Beautiful Furnishings in a Variety of Styles

Furniture Basics currently has 15 items for sale at 4Sale4Now. They have designer furniture from big names in the furniture industry. You can find entire furniture sets by companies like Vaughan, Louis Phillipe, Bryant, Hamilton, and more.

Whatever your style, Furniture Basics has the furniture for you. They have elegant items like thebeautiful 4-Post canopy bed above, to the stylish Espresso you see here. Whether you’re looking for modern, rustic, or even authentic mexican, Furniture Basics has you covered.

Search Out Furniture Basics

Keep an eye on this seller. They’re currently only offering a select few of their items, but more are sure to come. Search them out by clicking the drop menu by the search bar and selecting “sellers.” They have a fantastic selection of furniture for sale.

Check them out every time you come back to 4Sale4Now. You’ll be glad you did.

SC Magazine, a magazine for IT and security professionals just awarded McAfee with a five-star rating. If you like techy stuff and want to read the entire article on SC’s group test, you can read it here.

What I want to talk about today is what this award means for companies like 4Sale4Now that are using McAfee’s security for their site.

Securing Online Shopping Sites with New Technology

There’s a constant chess match going on between hackers and security professionals on the internet. Each player makes a move and the other tries to counter that move, and McAfee is winning the game against hackers.

McAfee uses the most cutting edge security products to keep its customers’ ecommerce sites safe from invaders. I could bore you with discussions of the new cloud computing, for example, but the bottom line is that we have the newest, most secure technology working to protect our buyers and sellers information.

Constant Testing of Security

At McAfee, they understand that newer isn’t necessarily better. That’s why they take part in things like SC’s group test.

McAfee has some of the brightest computing minds in the world, and before they release any product to their customers, these brilliant people do everything they can to break into and steal information. Then they close up any holes, and test again.

In the end, you have a security product that virtually impenetrable.

Companies like McAfee are a great partner in online shopping. They’re always striving to achieve excellence in their field and the recognition of their colleagues in the business. That’s why we’re pretty excited about the fact that McAfee has won another top award.

Same Time Online But Spending Less

On the surface this seems like bad news for online sellers, but it’s not. What this means is that online shoppers are getting more and more sophisticated in their shopping. They’re looking around more and trying to find the best deals.

4Sale4Now’s discount structure makes this a great opportunity for sellers. Online shoppers that stop by 4Sale4Now are more apt to add your products to their watch list. Yes, they’ll probably look around for the same products elsewhere, but the fact that 4Sale4Now has better deals by the day, means more online shoppers will be buying your products.

Impact of Peer Ratings

If you’ve been reading the 4Sale4Now blog for some time you’ll remember that back in March we discussed Getting Good Reviews From Your Buyers. That advice is more critical than ever.

Online shoppers are relying more and more on other online shoppers when making buying decisions. If you haven’t read “Getting Good Reviews From Your Buyers” you should click over there as soon as you’re done reading this post.

The biggest reason sellers don’t get good reviews? Are you ready for this?… They don’t ask for them. So, when someone buys one of your products on 4Sale4Now, thank them for their business and ask them to give you a good review. Don’t ask them for “a review” ask them for “a good review.”

As you accumulate more and more reviews, your confidence level with other online shoppers will skyrocket.

Well, those are the major points I wanted to mention. What do you think? How can 4Sale4Now sellers make the most of the information that Channel Advisor dug up on online shopping. Head over to the 4Sale4Now forums, click on the “online shopping trends” discussion, and let us know what you think are the trends that have the most impact on online shopping.

The security logo is typically found in the footer of a web page. At the 4Sale4Now.com website you can find the McAfee Secure logo in the footer of any page. Just go to the homepage and scroll to the bottom. You’ll find it prominently placed in the middle of the footer.

Only work with websites that have a recognizable, reputable company protecting their site. For example, McAfee has not only been protecting business websites for many years, they’ve won more than 50 awards for outstanding achievement.

2- Find the S in the URL

Go to any website on the web and you’ll find the hypertext transport protocol in the url. 4Sale4Now’s Facebook Fanpage address looks like http://www.facebook.com/4Sale4Now and begins with http (hypertext transport protocol).

