No Zing In Bling

Posted: Sep 30, 2010 08:40 AM by Eugene Bukoveczky



Fewer Now Saying It with Diamonds

Judging by the recent sales data emerging from the jewelry industry, it now appears that the persistence of tough times for a sizable swath of middle America is continuing to force many to forgo those small relatively inexpensive items of "bling" that would normally be a natural purchase for anyone in a relationship. And that trend appears to be taking its toll on a once thriving industry.

Sales Slump Still Hurting Zales

Among the major casualties of this spending slowdown on jewelry is Zales (NYSE:ZLC), a jewelry retailer who's business targeting the "middle" jewelry market continues to suffer due to a combination of shrinking overall demand and intensifying competition over what remains. While the company managed to pare back its losses from horrendous to slightly better than expected in its latest quarter, the company's same store sales, a key measure of retail health, continue to head lower.

New CEO Pulls Company Back from Brink

Coming up with a new strategy to turn sales around will no doubt be uppermost on the mind of newly installed Zales' CEO, Theo Killion. His move into the top executive's seat comes after a several months of holding the reins on an interim basis during which time he navigated the company through a funding crisis and kept alive a critical relationship with Citigroup (NYSE:C), who arranges the issuance of the retailer's branded credit card. Roughly 40% of Zale's U.S. sales are made using those cards.

Sales Slowdown Industry Wide

But while Killion's recent efforts may have pulled the company back from the brink, turning it into a profitable operation won't be easy. The slump in "mid-market" jewelry sales looks to be broad and deep. Rivals such as Signet Jewelers (NYSE:SIG) and Tiffany & Co. (NYSE:TIF), whose overall sales numbers have been buoyed by recovery in sales to high-end customers, have nevertheless reported soft sales of lower priced items.

To read the rest of the article, click the below link:
http://stocks.investopedia.com/stock-analysis/2010/No-Zing-In-Bling...

Everything That Glitters - Is It Fine Gold? Do Internet Venues Have A Responsibility To Ensure Listings Are Legal?

This post is to help you understand a little more about jewelry, it's creation and what the FTC states is the proper way to sell jewelry. It will also include information about a recent mishap by an online seller (not us) in selling their jewelry. We are also going to touch on the responsibilities of online selling venues when sellers list jewelry items in manner that is inconsistent with the FTC rules, guidelines and laws.

Shopping on the internet for fine jewelry can be a challenge, to say the least. When you are looking at a piece and you read the description, sometimes you may wonder exactly what materials are really used in creating it. Some sellers do not disclose all of the necessary information for you to make an educated decision in making a purchase.

We sell Black Hills Gold jewelry and a few other jewelry items on the internet and we try very hard to give the necessary information for our potential buyers to know exactly what they are getting. Many other sellers do a great job of this also.

Take a look at these pictures, can you tell which is 14K gold, gold filled, gold plated or so-called layered gold?
Hint: Only one piece is 14 karat gold.
On the internet, it is next to impossible to know what you are getting until it arrives in the mail. After all, you can not see the actual item or check for markings that would help in analyzing the item. All you have to go on is the sellers picture and description. You see it is gold colored, shiny and looks to be the real thing. Sometimes, you don't even know after it arrives, unless you take it to a jeweler for an appraisal.

You may be wondering why we are writing this.

A buyer on one of the venues we sell on contacted us and asked us to take a look at a listing for an item that they had purchased and received. They felt that the listing was deceptive and that what they got was not 18K gold as was stated. When they got the item they - "immediately knew that something was wrong, because if they were 18k they would have been tiny. Instead they were big. Then I looked and no mark of 18k on the earrings." - As stated by the buyer.

So, we went to the listing to take a look and were shocked. The listing stated:

"This is a pair of two toned gold butterfly earrings. They are a little more than 1/2 inch high and also a little more than a half inch wide. This beautiful jewelry is nickel free and it will never tarnish. Is it solid gold? No, there is no such thing and it is definitely not plated, it is 18 Karat Gold. It is sold in fine jewelry stores all over the world and I am offering it to you at a fraction of their price."

(We highlighted the deceptive text that tells the buyer they are getting 18K jewelry.)

The seller also had a list of keywords in the listing but the words that were most apt to cause further belief that the items were in fact 18K were:

18 Karat Gold, White Gold, and Yellow Gold

Also, there was a link within the listing which offered more info on the jewelry that the seller offered. It states:

"This is “Real Gold” , but not “Solid Gold”. It is manufactured in a 7 layer process. This is not plated gold or gold filled. It is a seven layer process that makes top quality, hypo allergenic, nickel and lead free GOLD Jewelry affordable without the high price tag of “Solid Gold”! It consists of layers of 24k, 18k AND 22k solid gold over 3 very thin base layers of special high quality metals, topped off with a clear protective finish for strength and lasting beauty. Perfect for everyday wear or stunning pieces just for special occasions!! This will not “chip” , peel, flake, “turn”, or rust.
--
(We highlighted and underlined the most revealing portions of the above text from the seller.)

Ok, so a buyer of this item is now totally mixed up as to what they are getting and unless they know a bit about jewelry, they believe they are really getting 18K fine jewelry. Of course, that is not the case. The seller is really offering gold plated jewelry. The dead give away is the 7 layer process. The buyer is not getting fine jewelry and we know of no fine jewelry stores that offer this kind of jewelry. It is merely costume jewelry.Once we saw this, we contacted the support staff on the site and were met with less than positive results. The seller changed the titles of the listings to remove 18K from them but the listings descriptions remained the same and are still deceptive to the buyers. The seller also did not remove the verbiage about not being gold plated. The titles still used the word gold without a proper qualifier. So, we contacted support again and stated the laws and etc only to be met with the following:

"We are not the law, we are XX.com. We do not enforce the law. We do not enforce whether you or anyone else follows the law, that is up to the individual seller to do so. Same goes for any one else on the site, they are responsible for themselves. We do not want any of our users imposing their beliefs or their interpretations of the law on any of our users. They are responsible for themselves, not for any one else on the site.

We have addressed the seller, they have made the changes and we are satisfied with those changes. Additionally the seller has 100% feedback."
--

So, that basically is telling us to mind our own business and the site is going to do nothing about this seller intentionally taking advantage of buyers. We sort of found that comment a bit funny, if it wasn't so sad, because the FTC is very clear about how jewelry is to be marketed. It doesn't take a legal degree to understand it.

We understand that the site does not enforce the law but when a violation is brought to their attention, they should handle it properly. It is our opinion that the site is aiding this ripoff if they choose to ignore it. Their own site rules state that sellers are to list their items in accordance to all laws that are applicable for the products they sell. If they are going to remove fake, counterfeit and etc items, (as they sometimes do and it should be noted that they get lots of reports from the PurseForum about fakes and not just reports on purses from there that they act on without much doubt about the reports) we believe that they also should be responsible for this. (After all, listing costume jewelry as 18K fine jewelry is listing fakes.) How else can they justify removing any products whatsoever if they are not going to apply their own site rules consistently and fairly?

We also do not believe that a seller having 100% feedback has any basis in determining the honesty of the seller or the way they represent (in this case, misrepresent) the items in their listings. This seller has only had a few sales of their jewelry items and those poor souls probably don't realize they have been ripped off. The buyer that contacted me has not left feedback yet but if they ever do, I would not expect it to be positive.

