Armour Sans Anguish
July 29, 2008 by Lovely · Leave a Comment
trashion (trash-shon) n. apparel, wear ables, jewelry and accessories made from trash, garbage or thrown-away materials.
Going green has become a consumer mantra. Not only is it smart business to capitalize on the recycle-reuse movement, it’s the right thing to do for the environment.
Creative Indiepreneur Tawny Holt does it in a most beautiful way.
PRISON TERM FOR E-MERCHANT
July 25, 2008 by Lovely · Leave a Comment
Jeremiah Mondello was sentenced to 4 years in federal prison, followed by 3 years probation and 150 hours community service per year for selling privated goods online.
“Mondello is a whiz-kid who used his smarts and savvy to rip off software makers and consumers,” noted Keith Kupferschmid, SVP of Intellectual Property Policy & Enforcement for the Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA). “We are fortunate that he has been stopped, but there are hundreds more like him running illegal operations on eBay and other sites. The Mondello case demonstrates that these pirates won’t simply get a slap on the wrist when caught — they very well may end up doing serious time in federal prison.”
According to the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Cyber Crime Center, Mondello used stolen bank account information to create more than 40 fictitious eBay and PayPal identities to sell pirated software via the auction site. His fraudulent sales amounted to a five to six figure sales volume.
The SIIA, which initiated the action against the notorious eBay pirate, also announced six new lawsuits against sellers of illegal software on auction sites bringing the total lawsuits so far in 2008 to 32.
“We’ve been much more aggressive in filing lawsuits this year and intend to send a clear message that auctioning counterfeit and unauthorized software will lead to serious penalties,” Kupferschmid continued. Today’s six new lawsuits will be followed by even more as the year goes on.”
The most recent lawsuits charged all of the following with knowingly selling software illegally on eBay: Nathanael S. Landsteiner, Fairmont, MN; John Hoyle and Gail La Fortune, Senoia, GA; Gennadiy Barbin, Boise, ID; Tamara Irby, Nathalie, VA; Trisha Carter/Maggie Grace Designs; Denham Springs, LA; and, Andreh Lee, Elmhurst, NY.
To date, the SIIA program has led to judgments and settlements against illegal eBay sellers as well as sellers on other websites dealing in counterfeit, OEM, unbundled, unauthorized education, and other versions of software not authorized for Internet resale. Damages paid by defendants have run as high as several hundred thousand dollars. SIIA also has successfully tracked and pursued the upstream sources of some of these products, and will continue to do so.
Read the press release from the SIIA
Selling Your Story
July 22, 2008 by Lovely · Leave a Comment
As indiepreneurs, one of the strongest marketing tools we have is in our very own personal story. Most people that buy handmade are highly interested in our personal stories, as a way to connect not only to us as creative people but to somehow connect to the product we have to sell.
Each and every one of us has a road we have travelled down to get where we are today as indiepreneurs.
Understanding Etsy
July 17, 2008 by Lovely · Leave a Comment
Does this sound familiar? You’ve visited Etsy.com and while you recognize some of the terms flying around, you aren’t quite sure what they are exactly.
Don’t worry, Etsy has its own language. Here is a list of the most common terms you may come across.
Blogging for A Living
July 15, 2008 by Jane · Leave a Comment
When you think of the world wide web, think of it as one gigantic newsstand. On it are online magazines and journals called BLOGS - where small, independent publishers write away.
BUT can you actually earn a living blogging?
Well, folks like Dooce, Arianna Huffington, Matt Drudge and Perez Hilton are doing just that, in their cases, earning a very good living.
So, yes … it is INDEED possible. Read on for tips on how you, TOO, can become a blogging mogul.
How to Host a Fabulous Home Party
July 15, 2008 by Lovely · Leave a Comment
When customers at trunk shows began asking about hosting their own home “party”, I became very open to the idea. Companies like Tupperware and Pampered Chef were very successful using this method. I’ve worked for such direct sales companies. How different could it possibly be to do it on my own?
I’d like to share marketing techniques you may find helpful to successful home parties.
Product Photography
July 11, 2008 by Lovely · Leave a Comment
Selling online — Ecommerce – presents a unique issue in that customers can’t pick up, touch and examine your product.
High quality, unique products need high quality photography to sell well.
Here are a few tips.
HOW TO SET YOUR PRICE
July 7, 2008 by Lovely · Leave a Comment
Setting prices for your goods and services seems to be a stumper for Indiepreneurs — new and seasoned.
Too high and items sit forever and customers are afraid to come back to your site or booth. Too low and you cut your own profit margin.
It’d be wonderful to have a secret formula that magically produced a good sales price for you. While a such a secret formula doesn’t exist — here are a few things to keep in mind when considering your prices.
SHIPPING 101
July 2, 2008 by Lovely · 2 Comments
The biggest challenge for me when it came to ecommerce was shipping. It still is a challenge, actually, as I continue to find better ways of getting a package from point A to point B at a reasonable price AND in one piece.
Here are a few tips and tricks I’ve learned — some the hard way.