A secure site will add an “S” to that http. 4Sale4Now’s shopping cart looks like this https://www.4sale4now.com/store/cart.aspx and begins with https, which is the secure version of http. If you see the “S,” you know that you’re on a secure server. If you don’t see the “S,” don’t send your personal information.

3- Locked or Unlocked

The third way to assure yourself that you’re working with a secure server and can safely send your personal information is the small padlock at the bottom of your web browser. It’s usually found in either the lower right hand corner or lower left hand corner of your web browser.

This little padlock will be open (unlocked) if the site you are on is not secure, or closed (locked) if the site is secure. Before entering any personal information, make sure the padlock is locked. Then you’ll know the information you’re sending is encrypted and can only be viewed by an authorized party.

Online shopping has gotten extremely safe in the last couple years. The banking industry has moved to a lot of online banking, and this has forced web developers to come up with powerful ways to keep prying eyes out of your personal business.

Make sure you follow these three steps to safe online shopping and you can buy with confidence.

The 4Sale4Now forum is live and ready for discussion. If you have a question or comment, stop by and share. Or, just drop in to read what others are saying.

For Buyers

For buying members of 4Sale4Now, who haven’t yet started selling their own products at the site, we have an entire category dedicated to sharing shopping tips that you’ve come across.

Have you tried adding search terms that worked well for you? Found a new feature on 4Sale4Now that you weren’t aware of? This is a great place to share what you’ve discovered about shopping on 4Sale4Now.com and find out what others have been doing to make their shopping experience more exciting.

For Sellers

Our tips and tricks section also has a category for sellers. Here you’ll find what other sellers are doing to maximize sales on 4Sale4Now. This category will help you get your products noticed more frequently and help you make more sales.

If you’re running a storefront on 4Sale4Now, this is your training ground. You can read what other sellers have tried and proven to work, and you’ll be able to share techniques you have tested yourself.

Questions & Answers

There are many ways you can get in touch with us here at 4Sale4Now. You can send us an @reply on our Twitter account, you can connect with us on our Facebook Fan Page, or you can email us. We’re happy to answer any questions you have.

However, the best way to get your question answered is to simply post it on the 4Sale4Now forum. That way we can keep a running thread, as your question might bring out more questions. Plus, anyone who has the same question can get an answer quickly.

Make sure, before posting a question, that you do a search. Someone has likely asked the question before you.

General announcements

Finally, the forum is a great place for us to get general information out to members and non-members alike. Keep an eye on the general announcements to see special deals we’re having, and to take part in the newest promotion at 4Sale4Now.com.

Side Note: Congratulations to the winner of the Vespa Scooter (pennywise), the Nikon CoolPix (scolunga99), and the Nintendo Wii Fit (sgabot).

The 4Sale4Now forum is a great place for 4Sale4Now members to join in discussion with staff members and even soon-to-be members of 4Sale4Now.

Stop by and share. We’d love to hear from you.

There’s a thread building on our forum right now in which one of our members brings up an interesting thought. The member speculates whether eBay is now playing catch-up with 4Sale4Now.com.In that post, scriptor makes some interesting observations. I thought I’d take some time to consider those ideas here at the blog. If you want to read the full forum thread you can read it here.

Changing Landscape of Online Shopping

Our world is changing rapidly and the internet is no exception to that rule. If a company isn’t innovative, it gets left behind. Kmart gets left in the dust by upstart Walmart. The big three in the auto industry struggle to get their finances in order while Nissan, Toyota, and Honda flourish. And, on the internet, mega social networks like MySpace lose their grip to new sites like Facebook.

In 2013 we’ll all laugh at how we used to shop online, and the companies that are more innovative and more revolutionary are going to be the companies that remain standing when the dust settles.

The Buy Now Button is Everywhere

There was a time when the world was enamored by an online auction site where you could buy stuff and have it shipped directly to you. No longer.

People have grown tired of waiting for auctions to end, only to find out they didn’t win the auction anyhow. They want the product they’re looking at and they like the feeling of knowing that if they click on that buy button, they WILL get what they want.