It should be noted that the buyer did get their money back with some resistance from the seller (wanting the buyer to ship the item back at the buyers expense) and the seller insisting that the item was 18K gold (and without the buyer asking for a refund, the buyer was just discussing the item content.) After the buyer refused to send the product back at her own cost becasue she didn't make the mistake, the seller told the buyer to keep the item also.

Then it gets better. The buyer sent the seller a note about the other listings they have up and questioned their gold content. The seller sent this in response:

"Hello,

You got your money back, you got your free earrings, now I am asking you to leave me alone. You know nothing about this jewelry or how it is made. Unless you know the manufacturer and have discussed with them as to how it is made, you cannot made a blanket statement and say that this jewelry is plated. It is not and I will not say that it is, that would be cheating customers.

I don’t know what your problem is, but DO NOT CONTACT me again through (site name deleted by our blog) or any other way. I have referred your message on (site name deleted by our blog) to support."
--

With that the buyer dropped the situation and went on with their life until 2 or 3 days later when the seller of the plated jewelry sent the following, completely unexpected, rude note:

"Lady, I don’t know what your problem with me is, but I would suggest that you do some research and investigating before you make a blanket statement about someones merchandise. As for asking ‘your jeweler, most of them do not know anything about any jewelry except for what they sell and they will tell you that a competitors jewelry is not ’real’ because they want your business. There is a big difference between Gold Plated and Gold Layered jewelry….

Is Gold Layered the same as Gold Plated Jewellery?
NO! Do not mistake Layered jewellery for plated jewellery as there is no comparison. Gold plated jewellery chips, flakes, and wears off. Gold Layered jewellery is fine jewellery that is in fact 15 times as thick as plated jewellery and can therefore be worn on a daily basis.

You have no idea what my jewelry is made of and for some reason you seem to think that you are an expert or else you just want me to leave (site name deleted by our blog). I don’t know and I don’t care, but if you make any more rash judgments about me or my product, I will be contacting my attorney regarding a lawsuit for harassment and lies about. me. You got a pair of free earrings that will last you a lifetime and you got your satisfaction. May God Bless You and Keep You the rest of your life."
--

Boy, talk about customer service (or intimidation and abuse)! It's hard to believe that anyone would act like that after being questioned about their jewelry and its gold content, especially if the items were in fact - 18K and not a lesser product.

Seems to us that the seller is feeling pretty defensive after getting caught in what appears to be a pack of lies and they don't like questions very much.

At first we gave the seller the benefit of the doubt when looking at their listings. We thought maybe they hooked up with a supplier that told them all of this stuff and the seller didn't know any better BUT now, it appears the guilt is making them very aggressive.
--

Look What We Just Found!

We found this interesting Squidoo Lens, it talks about "layered gold jewlery," a "7 layer process," and being "lead & nickel free" (same kind of statements as the above seller was using.)
http://www.squidoo.com/gold_layered_jewellery

We then went to the website noted in the Lens:
http://www.glorisjewels.com/

When clicking on the above sites "about" tab, we found the same description as the seller was using in this post.

And note, in part of the sellers emails above - they used 2 terms - jewelry and jewellery. We believe that the seller was copying and pasting the information where they are using the term jewellry (with the double l and an extra e) because that is not a normal way for a US seller to spell the word jewelry but on the website, which is Canada based, it would be normal for them to spell it that way, as is noted throughout their site.

Also, this site makes the same statement as the seller in this story:
Is Gold Layered the same as Gold Plated Jewellery?
NO! Do not mistake Layered jewellery for plated jewellery as there is no comparison. Gold plated jewellery chips, flakes, and wears off. Gold Layered jewellery is fine jewellery that is in fact 15 times as thick as plated jewellery and can therefore be worn on a daily basis.
http://www.glorisjewels.com/what_is_gold_layered_jewellery_

Here's a graphic from the above page showing the process.
Note all of the layers in relation to the base metal portion BEFORE any gold is supposedly applied. Also note that out of the "7 layers," only 3 of the layers consist of any reported gold in this diagram. This gold is completely different and not even close to the same family as a product that is created in karat gold. Karat gold does NOT go through this kind of "layering process." When looking at the above graphic, there does not appear to be very much gold content to these pieces.

Also on the website it states that the "layers" of base metals are fused "with heat" for a certain amount of time which is controlled by special equipment. (This sounds very much like a plating process to us.)

To us and in our opinion, it is just a fancy way of saying plating and a new advertising gimmick to make possible buyers think they are getting more than what they are paying for.

We don't know if this is the supplier that the seller in this story is using but we find the similarities are worth noting. Oh, and they do have a reseller program.
Gold jewelry is created several different ways:

Die Struck

The method in which metals are mechanically hammered into hardened steel dies to produce definite impressions. This process is used on a lot of signet rings.

Cast

The method in which metals are poured or forced into molds which have cavities in the shape or form of the articles to be produced. Of the various casting processes, lost-wax casting is the one most commonly used. Lost-wax casting means the item is first sculpted from wax. The original wax sculpture, or a copy of it, is then used to make a mold and is lost in the actual casting process (thus the name lost wax casting).

Note: Black Hills Gold is created via lost wax casting.

You can find a video we have on our blog about lost wax casting here:
http://thereevesreport.blogspot.com/2009/08/jewelry-casting-general-information.html

Gold Filled & Rolled-Gold Plate

Continuous plates of metal are covered mechanically by means such as soldering, brazing, or welding. The karat gold used is at least 10kt fine, and this gold covering can be applied to one or more surfaces of the base metal. Many quality costume jewelry manufacturers use this process to imitate the karat gold look of fine jewelry. Gold filled or rolled gold jewelry is not as durable as karat fine jewelry, however, because the actual layer of gold on the item is extremely thin.

Gold Electroplate

Electroplate is the process of affixing a plate or layer of fine gold onto a base of metal by an electrolytic process (uses electricity and chemicals). This process can be used to improve appearance and to prevent disintegration. Since the gold plate used won't stick to most gemstones, you can have your problem costume jewelry plated to improve its appearance, or to help if you are experiencing discoloration from your costume or fine jewelry onto your skin. Like gold plate, this process imitates the karat gold look of fine jewelry, but is not as durable due to the thin layer of gold.

Here's a link to more info on gold filled and elecroplating: http://www.artisanplating.com/articles/goldfilled.html#manufacturing

What is karated gold jewelry?

All gold castings start with pure 24 karat gold. 24 karat gold is too soft to use to make jewelry. For jewelry, this pure gold is mixed with an alloy to provide the strength needed for continued wear. These alloys may be copper, zinc, silicon, nickel, silver or boron to name a few. The mixture of metals then designates the gold as 18K, 14K or 10K and so on rather than pure 24K.

The requirements to label a product as being gold filled:

Gold filled is a hollow tube of usually 14K gold (sometimes 10K is used) that is filled with another metal. The exterior of the gold filled jewelry is solid karated gold and everything you can see or touch is a solid layer of karated gold.

In the USA this process is referred to as ‘gold filled’. In Europe the same process will be called ‘rolled gold’. Both terms are synonymous with each other. Many jewelry purchasers outside the jewelry trade mistakenly think 'gold filled' is the same as 'gold-plate'. 'Gold filled is a much higher quality product.

As less gold is being used gold-filled or rolled gold jewelry is a cost effective alternative to karated gold jewelry.

