New Shopping Cart

Being the owner of a struggling e-commerce website isn't easy.
It's been a trip having a basic html format and having to spend 15 to 20 minutes on each listing that I would add to my e-store. After adding a few hundred items, the process became repetitve. Plus that's not including all the updates to each page, after the "add to cart" buttons would be clicked. That caused a few additional minutes of either re-adding the paypal coding or taking the web page and pictures off the internet with each sold item.

My decision to add a new shopping cart software to my website, came shortly after my sister in law "Nay" informed me that this would be best for our business. Nay has worked for a big name web company in the past. Where they did everything for their customers such as hosted web sites, designed websites (and used more than just basic html), plus Nay is knowledgable in so much more. I believe her when she says this will be best for my website.

The shopping cart is not free.
It was a gift to Me from Nay (for xmas).
Adding items, descriptions and pictures averages 3-5 mins each, just depending on how much detail goes into each item. It's been so easy to use I am very impressed. We should have everything up and running by Feb 9th (that's what we're pushing for anyway).

Our new shopping cart will support Google checkout and Paypal, plus it will be Firefox friendly.
I can't wait for everyone to see it.
Since Nay is also adding some items, and much of her stuff is wholesale items sold in lots, we will have a different store sperate from my thrift store.

Fun fun.
It's almost done.

Creating your own website from scratch

When I first started on my website, I found out real quick that unless I learned a few things, my new website was going to be a money pit. People want money for making templates, you have to pay for hosting, a shopping cart costs money too if you want something besides paypal, people charge for making a decent looking banner and buttons, and just about anything that has to do with a website costs money.

Money money money money - All of which I didn't have.

I knew from the beginning that I would have to learn how to make my own buttons, banners & templates. There are plenty of talented people out there who could have probably done a lot better job than I did, but I am proud of my templates, banners and buttons because I made them myself.

Sure it was no easy task.
First I bought a paint shop pro 7 software disk off ebay.
Then I put it on my computer and spent a whole day getting upgrades so its like I bought the newest program instead of an older program. (I paid $5 for psp 7 including shipping). It took me 2 months in a free paint shop pro tutorial group, before I learned how to actually make a banner or buttons. Of course they don't say "this is how you make a banner." It was more of "This is how you make a picture with your name on it.". And all those free lessons helped me learn my new software.

Once I mastered the art of psp'ing, I borrowed a friends pen mouse and drew a few cutsie designs. I chose one, which I scaled down to a very small size, using paint shop pro. Thats the pink & pink flower that makes up the border of my banner & buttons.

Next I bought coffee cup html editor - so that I could build my web pages my way - "easy". It's the same as any page builder program, it just had a lot more features. I played with it for a week before I actually uploaded anything. When I started my website I had a partner, and we both loved playing with the coffee cup software. After toying with it, It was easy to figure out.

I made my own templates for each category, so when I want to list something new real quick, I can. I upload all my pages using a free uploader that comes with the coffee cup software.

I decided to go with the paypal shopping cart because it's free. There are other shopping carts out there that are free but you have to know some level of coding or buy a book. I just don't want to pay anymore money than I have too, So I chose the simplest way for me.

I still keep my prices low even though I have to pay fees to receive money. All the items in my store are 75 cents to $3.00 a few are a little higher. I checked and more than half the items on my site are priced at $2.00 which I feel is a fair price for previously loved items.

Feel free to look and tell me what you think
http://www.downsouththrift.com