I guess management at the AVI Casino decided that they acted without knowing all the details and/or thinking it through. The Casino folks tried to blame the January promoter, then the vendors, then the one vendor who has a circus size tent, and on and on the finger pointing goes. So Casino management decided that we vendors could sell and have until the 18th to pack up, by the way, you can stay here until the end of the month. Most of the vendors either had already left looking for other markets or had packed most of their inventory. As my tables were still set up I decided to set out mostly cheaper stuff that I hadn't packed. Our market now looks like a flea market rather than a class market. I had one woman tell me yesterday that the bracelet I have for sale for $10.00 is available from another vendor for $5.00, a old trick to get you to drop your price. My comment, So...that's where you should shop. Today I had a woman tell me this was a nice hobby, some hobby with thousands of dollars invested.

So Scott, Pro please. I prefer to deal with buyers Online as the bottom-feeders are weeded out by the listed price.

At least with your own shop on the Internet Sally, you will be the one in control of your own environment. That will include the colour schemes, the product presentation and the general ambience in which your potential clients will do their buying. Having a presence on a ragged half empty market is never going to make anyone's business look professional.

Whilst the pro version will give you a very useful tool for selling goods on the net, you also need to give thought to how you will promote your site to maximise your potential sales revenue. That needs to include both online and offline marketing strategies.

Whilst the pro version will give you a very useful tool for selling goods on the net, you also need to give thought to how you will promote your site to maximise your potential sales revenue. That needs to include both online and offline marketing strategies.

So true. I'll be closing my CC shop for a few weeks between between the fiasco at the AVI park and the AVI Casino Spring Market Extravaganza as I'll have some of my inventory in storage. Once I'm at the Spring Market I'll reopen my shop and hand out as many business cards as possible. I have a web landing page linked to my eBay About Me page. I've submitted my CCSC sitemap to Google, Yahoo and Bing. I don't know what I'll do about next winter's shows, however, wherever I sell I'll hand out cards. I'll keep listing a few items each month on eBay to stay active there, BTW, I guess I lost my eBay stars, go figure. Once my CCSC is better organized I'll close my Buy It Sell It store and finally delete my long time Universal Expressions store. Any online cost savings can be applied to promoting my CCSC. That said, here in the US we are in deep fiscal trouble. I sell mostly jewelry, a non-necessary item. Any suggestion for promoting my shop will be appreciated.

There are lots of options available for promoting your business Sally. First thing you have to evaluate, is do you have enough profit margin within your products to do trade sales, or are your margins too tight and you need to focus purely on retail?

Your predominant buyers are mainly going to be female (I guess), so think about places where they'll congregate. Print up a few flyers and pass them around. Consider organising party plan, doing lunchtime displays in local factory canteens. Have your web site address in the rear window of your vehicle, have your web site address on a tee shirt, try to get your name seen anywhere and everywhere. The only bad marketing option is the one that you don't explore.!!

Thanks for the suggestions Will. I like the tee shirt idea.