How to tell what you are buying:

Any manufacturers selling karat gold jewelry must designate its purity and stamp the ring with their hallmark (a unique symbol for their business). This hallmark and designation are usually placed on the underside of the jewelry and will be in extremely small script.

Check out any gold rings or wedding bands that you have to find the hallmark. You should see both a manufacturer’s symbol and a designation such as 10K or 14K punched into the metal.

If you have purchased some karated gold rings that only have the purity designation stamped into the metal - not to worry. This indicates that the jewelry was artisan crafted and not mass-produced by a manufacturer.

(From what is karated gold to this point was offered at: http://www.suite101.com/content/karated-gold-versus-gold-filled-a12910)

The FTC has a jewelry guide which applies to persons, partnerships, or corporations, at every level of the trade (including but not limited to manufacturers, suppliers, and retailers) engaged in the business of offering for sale, selling, or distributing industry products.

These guides were set to prevent consumer deception, persons, partnerships, or corporations in the business of appraising, identifying, or grading industry products should utilize the terminology and standards set forth in the guides.

These guides apply to claims and representations about industry products included in labeling, advertising, promotional materials, and all other forms of marketing, whether asserted directly or by implication, through words, symbols, emblems, logos, illustrations, depictions, product brand names, or through any other means.

In part they state:

§ 23.4 Misrepresentation as to gold content.

(a) It is unfair or deceptive to misrepresent the presence of gold or gold alloy in an industry product, or the quantity or karat fineness of gold or gold alloy contained in the product, or the karat fineness, thickness, weight ratio, or manner of application of any gold or gold alloy plating, covering, or coating on any surface of an industry product or part thereof.

(b) The following are examples of markings or descriptions that may be misleading:

(1) Use of the word "Gold" or any abbreviation, without qualification, to describe all or part of an industry product, which is not composed throughout of fine (24 karat) gold.

(2) Use of the word "Gold" or any abbreviation to describe all or part of an industry product composed throughout of an alloy of gold, unless a correct designation of the karat fineness of the alloy immediately precedes the word "Gold" or its abbreviation, and such fineness designation is of at least equal conspicuousness.

(3) Use of the word "Gold" or any abbreviation to describe all or part of an industry product that is not composed throughout of gold or a gold alloy, but is surface-plated or coated with gold alloy, unless the word "Gold" or its abbreviation is adequately qualified to indicate that the product or part is only surface-plated.

(4) Use of the term "Gold Plate," "Gold Plated," or any abbreviation to describe all or part of an industry product unless such product or part contains a surface-plating of gold alloy, applied by any process, which is of such thickness and extent of surface coverage that reasonable durability is assured.

(5) Use of the terms "Gold Filled," "Rolled Gold Plate," "Rolled Gold Plated," "Gold Overlay," or any abbreviation to describe all or part of an industry product unless such product or part contains a surface-plating of gold alloy applied by a mechanical process and of such thickness and extent of surface coverage that reasonable durability is assured, and unless the term is immediately preceded by a correct designation of the karat fineness of the alloy that is of at least equal conspicuousness as the term used.

(6) Use of the terms "Gold Plate," "Gold Plated," "Gold Filled," "Rolled Gold Plate," "Rolled Gold Plated," "Gold Overlay,'' or any abbreviation to describe a product in which the layer of gold plating has been covered with a base metal (such as nickel), which is covered with a thin wash of gold, unless there is a disclosure that the primary gold coating is covered with a base metal, which is gold washed.

(7) Use of the term "Gold Electroplate," "Gold Electroplated," or any abbreviation to describe all or part of an industry product unless such product or part is electroplated with gold or a gold alloy and such electroplating is of such karat fineness, thickness, and extent of surface coverage that reasonable durability is assured.

(8) Use of any name, terminology, or other term to misrepresent that an industry product is equal or superior to, or different than, a known and established type of industry product with reference to its gold content or method of manufacture.

(9) Use of the word "Gold" or any abbreviation, or of a quality mark implying gold content (e.g., 9 karat), to describe all or part of an industry product that is composed throughout of an alloy of gold of less than 10 karat fineness.

** Note to paragraph (b) § 23.4: The provisions regarding the use of the word "Gold," or any abbreviation, as described above, are applicable to "Duragold," "Diragold," "Noblegold," "Goldine," "Layered Gold," or any words or terms of similar meaning.

With all of that said, you can find all of what the FTC says about jewelry and the proper way to mark and market it here: http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/guides/jewel-gd.shtm
--

The FTC also offers the following info about buying gold jewelry here:
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/products/pro02.shtm
What responsibility does the venue have in all of this?

Legally, we are unsure but we all know how eBay has been hit by lawsuit after lawsuit over the years for various illegal listings. Even on eBay, they would not allow the listings offered by the seller in this story to remain on their site. They force the sellers to list according to the law. When you list jewelry there, there are even warnings and what not that pop up about listing jewelry items appropriately and that you could suffer consequences if you list contrary to what is stated. They also listen to their users when it comes reports of listings that are questionable. (Can't believe we found something good to say about eBay.)

We would think that the site does hold some responsibility, at least to the buyers who shop there. If they want buyers to feel safe and to come back to purchase again, they need to build credibility with them. This is done by offering products that are described properly and delievered in a timely fashion. The site can do this by making it difficult for sellers to list their items improperly and by really investigating and acting upon user complaints, not just blowing the users off.

How many buyers have to go through this before complaints are filed with the proper authorities and those authorities come to the site and wreak havoc on all sellers and/or the site itself?

As a final note:

The key to gold jewelry shopping online is to know your gold and the industry terminology. When shopping at a jewelry website, look for clarity as to what the jewelry is made of and its weight. Gold is expensive, about $1300 per ounce at this writing, so if the price seems too good to be true, it most likely is.

Have you had a bad experience buying jewelry online?
If so, please feel free to share in the comments section below.

All other comments are also welcomed.

6pm.com Hiccups Great Deals - Items Over $1,000 Sold @ $49.99!

Deals were runnning rampant on Friday at a popular online shopping website, 6pm.com, a subsidiary of Zappos. The site had mis-priced almost all items at $49.99. Products on 6pm.com most always sell for over $1,000.

"When we figured out the mistake was happening, we had to shut down the site for a bit until we got the pricing problem fixed," says Aaron Magness, director of brand marketing and business development for parent company Zappos Development.

"While we’re sure this was a great deal for customers, it was inadvertent, and we took a big loss (over $1.6 million) selling so many items so far under cost."

"However, it was our mistake. We will be honoring all purchases that took place on 6pm.com during our mess up," he says. "We apologize to anyone that was confused and/or frustrated during our little hiccup, and thank you all for being such great customers."

Magness states - "Let's just say this was not a boring weekend for us."

Endorsements - What About Them?

To clarify, here is the Merriam-Webster definition of endorsement:

2 a : to approve openly - endorse an idea -; especially : to express support or approval of publicly and definitely - endorse a mayoral candidate - b : to recommend (as a product or service) usually for financial compensation - shoes endorsed by a pro basketball player -

Whether or not you are paid, endorsements should be taken seriously and not handed out lightly. It should also be considered who's endorsement is displayed about us and/or our products.

Some sellers use endorsements as a means to help potential customers feel more confident about buying from them. Legitimate endorsements can be quite effective in building buyer confidence.

