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November 2, 2005 Buying And Selling On The Internet The Internet offers many ways to buy or sell products, and it is easy and even fun to be a satisfied customer or successful merchant.
Buying: Just log on to a merchant’s Web site, such as www.sears.com or www.bestbuy.com, find the item you want, select it, enter payment and shipping information and wait for delivery. This scenario is repeated often, especially during holiday seasons. Forrester Research studies estimate that on-line retail buying will amount to an estimated $172 billion for the year 2005 and increase to $329 billion by 2010. More than three quarters of study respondents report being satisfied with their on-line buying experience Why shop the Internet? Convenience: Shop from home, any time. If one merchant doesn’t have what you want, try others--no driving all over town or spending hours on the phone. Wide selection: Most popular items are readily available, but there are also unusual, exotic or hard-to-find items too. Want an antique guitar? No problem. The latest info: Internet merchants can quickly update the latest products, sales or specials. Price comparison: You can easily compare prices and check out other perks too, such as free shipping, special sales or no sales tax. Some Web sites, such as www.bizrate.com or www.nextag.com, do the comparison for a specific product from several different on-line merchants and even check tax, shipping costs and availability; they also provide a merchant rating and product reviews based on consumer feedback. And don’t forget on-line auctions such as http://www.ebay.com. They’re great for finding specific used or even new items. These are a few of the many advantages of Internet buying, but you do need to take some precautions. For example, many Internet merchants are well-known and reputable, but many others are not. If you’re dealing with an unfamiliar merchant, it’s up to you to check out their reliability, customer service and such. Some merchants provide background details or offer references, and it’s wise to check both before ordering from anyone you don’t know. It’s also imperative that you check the security of personal and payment information. If none is posted, beware. Checking the security of your information is up to you. For credit card ordering, be sure you’re entering info on a secure site. Reliable merchants will state that you’re entering secure information, and the bar at the bottom of the screen shows the locked padlock icon, and the address line display a https://----(note the "S" after http). Selling: You can also sell business or personal products or services, or just about any other item on the Internet–-and it’s a great way to reach a huge audience. Here’s how: On-line auctions: eBay is the most popular auction Web site. Even with millions of items listed, people will find your item(s), either by searching for your specific item(s) by name or category, or just browsing to see what’s there. E-bay provides a wealth of on-line help and tips for sellers, and once you’ve agreed to the rules and regulations and registered as a seller, you can add your item(s)to their site. Just give your own description, provide a picture(s) if you want, state payment methods, shipping costs and other terms. You set an initial and/or a minimum bid, length of time of auction (within eBay’s limits), and eBay sets the bid increments and handles the bidding and other details. Once the auction on your item closes, eBay provides you and the highest bidder with contact information so that you can arrange payment and shipping. The seller pays a fee to eBay based on the opening value and a scaled percentage of the selling price. E-Bay also provides helpful information about both buyers and sellers by rating them from input from previous buyers or sellers as to promptness, reliability and such. There are also other online auction sites that will sell your new or used items and sites for speciality items, such as rare books, china, collectable cameras and more. Take the time to read agreements carefully, and check out comments. There is no rating system for online auctions, and policing is at the mercy of the auction site--so use care and common sense. You can also use the Internet to directly sell your products or services. Most ISPs (Internet service providers) provide a Web page as part of your monthly fee, and you can use that page to sell products (subject to the rules of your ISP). If you’re serious about selling on the Internet and want your own site, the process is more complex. You need to register your own domain name (such as www.mycompany.com), develop Web site materials, arrange for a provider to host your site, and more. Web sites can be as simple or as complex as your business and budget allow. They can include a display of your products or services, handle sales, provide support, have links to other related items and much more. Many companies and individuals specialize in developing Web sites, and some of these companies can also host your site. You’ll need to contract for secure information, register your site with search engines and work out many other details. You can do this with your ISP or Web site developers or sign up with one of the online services that do it all for you, such as http://go.bigstep.com or http://www.freemerchant.com. For more information on direct Web selling, check out http://www.sellitontheweb.com.
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