EBay has tried to address this with their buy now button, and eBay shoppers are definitely responding, but that’s only one side of the new online shopping coin.

How 4Sale4Now’s Revolutionary System Addresses Changes

People don’t just want to get the product they want when they click on it. They also want to get a great deal. The eBay buy now button is more like a trade off for shoppers. Either wait seven days and pray for a good deal, or forget about the good deal, click the buy now button and make sure you actually get the item.

At 4Sale4Now, we give online shoppers both. When our members click that buy button, they assure themselves of getting the product they wanted. They don’t have to wait seven days. They don’t have to wonder if someone will out-bid them.

But, they also get to watch the price fall instead of rise. At any given price drop they’re getting a better deal and whenever they want, they can click the buy button and have that item shipped to their home.

Make no mistake, the world of online shopping is changing rapidly, and 4Sale4Now is leading the charge.

Don’t Miss Out on This Huge Online Shopping Market

According to research by emarketer, in 2008 33.9 million women with children shopped on the internet at least once a month. That number is expected to grow to 36.1 million by 2013.

Selling stuff to internet moms is a great opportunity. You make life easier for a busy mother by allowing them to shop from home and have their items shipped directly to their home. And you can make some sizable, consistent income.

If only 1% of those moms sees your product that’s 339,000 product views. If you can get a meager 1% of those to actually make a purchase, you just made 3,400 sales. At $20 profit per sale, you just made $68,000!

And these are conservative numbers. Actually, a 1% conversion rate is on the low side.

Who are They Shopping For?

Research shows that 44% of these online moms are shopping for something for themselves. 45% are shopping for something for their kids. Online or off, moms continue to be the family managers.

Tap into this by offering products that help these moms supply their families with the things they need and want.

Don’t forget about the other 11%. It represents all the things that moms purchase for their husbands, other family members, and friends. 11% of 33.9 million moms amounts to 3,729,000 moms shopping for someone other than them or their kids.

What are They Shopping Online For?

What kinds of products do online shopping moms buy? Here’s a short list of the most popular items they purchased in 2008. Chances are good they’ll continue shopping for these items online.

Clothing
Food/Cooking
Baby/Parenting
Electronics
Cars
Find a niche in any one of these areas and you’ll tap into the massive online mom market.

The greatest challenge of course is getting your products in front of these 33.9 million online moms. At 4Sale4Now, we take care of that for you. We heavily promote the 4Sale4Now website allowing you to focus on finding a line of products that will make you consistent income.

We find the moms and you find the products they need. Together we make a great team.

It’s true that we think 4Sale4Now has the most revolutionary and exciting way to sell stuff online. However, some people would be better suited to a standard internet business.

Here’s how to tell which you are:

How Computer Savvy Are You?

You might be perfect for a standard internet business if you can:

• Handle a computer well
• Develop ecommerce websites
• Set up merchant accounts on those websites
• Promote your site
• Organize products for sale
• Take care of customer service
• Handle shipping
• Manage the employees you need

I know that seems like a lot and it sounds like I’m trying to present standard online businesses in a bad light. And, frankly, this list will scare off a lot of people. But, if you’re the type of person that can manage all this and get a great sense of pride and achievement from it, a standard internet business might be for you.

The list for starting a 4Sale4Now business is much shorter. You have to be able to:

• Register on the website
• Upload photos
• Ship products

Time Investment

It takes a great deal of time to start a standard internet business, especially in the first year or so. You’ll be pouring hours every day into your internet business before even selling your first product. Before you can sell a single product you need to develop and launch your site. Speaking from experience that is an awesome task.

But the launch is only the beginning. Once the site is launched, your visitors will start finding bugs that you need to work out, features that you need to add, etc.

The nice thing about starting a standard internet business is that, once it’s established and you have reliable people running it, you can walk away from it and let it do it’s thing while you make money week after week.

Of course, at 4Sale4Now we’ve already done the monstrous “up-front” work so you don’t have to. If you have a product for sale and a photo of it on your computer, you can have it posted for sale in no time.