Endorsements can also tear down that confidence when they are later found to come from someone of a tarnished reputation, if they are later found to be fraudulently left and so on. Sellers need to realize the full importance of endorsements. The endorsement mess for Tiger Woods, Michael Phelps and the long list of athletes who have fallen from grace also happens with ecommerce sales.

Some people believe in leaving endorsements simply because a seller was helpful, even though they bought nothing from the seller - some leave endorsements for their friends, simply because they like them - some people leave endorsements for you if you leave them one - many people leave endorsements, yet they have never purchased from or conducted any kind of business with the endorsee and the list goes on. We believe that leaving an endorsement for these reasons is not only wrong but it also dilutes the value of any true endorsements the seller has recieved.

In our opinion, leaving an endorsement should not be taken lightly. If you buy something from a seller and you are thrilled with the product and the service, you might likely want to leave an endorsement. This would be a proper reason to do so. You should pick your words carefully and be specific as to why you are leaving the endorsement.

Many people do not realize that the FTC has laws, rules and guidelines in place that govern endorsements anywhere they are used to sell products. Here is what they have to say.

In Part:

Under the revised Guides, advertisements that feature a consumer and convey his or her experience with a product or service as typical when that is not the case will be required to clearly disclose the results that consumers can generally expect. In contrast to the 1980 version of the Guides – which allowed advertisers to describe unusual results in a testimonial as long as they included a disclaimer such as “results not typical” – the revised Guides no longer contain this safe harbor.

The revised Guides also add new examples to illustrate the long standing principle that “material connections” (sometimes payments or free products) between advertisers and endorsers – connections that consumers would not expect – must be disclosed.

http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2009/10/endortest.shtm

Click here to read the full text of the revised Endorsement & Testimonial Guidelines.

Facebook, MySpace & Other Social Networking Sites Share Personal Info With Advertisers

The Wall Street Journal reports, Facebook, MySpace and several other social-networking sites have been sending user information to advertisers that could be used to find consumers' names and other personal details, despite statements in their privacy policy that they don't share user information without consent.

What happens is that these sites send user names or ID numbers tied to the user's personal profiles when the user's click on ads. This infomation assists the advertisers in looking up the user's personal details which include a person's real name, age, hometown and occupation. Each site shares various data and what is shared depends on which site is used. This information sharing is typical across the web but the social networking sites provide privacy policies agains such behavior.

The Wall Street Journal states:

"Several large advertising companies identified by the Journal as receiving the data, including Google Inc.'s DoubleClick and Yahoo Inc.'s Right Media, said they were unaware of the data being sent to them from the social-networking sites, and said they haven't made use of it."

It is also reported that LiveJournal, Hi5, Xanga and Digg also sent advertising companies user names or ID numbers in the same manner. Even Twitter was found to pass web addresses and user names of profiles visited on Twitter.com when users clicked links in profiles.

Facebook took this procedure to a higher level. Sometimes they sent information on which user name or ID was clicking on the ad PLUS the user name or ID of the page being viewed. This information lets an advertiser know a bit about a user's interests.

A letter has been sent to the FTC by Ben Edelman, an assistant professor at Harvard Business School who studies Internet advertising. He is requesting an investigation of Facebook's practices.

Bonanzle Wins @ Seattle 2.0

Seattle 2.0 was created in 2007 with one goal in mind: To help tech entrepreneurs build great companies.


Seattle 2.0 is made up of entrepreneurs, investors, advisors, consultants and members of a healthy and ever-growing startup community around Seattle.

Each year they hold a conference and award several businesses that fit into the various categories Seattle 2.0 have designated. The conference and awards help connect investors and businesses. The 2010 event was the second of it's kind.

Bonanzle was nominated as the Best Bootstrapped Startup at the Seattle 2.0 Awards. Last night, they won the award for that category.

Congratulations Bonanzle!

Featured Seller - Princess Peony 05-18-10

Sparkklejar at Etsy, is a friend of ours. Her teen daughter is also a seller on Etsy. She sells under the name Princess Peony.

From Princess Peony's profile:

I sell paper reclaimed and repurposed creations, salvaged goodies, simple crafts, and destash items.

The money I earn from my etsy sales is applied to my color guard fees and dues. Thank You for supporting me!

I just learned how to make origami boxes and I hope you like them. I am just learning how to craft with paper and I think it's a fun and responsible way to make old damaged books have a happy ending.

Here are some great items offered by Princess Peony:


6 Cinderella Paper Heart Tags From Childrens Book Repurposed Pink Bows Ribbons
6 heart tags hand cut from an old Cinderella story book by disney.

Pink ribbon ties and small bows

Large size hearts approx. 4" by 4 1/2" at longest areas

I traced the inner book page heart by using a cookie cutter, and free cut a border around it. Border is acid free craft paper.


7 Repurposed Origami Favor Boxes With Lids Vintage Chilrens Atlas Book
I do not destroy or cut up good books

This vintage childrens picture atlas was out dated and missing pages.

Free from bad smells and made in a smoke free home

Repurposed into 7 origami boxes made from the pages

3 1/4" by 3 1/4" by approx 1 5/8" deep

Shipped usps priority with recycled foam blocks to prevent crushing during transit~please recycle.
-------------------------
Stop in and visit Princess Peony to see what she has created lately. While you are there, grab some great buys!

Be sure to also stop in and visit Sparkklejar for some great shabby chic products. Tell her Dakota sent you!

A Huge Stamp Project!

We are totally excited about a stamp collection that was given to us for absolutely nothing. We were given a large box, 2 shoeboxes, 4 or 5 plastic bags with tubs, boxes, and other containers of stamps and several stamp collecting supplies.

We do not know a thing about stamps or the collecting of them but it appears that we are going to have to learn!

In these containers are stamps dating back to 1902 (at least that we've found upon a couple of brief inspections). Some are unused, some are used - there are some US and some foreign but there is a huge variety. Some are neatly stored in albums and some are in various containers waiting to be sorted. A few still need to be seperated from the envelopes so we will have to learn the proper procedure of doing that.

We have been snooping all over the internet to find whatever information is available to help identify each stamp. We aren't sure what the best way to proceed is but looking up and researching each one of the thousands of stamps we were given is an intimidating task. There were a few stamp collecting books included that may be helpful but we think we are going to need more extensive sources.

Also included are some full display pages. One includes the 25th Anniversary of John F. Kennedy's death. We are amazed at the variety of designs that we do not remember ever seeing, even though they were issued during our lifetime. The older stamps are quite interesting and ornate. It's easy to see why stamp collecting is such a fun hobby.

There are even some First Day Covers from various years. Some are well kept while some have bent corners on the outer envelopes. We haven't opened them to check on the condition of the inner envelopes yet. All of the stamps on these are equally as interesting as the individual stamps in this collection.

When we first brought these stamps home, we went to one of the seller forums we frequent and asked for information on idenification and values. We had no idea where to start. We did get a lot of useful information to help us begin this project but it didn't take long for someome to come along and try to discourage us. We were told by one person that stamps can be valuable enough to pay off a car but then another person said that the value of stamps became diluted during the time that baby boomers were doing the collecting. He even said that if any of the stamps we were given were not used, they would have more value as postage than as a possible future sale.

The person talking about the diluted stamp market was talking mostly about the foreign stamps. In the large box, we have a book with many foreign stamps from all over the world. We are not going to let that information discourage us. We are going to look into these stamps to find out for ourselves. If nothing else, it looks to be an educational journey ahead - learning the history behind the stamps.

