearly $50.00 a month. At five cents per item per month the costs roll up quickly. A thousand items, not unusual for many sellers, takes the basic price to $100.00 a month, and final value fees (sales commissions) takes it through the roof.

Using a site like eBay as a tactical lead generation site within your over all strategy has been a good idea for a long time now and many, including myself, have written on the topic but it makes more sense today than ever before. It is now possible to get a professional, branded, multi-page, website complete with shopping cart for an affordable fee, typically less than the monthly fee for an eBay store; a website that has no listing fees or sales commissions for an unlimited number of listed items.

Your own Website can be your holding place for those slow-selling or bulk items that used to sit for an affordable three cents each month after month in your eBay store. Now they can sit, and sell, for free. Use eBay to list fast moving items and to generate a customer base you redirect to your website. Over time the regular traffic, the return customers, on your website can produce more business — more profitable business! — than your eBay efforts ever did.

It’s a big step, and it is often difficult to overcome the inertia that sets in if you’ve been doing the same thing over and over month after month. Stepping out into a new area — any new area — is always difficult. Taking on a website can be at the top of the difficult list, especially if it is done wrong, but there are options available today that make it all much easier and also much more affordable.

Personal business websites no longer need to cost a thousand dollars or more; not even five or six hundred. Prices have fallen below the two hundred dollar mark and, in many cases, installation and setup is free. Rental sites are being offered with no installation or setup fees but at prices less than an eBay store. And your not alone with some confusing site builder either.

These current sites include hosting and tech support, as well as supporting a range of payment processors in excellent shopping carts. They are easy to manage, easy to use, and it is easy to list products. These new sites are definitely worth a look.

[Rev. Stephen B. Henry, PhD. is a website architect who has been creating business websites since the early days of the web. He currently works with WordPress and offers affordable website solutions to online sellers.]