While you don’t need to invest a large amount of time, you do need to be consistent about the time you invest in your 4Sale4Now business. You don’t have to spend a lot of time every day, but you do need to spend some time every day.

• Monitor products for sale
• Find new products to sell
• Test different discounts to find which makes you the most money

You’ll eventually hire someone to manage all this and walk away from your 4Sale4Now business just like you can walk away from a standard business.

How Much Money Do You Have?

This is the granddaddy of all internet business questions, and the one that stops most people from getting themselves a piece of the multi-billions of dollars that are spent online every year. And, the shaky world-wide economy isn’t helping matters much.

A standard business can cost thousands of dollars:

• Hiring a designer to create the website
• Hiring a developer to make it function properly
• Hiring a marketing agency to promote your site
• Merchant account fees
• Web hosting

The list can go on. If you have a big chunk of extra money lying around, developing a standard business might still be an option for you. But, if you don’t have any extra money lying around…

You can start a 4Sale4Now business with very little money. In fact, as I’m writing this, we’re offering to let you post items for free. So, for a limited time, you can start a 4Sale4Now business for absolutely nothing.

Which is a better fit for you? A standard internet business, or 4Sale4Now?

Making a sale begins with making a connection with your buyer. And making that connection begins with a simple (but often misunderstood) truth about the world wide web.

People Buy from People Not from Websites

When someone stops by 4Sale4Now.com and reads your product description, you’ll have better success if you can make it personal.

Apple made a killing with this concept when advertising their iPod. While all the other mp3 players were talking in sterile tones about how many GB their mp3 player had, Apple put its arm around its customer, held out an iPod, and simply said, “1000 songs in your pocket.”

Give your visitors the feel that you’re talking directly to them rather than simply spouting a bunch of features. They need to hear about the features too, but make sure you present them in a way that’s personal.

Treat Your Description as a One-on-One Conversation

Not only do people buy from people, but they like to feel like they are the only one you’re talking to. People want to feel like they’re somebody special and not just a number. Even mega companies like Walmart work hard at this.

Despite the fact that multi-millions of customers go through their doors every day, they try to make each one feel important. That’s why the greeter is at the door welcoming you to Walmart.

Make people feel like you’re a friend offering another friend something that can make their life better in some way and you’ll improve your sales drastically.

Get the Right Packaging Materials

Boxes

Use double-walled boxes in all your packing. Look at the edge of one of your box flaps. If you can see two sheets of cardboard with a wavy cardboard cushion between them, you have a double-walled box. If not, get rid of it and get another.

If you’re reusing boxes, make sure their integrity isn’t compromised. A box that has one of the corners slightly crumpled might be ok. But if one of the edges between the corners is dented, the box could collapse even further at that point. Replace the box.

Tape

It might seem like one kind of tape is just as good as another. And we all know the jokes about duct tape being the handyman’s perfect tool. Still, one type of tape is not like another. Each has their own purpose and each has situations in which they can fail.

When packaging your products, use true packaging tape. You can use the brown kind or the clear kind, but make sure it’s true packaging tape. The adhesive is specially designed to adhere to box material without tearing loose. Both duct tape and masking tape can fail while your package is being delivered and both present a sub-professional image.

Packing Tips

Do You Need to Double-Box

If you deal in extremely fragile items, you might want to consider double-boxing. Double-boxing is exactly what it sounds like. You put your item in a box and put that box inside another box.

Pack your fragile item in a box that it properly fits making sure to wrap the item in bubble wrap. Seal the box and wrap the entire box in a layer or two of bubble wrap. Then lower the entire package into another box.

This technique is especially good if you’re shipping things that are not only fragile, but also rare, such as antiques.

Electronics

If you ship electronic equipment and you include batteries, ship the item without the batteries actually installed. Remove the batteries and pack them separately before putting them in the box with your product. Make sure the batteries are obvious though, so your buyer doesn’t accidentally throw away the batteries with their box.

If you take the time to package your items properly, your products will arrive safe and sound, and you packaging efforts will make it obvious that you’re a professional.