** If any of our readers has any helpful information or advice on how to handle this collection and the proper way to do things, we would greatly appreciate it if you would contact us. **

We are excited about the adventure ahead!

34th ACE© It Mid-Year Educational Conference

Crown Plaza Hotel
Warwick RI
August 14 - 17, 2010

The National Association of Jewelry Appraisers (NAJA) will hold its 34th Annual Mid-Year Conference this summer. This conference is geared towards professional appraisers.

The theme of the conference is: "Antique Jewelry--Facts vs. Myths".

Schedule:

Saturday, August 13, 2010

Twelve Months of Change: The Ups & Downs of the Jewelry Market
Simon Teakle

JSI - Jewelry Search Investigators! Demystifying the Dating of a Jewel Suzanne Martinez, GG & Tim Spauwen, FGA

The Value of Time: The Language and Fundamentals of Evaluating
Wristwatches and Pocketwatches Edward S. Faber

When Art Met Metal: Evaluating mid-20th Century Studio Jewelry
from Margaret de Patta to Earl Pardon, 1940-1980 Patricia Kiley Faber, GG

Dating & Authenticating Through Gems Rui Galopim de Carvalho, FGA

Sunday, August 15, 2010

Egypt: Then and Now Yvonne Markowitz

Arts & Crafts vs. Art Nouveau: Similarities & Differences Elyse Zorn Karlin

All You Want to Know About British Hallmarks and More Danusia Niklewicz, GG & Bill Whetstone

A View from the Backside Peter Shemonsky, GG

Advanced Hallmarks - (and you thought you knew it all!) Danusia Niklewicz, GG & Bill Whetstone

Period Fashions & The Appropriate Baubles Mona Miller, GG

Monday, August 16, 2010

Etruscan Revival 101 Robert C. Aretz, GG

Pimped Out Pocket Watches Gary Lester, GG

Another Feather on the Cap: “Regal Head Ornaments” Kathrin N. Schoenke, GG

Good Marriages, Bad Marriages ... What’s an Appraiser to Do? Gloria Lieberman

Tuesday August 17, 2010

A Better Understanding of Precious Metal Content Dave Atlas, GG

Link & Link: an Overview of Chain from Antiquity to the Modern Age Ann Cahoon

Something Old, Something New Chris Ploof

Unveiling the Mystery of Enamel Richard McMullen

Click here to view the conference brochure.

Click here for the registration form.

GIA & Law Officers to Fight International Jewelry Crime

Special agents and detectives from international law enforcement agencies gathered at the Gemological Institute of America’s (GIA) Carlsbad campus recently for a two-week crash course in gemology that was specifically requested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

Law officers from Brazil, Colombia, Belgium, India, Thailand, the UK and the UAE joined detectives from the New York and Los Angeles police departments and FBI specials agents from New York, Los Angeles, Miami and Washington, D.C. to get a first-hand look at how gemological information can help them solve crimes.

The group was exposed to a broad range of gemstone topics, including how to use gemological tools (loupes, tweezers, microscopes); the Four C's of diamonds and what to look for in clarity, cut and color; synthetics, imitations and color treatments; the diamond industry and the Kimberley Process; field identification of colored stones; and how to read GIA grading reports.

Learning about the science and tools of gemstones is a priceless opportunity, according to Patrick Peys, of the Belgium Federal Police, an experienced gem detective and lead investigator of the 2003 Antwerp Diamond Center heist of nearly half a billion dollars in diamonds, cash and other valuables.

“There is a big difference between being an operational police officer and having knowledge about the product you’re investigating,” Peys said. “That kind of basic information might give you an advantage you otherwise would not have.”

Working with law enforcement officials is a very important aspect of GIA’s mission to protect the public trust, said Donna Baker, president and CEO of GIA. “It is imperative that we continue to work with these detectives and special agents on the front lines of fast-moving gem crimes.”

“The thieves communicate and coordinate across international boundaries – we need to do the same if we want to stop them. Giving law enforcement officials access to our resources and gemological information will help them close the net on those who steal from and take advantage of the public. This is a mission we are proud to share with law officers around the world.”

Law enforcement agencies and GIA have a long history of working together to solve gem-related crimes, said Tom Moses, senior vice president of GIA Laboratory and Research. “Our grading reports and inscriptions are the most effective ways to protect gemstones and information on thousands of them are stored in GIA’s database for future reference,” he said.

The database, started in the 1980s, has proved to be extremely useful for investigators, according to Daniel McCaffrey of the FBI’s New York field office. “It’s so significant to have this relationship with GIA and to have a starting point,” he said. “Literally hundreds and hundreds of stones have been recovered because of it.”

Ivy Cutler, records coordinator for the GIA Laboratory in New York notifies law enforcement officials when GIA identifies stolen gemstones and acts as a liaison during investigations. She was recently honored by the Jewelers Security Alliance for her efforts to recover stolen gems and educate law enforcement agencies about gemology.

“Gems are one of the most concentrated forms of wealth, and diamonds travel very quickly,” Cutler said. “It’s amazing how frequently the stolen diamonds flow back to GIA. The crime community is small, the crooks are very smart and a lot of the trade is unaware of what they are handling.”

The investigators added that meeting their counterparts from other countries was one of the best outcomes of the two-week seminar.

“I’m very involved in diamond investigations and as far as I know, GIA is the only organization that is really doing something to bring law enforcement officers together to educate them and get that network working,” Peys said. “For me, that’s very visionary.”

Bonanzle Up 2010 – Exploding Forward

Bonanzle Up 2010 – Exploding Forward
This is the Main National Event with the Bonanzle Team, including Founder/CEO Bill Harding.

Live!

August 7th, 2010 at the Four Points Sheraton in Kansas City, MO.

Arranged is a one day line of fantastic speakers, including none other than the baby’s daddy himeself, Bill Harding and Mr. John “ColderICE” Lawson.

You do not want to miss this event. So register now!

Registration fee is $25.00 on a pre-sale basis. After July 7th, the price goes up to $35.00. You will need to purchase a registration for each person attending. Each registration purchased, means one name badge and one seat at event. The full name and Bonanzle ID you submit with purchase will be on the name badge you receive at the event.

A secured room rate of $70.00 per night at the Four Points Sheraton for our attendees is available. They have extended the rate from 3 days before till 3 days after the event! There is a live link on registration page to secure your special room rate.

Dress is Business/Business Casual

Preliminary Schedule of Events:

Friday August 6th

Tanner's Bar (inside Sheraton) 7-12pm - Meet and Greet

Saturday August 7th

8:00 - 8:30 Registration and Coffee

8:30 - 12:00 Presentations

12:00 - 1:15 Lunch

1:15 - 5:00 Presentations

7-12 Bonanzle Night Life After Hours -- Location to Be Announced

Registration:
http://www.bonanzleboardroom.com/bonanzle-up-2010/

Questions?
info@bonanzleboardroom.com

Gold prices could hit $1,500

New York -- Gold prices, which touched a new high of $1,249 an ounce Thursday, are expected to head northwards on a "medium-term basis," reaching $1,338 to $1,550 levels, according to reports from Kitco and ScotiaMocatta, the global bullion banking division of the Bank of Nova Scotia.

Analysts say that even at current levels, investors in gold have already made a profit of approximately 7.92 percent, and that investor desire for physical gold will remain strong and will support higher prices.

