The Creepiness Of Selling Online

I have been selling on line for over 8 years. In the beginning I admit that I wasn't the brightest light bulb in the lamp. I did a lot of things wrong and paid the price for it. So I decided to devote some time to helping those who are starting out selling learn some tricks and how to be safe. Tip # 1- GET A PO BOX. I cannot stress that enough. Do you know how many freaky people are out there? A LOT!! Just go to Craigslist. They all post there. A po box starts out as low as $12 depending on size. True story. A few years ago I woke up to a pounding on the door. A gentleman who had purchased something from me had tracked me down at my house. He wanted to pick up item. Now, I don't mind pick ups but I will usually meet person in a public place if I decide to do that. But this man took it upon himself to come to my home. So here I am, alone with small child, freaking out. Then it got creepy. He wanted to see my store. Wanted to make a deal for furture purchases. Then he asked if I was happily married. Thankfully my neighbor responded to my DC(direct connect) alert and came running over. The point is that this would have NEVER happened had I not posted my address. After that all references to my address were deleted and I went and got a po box. Tip #2-Get an 800 number or a 2nd line on phone for your business. Either way each only cost about $9.98 a month. Same principal applies here. Do you know how EASY it is to get someone's addy from their phone number. Reverse phone number sites have hit an all time high. And they are VERY easy to use. Top #3- Pick up & deliveries. As I posted up above, I will do it but under certain circumstances. Only in a public place. And by public I mean with 50 million people mulling around all up in my business. If you decide to allow a customer to pick up or you meet them somewhere here are some rules to follow. Let someone know who, what, when, where, and how. While I do believe in the inate goodness of people, I also watch to many psy thrillers and have no urge to be dropped in a hole and marinated in babyoil. No $$$= no product. Really, do I need to say more? No CODs. I hope these tips help you. Though I know the majority here are safety concious sometimes we get more lax when concerning our business. Stay tuned as I devulage into advertising...the good, the bad, and the cheap.

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