| Nov. 19 2008 at 12:31 AM |
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Hello all!
My site is located at : http://www.MrTomsAlley.com.
It is an e-commerce site where I am selling antiques, collectibles and coins from the last two centuries. I currently have about 2500 items available online. I launched this site in April of 2008 and have been tweaking it ever since. My sales have been on a steady upswing, so that's promising, but, I'm always looking for ways to improve. I have tried to create both a professional feel as well as a familiarity to the site. I'd like my customers to feel as though they are dealing with someone they can trust, not just a faceless website. I designed the entire site and do all the listing. I started with an open source shopping cart package, called Zen-Cart, some of you may be familiar with. I then tweaked and added whatever I thought I thought I needed as I went along. I haven't received any angry emails or calls about the site yet, so I guess that's a good thing, and have managed to cultivate a little base of "regulars". I do all of this pretty much on my own, and don't have a real large budget for "professional" improvements, so any advice you could offer would be well received! Thanks in advance!
Harry
Edited by: MrTomsAlley - Nov. 19 2008 at 12:32 AMMr. Tom's Alley, LLC
Antiques, Collectibles and Coins
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| Nov. 19 2008 at 12:18 PM |
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Welcome!!
I checked out your site and really like it. Your about me page was very interesting and like the fact that you show how you got your start. We also started on eBay and moved on for the same reasons.
Wishes for much success,
Kathy
......Navy Signal Flag Gifts....
Made to Order Navy Signal Flag Banners...
"Anything you can Spell we can Make!"......
Visit IB Designs Blog....
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| Nov. 19 2008 at 2:14 PM |
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Thanks for the kind words. It's a shame eBay had to change so radically. I hope you have all the success in the world, and thanks for taking time to look at my site! I'm off to check yours out now!
Harry
Mr. Tom's Alley, LLC
Antiques, Collectibles and Coins
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| Nov. 19 2008 at 2:49 PM |
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I agree that eBay had a good thing going but they certainly changed alot. I am glad now that we started our website a few years ago. Thanks for checking us out.
I ordered from your site and your checkout works great with no glitches at all.
Kathy
......Navy Signal Flag Gifts....
Made to Order Navy Signal Flag Banners...
"Anything you can Spell we can Make!"......
Visit IB Designs Blog....
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| Nov. 19 2008 at 3:51 PM |
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Hi Kathy-
I thought that might have been you. Your order is on it's way via USP Priority. (I upgraded the shipping). It took awhile to get my checkout integrated correctly but it seems to work well now. Kudo's to Quickbooks Merchant Services for all the help. Hope you enjoy your order. I checked out your site, too. Very nice. I'm going to get on there later and really delve into it. I may be coming to you for some gifts! Thanks again!
Harry
Mr. Tom's Alley, LLC
Antiques, Collectibles and Coins
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| Nov. 19 2008 at 4:46 PM |
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Certificates! Send certificates! 
OK, sorry, that's an inside joke you'll all be let in on in the near future ....
Seriously .... I like the introduction you provide, but to me the drawback is that it is a bit long, and as a result your products aren't front and center .... so maybe consider making the intro area not as tall so that your product images show up higher on the page .... and you could shorten the intro as well ... nothing personal, but if I was a potential customer, I want to see a short, to-the-point intro, then products, and then learn about you to build trust after finding what I want .... if your current set up works, that's fine, I'm just throwing in a suggestion ....
Other than that, you have a great variety that should interest almost anyone ... good luck with your venture ....
M Hall
MichianaWebline
EmployIndiana.com
International Society of Curmudgeons
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| Nov. 19 2008 at 5:52 PM |
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Thanks, Webline, for your comments. I'll consider shortening that up, since I do go into greater detail on another page the customer can access if he/she wants. I'm a bit spoiled because I have a 24 inch monitor and so don't always take into consideration other screen sizes like I should. It helps to have that prod now and then. As for the certificates, I guess I'll find that out in due time? Mr. Tom's Alley, LLC
Antiques, Collectibles and Coins
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| Nov. 19 2008 at 7:29 PM |
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Hi,
Using ZenCart provides you with some SEO benefits, remember that the name you use for your categories and products will be used in the "title" of the web page that displays the category or product.
Watch the file size for your image files... some are over 70kb. I didn't check them all but I saw a couple over 100kb.... those would take a while to appear unless the viewer has a higher speed connection.
I would suggest using a different, more stylized template for your store rather than the default template. The green text menu color doesn't seem to go with the rest of the site and the gray bar headers detract from the content.
I didn't see and "return" policy... the link goes to a page with no "return" information on it.
I also agree that it is important to get the product in front of the viewer as quickly as possible or a strong/important marketing message.
~Roland
Web Design | Golf videos | ecommerce articles | Golf Lessons
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