In India, higher gold prices might prompt a pull back in consumer jewelry demand, analysts says, but with the Hindu holy day Akshaya Tritiya right around the corner, market reports also indicate that consumers have already begun purchasing large amounts of gold. Though the holy day is not until May 16, customers have been making their bookings in order to take advantage of the current price advantage. At press time, gold was trading at just under $1,240 per ounce.

According to tradition, starting a new activity or buying valuables, including gold jewelry, on the day of Akshaya Tritiya is thought to bring individuals luck and success.

Gold prices since January have primarily remained in the $1,000 and $1,100 range, but broke the $1,200 mark in early May and continue to climb.

Source

In case you haven't noticed,
silver is trading at a pretty high price also.

Featured Seller - Vianvi: Vintage Jewelry Showcase On Ruby Lane 03-11-10

If you are into really awesome vintage jewelry, you most certainly should check out Vianvi: Vintage Jewelry Showcase on Ruby Lane. Their items are not only absolutely beautiful, many are very unique. They carry estate diamond & gemstone jewelry, rings and vintage designer costume jewelry. They offer their items exclusively on Ruby Lane. Vianvi has been a RL member since January 2008.

Vianvi is a must see store if you appreciate fantastic jewelry pieces!

Click the titles below, they connect directly to the listing.

London Blue 3.33 ct Topaz & .88 ct VS Diamond Ring in 14k- Just Appraised at $3200 USD!


Rare 5-strand Angel Skin Coral & 14k Gold Bead Necklace



1.43ct Cushion-Cut Natural Fancy Yellow Diamond Engagement Ring



Art Deco 14k Designer Bangle with Genuine Rubies, Sapphires & Cultured Pearls - Appraised at $2850 CAD!



Rare Italian-Made Exquisite Natural JADEITE
and 4ct Diamond Necklace


About Vianvi: Vintage Jewelry Showcase

(Info gathered from Vianvi's Ruby Lane profile.)

We specialize in diamond and gemstone vintage and antique jewelry: rings, necklaces, bracelets etc fashioned from 10k, 14k, 18k and higher. You'll find sapphires, rubies, emeralds in our lovely pieces, along with more unusual stones like alexandrite, yellow canary diamonds, and pad sapphires. Besides fine jewelry from CARTIER and TIFFANY, we also carry a limited range of designer costume jewelry: Sherman, Schiaparelli, Caviness, Miriam Haskell, Weiss, D&E (Juliana) along with unsigned items.

All our gold items are tested via standard acid testing, even if stamped with a karat content, and all diamond jewelry is tested via our top-of-the-line PRESIDIUM Diamond & Gemstone Tester. Appraisals are available on many of our higher end pieces.

We are a mother (Viga) & daughter (Victoria) team i.e. Vi and Vi which makes us VIANVI. We opened our shop VINTAGE JEWELRY SHOWCASE, here on RUBY LANE, back in 2008. Since then we've serviced customers worldwide and some of their praise for our items and service is listed below for you to read so you can feel comfortable shopping with us. We are now looking forward serving them again, and gaining new customers worldwide at our newly opened shop at RUBY PLAZA. Please see the direct link to ViANvi: VINTAGE & CONTEMPORARY COLLECTIBLE JEWELRY above. You'll be able to purchase new or newer items there if that's what you want, along with other items we couldn't sell in our Ruby Lane shop. We hope you'll take the time to check us out there and bookmark both shops. And if you previously had some of our items on your wish list here at Ruby Lane and don't see them there now, check our RUBY PLAZA shop. Your Wish List item might be listed there now instead

Viga is the source of our designer vintage costume jewelry (Sherman, Schiaparelli, Hagler, Haskell, Weiss etc) but both she and Victoria are focused on fine jewelry ie. diamond and gemstone rings, necklaces, pendants, brooches & bracelets. Victoria specializes in diamond & gemstone rings and also sells loose diamonds and gemstones from her personal website, BUY GENUINE GEMSTONES . (Contact Victoria for further information on her gemstones for your jewelry projects).

Both of us are always attending estate sales, auctions, antique shows and other venues in search of beautiful jewelry. We're incorrigible shoppers and can't resist lovely pieces. We're always shopping with our customers in mind and try to find items you won't find elsewhere. So count on us to offer you the unique, the unusual. Join our growing list of happy customers who always tell us we carry the most beautiful, quality items at the most realistic prices.

Viga and Victoria are both regular contributors to the RUBY LANE BLOG.

Viga also writes 2 other blogs: Vianvi: VINTAGE & CONTEMPORARY JEWELRY and for those interested in Sherman jewellery, SHERMAN VINTAGE JEWELRY Blog located at Blogger. As well, she is the webmaster of 3 information sites that are focused on jewelry and collectibles. Just search GOOGLE for DESIGNER VINTAGE JEWELRY, BUY GENUINE GEMSTONES INFO and ViAnVi: Diamond & Gemstone Jewelry and Other Collectibles

One of the best parts about buying from us is that one of us, if not both, is always around to answer emails or questions about our beautiful jewelry.

We are based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada but have been selling to customers worldwide for months now via auctions, our personal websites and out of our home. We have developed a loyal customer base because of the quality of our jewelry, our customer service, our ability to respond quickly to all inquiries and as one customer has said, our "willingness to go the extra mile" for customer satisfaction.

On our high-end items, we are willing to offer LAY-A-WAY Just contact us and ask! And though we hate to do this, any PAY PAL PAYMENTS subject to small additional fee.

If possible, we prefer and encourage our Canadian customers to use INTERAC in preference to PayPal. Please enquire if you are unfamiliar with online INTERAC.

We invite any visitors from our local area in Hamilton/Niagara to view our jewelry in person at your convenience. For those out of our immediate vicinity, we are only an email or phone call away .... but please consider time zones!
-------
Be sure to check in with Vianvi soon and often!

JCK Las Vegas June 4-7, 2010

JCK Las Vegas is committed to providing the best, most comprehensive experience for buyers and exhibitors --- setting the jewelry industry standard for quality and choice in a secure, trusted environment. It's the best place to build and sustain relationships with all of the major suppliers as well as source the largest selection of jewelry, gems, timepieces and product line launches.

Show Information

Dates, Times and Location:

JCK Las Vegas Exhibits:
Friday, June 4 – Monday, June 7, 2010

Friday, June 4 9:30am - 6:00pm
Saturday, June 5 9:30am - 6:00pm
Sunday, June 6 9:30am - 6:00pm
Monday, June 7 9:30am - 4:00pm

Sands Expo & Convention Center / The Venetian Resort Hotel Casino - Las Vegas, NV


AGTA Exhibits:
Thursday, June 3 – Monday, June 7, 2010

Thursday, June 3 10:00am - 6:00pm
Friday, June 4 9:30am - 6:00pm
Saturday, June 5 9:30am - 6:00pm
Sunday, June 6 9:30am - 6:00pm
Monday, June 7 9:30am - 4:00pm

The AGTA GemFair™ Cultured Pearl & Jewelry Pavilion is located in The Venetian Resort-Hotel-Casino Grand Ballroom adjacent to the Sand's Convention Center.

Click here for new buyer qualifications.

Click here for more information and to register online.

Click here if you are interested in exhibiting.

Las Vegas Antique Jewelry & Watch Show 2010

Show Times
June 3 - June 5, 2010: 11 AM to 7 PM
June 6, 2010: 11 AM to 4 PM

Ticket Prices
$15 for all four days

Opens 1 Day before the JCK Show!

**Trade Only**
Valid ID and Business Card Required for Entry

Located at:
MGM Grand Pavilion
MGM Grand Las Vegas
3799 Las Vegas Boulevard South
Las Vegas, NV 89109

Click Here To Purchase Tickets Online.

Internet Retailer Names 2010 Top 10 Retailers

Internet Retailer has named the top 10 internet retailers for 2010 in their annual Top 500 Guide of the most successful internet retailers.

Number one is Amazon which reported $24.51 billion in sales in 2009, up almost 28% from the $19.17 billion sales in 2008.

Here are the Top 10 and their 2009 sales totals. Also included is the percentage of change over the previous year:

• 1. Amazon (AMZN): $24.51 billion, up almost 28%


• 2. Staples Inc (SPLS): $9.8 billion, up 27.3 percent


• 3. Dell Inc (DELL): $4.53 billion, down 6.2 percent


• 4. Apple Inc (AAPL): $4.25 billion, up 16.7 percent


• 5. Office Depot (ODP): $4.1 billion, down 14.6 percent


• 6. Wal-Mart.com (WMT): $3.5 billion, up 19.8 percent


• 7. OfficeMax (OMX): $2.78 billion, down 10 percent


• 8. Sears Holdings Corp. (SHLD): $2.77 billion, up 3 percent


• 9. CDW Corp. (CDW): $2.47 billion, down 5 percent


• 10. Best Buy (BBY): $2.45 billion, up 20 percent

According to Internet Retailer, the Top 10 accounted for more than 45% of all U.S. online sales in 2009.

The Top 10 accomplished this by:

• Strong name recognition and brand awareness;


• Focusing their efforts on their most loyal customers last year;


• Offering large quantities of merchandise;


• Offering lots of discount deals and


• Providing a superior online shopping experience.

Amazon remains on the top due to their excellent customer service.

Customer Service - An Opportunity To Stand Out & Gain Repeat Business

An internet buyer enters a shop within a multi-seller venue. They see an item that catches their eye but they are unsure of the size offered so the buyer sends an email to the seller asking about the size.

It's not too long until this buyer gets a response from the seller. The buyer opens the email to read
In Part:

"The sizes are in the listing. Would you like me to put them in the titles?"

Of course the buyer is shocked at this response and wonders just what kind of seller would talk to them like that.

The buyer then writes back:

"I’m sorry that I asked about the sizes. You see I’m fairly new to the computer and at my age learning something new isn’t so easy. I didn’t realize that all I would’ve needed to do was to click on the picture of the product to see the details. It took one of my kids to point this out to me. You really must think I’m stupid but really I’m sorry."
---

In this case, the buyer was an elderly person with little computer experience and has never shopped online before. Of course the seller did not know this before they responded to the email. By keeping responses professional, this buyer would not have felt the need to explain the reason for their question.

After the email of explanation from the buyer, the seller changed their tune and acted much more civil than in their first response.

*********************************************When dealing with customers online, sellers never know who they are dealing with. It could be a youngster who is quite computer savvy, a middle aged person who knows their way around the internet fairly well or in this case, it could also be an elderly person who is learning their way around.

One thing is for sure when dealing with any customer online, the way a seller responds to an email can leave a lasting impression. Sometimes, that impression will cost the seller possible customers and sales.

Answering emails and other interactions sellers have with thier customers should never leave the buyer feeling stupid as they did in the above circumstance. The customer service a seller provides should always be courteous and professional.

Building a successful business online is hard work. You should put forth the same effort you would if you were running a brick and mortar business. To stand out from your competition and to keep buyers coming back emphasizing customer service will give you the edge. Keeping your customers happy will lead to loyal visitors of your site. Here are some things you can do to provide your customers with the best online shopping experience possible.

Tips for all online venues including multi-seller:

• Sell products that you know well. Selling products you know a lot about makes it easy to answer questions and to list the product with all pertinent information. Help your customers make educated purchases by providing as much information about each item as possible. Provide the best images of the product as possible. Picutres of various angles of the item are helpful to your customers. Include size, colors, weight and any features the item comes with to allow customers to know exactly what they will be getting when they buy something from your site.


• Provide great products at the best possible price. Some sellers believe in adding a free gift to orders. Our belief is that if you sell great products at the best possible price, your product will stand alone quite well. Added gifts may be a nice gesture but your customer may not even care for the item. Some sellers believe in constant sales promotions and coupons. We believe that if your prices are set at the best price possible, you will not need to do either. In fact, if you are not already overcharging your buyer before having a sale or offering a coupon, you would lose money. Another fact is, if you raise your prices before offering a sales promotion or coupon, you are operating against the FTC rules and guidelines. Giving every buyer the best possible price will create many repeat customers.


• Always provide what you promise and in the timeframe stated. If you promise customers something, whether it is a particular product, free shipping, fast delivery, a replacement item or whatever, make sure you do exactly that. Besides being against the FTC rules and guidelines, it also shows poor customer service if you do not do as you stated.


• Make communication easy. List your email, fax, phone numbers and any other contact information in places where shoppers will easily see them. If a "Contact" page is available to you, place your information there also.


• Establish credibility anyway you can. Many people, especially those new to buying things online, find it difficult to trust an online business. You should do everything you can to inform customers about you and your business. Provide addresses, photos, and honest customer testimonials, if available, to help build the trust of your customer base.


• Develop an informative email template. Templates can help ensure sure that all of your customers are getting essential information and the same level of service. Create basic templates that will allow you to add in individual responses to each customer as you need to. Personalize them to suit each customer and the item purchased such as, including their name, item title or other ways to further connect with the customer.


• Respond to emails and calls as soon as possible. Do not leave customers hanging or wondering what is going on. Answer inquiries as soon as possible. Create a fast and reliable system to respond to emails. Unless you have a part of your business dedicated solely to customer service, you’re going to have to figure out how to handle the emails that you get to provide your customers timely responses to their questions and orders. Create set times to check your email. Answer easier questions first rather than those that might require you to do some research, so that no one is ever left waiting too long for a response.


• Maintain a courteous, professional and caring attitude. Always be professional when dealing with your customers, but not so much that it seems that you don't care about the customer. Make sure your customers know that you genuinely care about their problems and concerns and that you want to provide them with fantastic service.


• Write emails carefully and thoughtfully. Emails make it very difficult to feel the tone and meaning behind even the simplest of statements. It can be challenging to diffuse a situation or resolve a problem with a customer. When writing emails, it’s best to stick with a polite, courteous tone. Doing so leaves little room for misinterpretation of what you are trying to say and exactly what you mean. Without seeing facial expressions, such as we do in person, it is tough to pick up on what is being said and /or the tone of the email.


• Learn how to listen well to customer needs. To find out what will satisfy your customers and make them happy, sometimes you just need to be quiet and really listen to what they are telling you. Pay attention to word choice, tone of voice and most importantly, how they feel about their experience. Use that information to make their shopping experience the best it can be.


• Always let you customers know that they are important. If you want to repeat business from your customers, communicate so that they know that they really matter to you and that their orders, no matter how large or small, are important to you. Listen to what they have to say. Be completely sincere in your appreciation of their business.


• Remember the importance of accommodating customer requests whenever possible. Try to accommodate special requests as much as you can. This can make a big difference in how buyers see you and your business.


• Always send confirmation emails. Whether automated or manual, when a customer places an order with you, always let them know that you’ve received their order and that you’re processing it. If you have an automated email sent upon receipt of an order, that should be sufficient. It is courteous to send an email when you ship the product. If you have all necessary information regarding times noted in your listings or your policies / terms of service, it is not necessary to send a notice of shipment but buyers seem to appreciate them. They like knowing the status of their purchase as much as possible. This may also help the customer to feel confident in purchasing from you.


• Keep customers updated. A big part of creating customer confidence is always letting customers know what is happening, even if there is some kind of problem that arises or if there is going to be a delay. Once again, if all of the shipping information, including timeframes is included in your terms of service, this does not need to be done by email unless there is a variance in the information provided and what is actually happening. Customers should never have to wonder about the status of their order, so send them emails, give them a call, and provide easy options if there is ever something out of ordinary happening with their order.


• Provide clear policies and terms of service. You can avoid many problems by clearly stating all of your policies, terms of service and anything else that could possibly be of concern to your customers. If a problem arises, the buyer will know what to expect from you. Doing so also protects both you and your customers.


• Ensure the security of all personal information. Many people fear that their personal information will not be secure when they place an order online. Ensuring that your site is secure can ease their fears. Let customers know about the security programs and etc. you have in place to protect their private information.


• Provide multiple payment options. Not all customers like the same payment services or options. You could lose sales because you only provide customers with one way to pay.


• AlWAYS thank your customers for their purchase in each email you send.


• Remember small touches say a lot. The little things are what customers will remember when buying from you, and they will set you apart from all of the other online retailers. For example, offer free gift wrap or send out handwritten thank you notes with each purchase.


• Try to exceed buyer expectations. Customers are pleasantly surprised when you exceede their expectations regarding customer service. It can be as simple as very fast shipping with packages arriving sooner than expected or going out of your way to produce a special order. Customers will remember the way they were treated and they will come back for more if you provide fantastic service.


• Follow up with your customers after the sale. Follow up with customers to see how they felt about their experience and make sure that problems have been resolved satisfactorily. This will open the door to communication and let your customer know that you truly care about them and appreciate their patronage.


• Try to always end sales on a high note. When a customer emails or calls you with a problem or concern, make sure the call does not end on a negative note. Try to keep communication positive by stating the things that you are doing to solve their issues instead of ending your call or email with an apology. Assure you customer that they can look forward to a good resolution.


• Always be completely honest with your customers. Never lie to your customers. Even if you feel like you are protecting your reputation, honesty really is the best policy. If you have made a mistake, be honest and upfront about the problem. Customers will appreciate the gesture and may realize that your business is trustworthy.


• Treat problems as an opportunity for your customer service skills to shine. Changing your attitude about customer compaints can be an opportunity to provide customer service at it's best. Working through issues can provide you the chance to prove to your customers what a great business you are running.


• Allow customers a choice of solutions. Sometimes you and your customer have different ideas as to what solution is best for the issues at hand. Give your customers options that may resolve the problem positively for them so they know you really care about serving their needs and resolving the issue amicably. If you ask what the customer feels is the best way to make them happy, may be the easiest way to reolve an issue.


• Never argue with your customers. Customers may not always be right, but as far as your business is concerned, they can make or break you. Do whatever it takes to fix whatever it is the customer is dissatisfied about.


• Apologizing can be the best resolve. Everyone makes a mitake from time to time. Take responsibility for any errors made by your company, even if they weren’t directly your fault. Sometimes the best way to fix a problem is simply to aplolgize. You should always apologize to customers for any errors on the part of your company. Customers appreciate a sincere apology.


• Do not try too hard and overcompensate. It is a good idea to give unhappy customers a little something extra to make sure they are satisfied but do not try too hard and overcompensate. Always remember to look professional in your dealings.


• Trust your customers, most are very honest. Most people are reluctant to complain. Trust your customers when they say they have a problem. They usually are telling the truth and are not just out to take something from you for nothing. By trusting your customers, they will likely become a loyal shopper when you help them to solve their issues.


• Don’t try to upsell to unhappy customers. Some business guides will tell you that you should use every opportunity to upsell customers. When a customer has had a negative experience with a purchase, they might be a little irritated if the same company tried to sell them something else while fixing the initial problem. Forget upselling and work on keeping your customers happy.


• Do not script customer service phone calls. If you offer phone support, do not use a script. Customers will become annoyed and it makes it difficult for them to get answers for their specific problem. Have some standard operating procedures on hand for common problems, but do not script entire conversations.


• Know when a customer needs to be sent to your competition. There are times when your business simply is not the best solution for some customers. While sending them to your competitor might cost you a sale, it can save you from having a dissatisfied customer.


• Focus on turning shoppers into customers, not sales. The long term strategy for your business should be more about building customer relationships than making individual sales. It is more difficult and takes a lot more time to attract new customers than it does to make repeat customers out of existing ones. Happy customers will be your best source of business.

Providing great customer service should be an essential part of your business.
Tips for your own website:

• Use a good, reliable hosting service. Your web host can influence customer service. Your host shoud keep your site reliable and fast loading. Be sure to go with a host that can easily handle the traffic coming to your site.


• Make your site easy to buy on. One reason people shop on the Internet is because it is easier and more convenient than driving to a regular store and waiting in line. To keep customers shopping on your site, you need to make it as easy as possible. Create your site so that buying is done with as few clicks as possible. Do not force customers to fill out needless forms just to place an order. Make your site buyer friendly so they don't give up and move on to another site.


• Assure ease of use for all customers. Before you launch your ecommerce site, make sure that it is set up to be as easy to use as possible. Allow the least computer savvy person you know to try your site and ask them to provide feedback.


• Provide a FAQ's section. There are usually some common questions that your customers will ask. Rather than making your customers ask these questions individually, create a page only for FAQ's so your customers can find the answers fast.


• Set up a live chat for customers to contact you. Chat on your site can provide easily accessible customer service. Chat allows customers to ask questions and to get information about their purchases without having to take the time to call or write and then wait for an answer.


• Prominently display a help button or link on your site. If a customer needs help, they shouldn't have to hunt all over your site to find a way to get help. Place the help button or link on every page of your site so your customers can get help at any step of their ordering process.


• Use the best shopping cart software available. Your shopping cart is the way you get paid, so get the best cart you possible can. Purchase a cart that will be easy and reliable for customers to use. It should also have a great support team to help you if a problem should arise.


• Track all orders carefully. Before you launch your ecommerce site, you should have a reliable way of tracking your orders from your storeroom all of the way to your customer. Most customers will eagerly await their arrival so they will want a way to learn when the item may arrive.


• Find the right people and assure that they are well trained. If you hire staff to provide customer service, be sure your employees will enjoy working with your customers and making their experience as good as possible. Your staff needs to be thoroughly trained and knowledgeable about your business and what you are selling. Your customer service representatives may be the only direct interaction customers have with your company. You staff should provide a positive experience for your customers.


• Create a rating system. Poviding a way for customers to rate their purchases and write reviews for other potential customers can be helpful to you and future customers. Hearing that other customers liked a product is often enough assurance for an undecided buyer to add the item to their shopping cart. Even negative feedback can help you if you use it to improve your products and / or service.


Go the extra mile for your customers. Make your business stand apart from all of the rest. Be willing to go farther to make a customer happy and perhaps create repeat business.