Re: Mabel Figworthy's Fancies -- a preview
Posted: Wed Apr 13, 2011 3:38 pm
OK, I need to bounce a few things off you all.
My deadline is fast approaching *panic* and I'm having second thoughts about how to send the chart packs.
I intended to have one price on the website which would include UK postage, and to ask non-UK people to email me to order. But now I'm thinking people might not read that (at the top of the page) and just click on the Buy button even if they're outside the UK.
So then I thought I'd have three buttons for each chart pack, UK, Europe and Other, each with their own price. It's possible but it does look rather crowded, which I don't like. Paypal also offers a drop-down box, so I could have one that says "Choose your location", and then once a customer has done that they click on the Buy button and the correct price is chosen automatically.
That seems the best one, except the way the dropdown box is styled looks terrible, and changing it can be done but is rather laborious. Also, as I was looking into postage, I realised postage abroad, especially with the recent price increases, is going to be quite a lot. For example, a large chart pack (like the Floral Tiles) would be £5.99 for the UK, but to cover postage it would have to be £6.99 for Europe and £7.49 for everywhere else. Would people find that excessive?
So then I started thinking again about my very first idea, selling the chart packs as digital files -- not downloads (I'd have to look into coding a bit more to do that) but by sending them as PDF files via email.
Advantages:
* customer has the chart pack quicker (I can email it instantly as soon as I'm informed of the order)
* more convenient for customer, as they can easily print as many working copies as they like, and also enlarge them
* cheaper for customer (especially those outside the UK) as I could lower the prices
* more convenient for me (I don't have to print the chart packs or go to the post office to send them)
* easier on the website (only one price, so only one Buy button necessary for each design)
* if a customer really wants a printed chart pack, I could say on the website to email me for that
Disadvantages:
only one, really, but an important one -- digital files are A LOT easier to distribute illegally.
Any thoughts on all the above would be very welcome -- if I manage to decide on one solution I may even make my deadline!
My deadline is fast approaching *panic* and I'm having second thoughts about how to send the chart packs.
I intended to have one price on the website which would include UK postage, and to ask non-UK people to email me to order. But now I'm thinking people might not read that (at the top of the page) and just click on the Buy button even if they're outside the UK.
So then I thought I'd have three buttons for each chart pack, UK, Europe and Other, each with their own price. It's possible but it does look rather crowded, which I don't like. Paypal also offers a drop-down box, so I could have one that says "Choose your location", and then once a customer has done that they click on the Buy button and the correct price is chosen automatically.
That seems the best one, except the way the dropdown box is styled looks terrible, and changing it can be done but is rather laborious. Also, as I was looking into postage, I realised postage abroad, especially with the recent price increases, is going to be quite a lot. For example, a large chart pack (like the Floral Tiles) would be £5.99 for the UK, but to cover postage it would have to be £6.99 for Europe and £7.49 for everywhere else. Would people find that excessive?
So then I started thinking again about my very first idea, selling the chart packs as digital files -- not downloads (I'd have to look into coding a bit more to do that) but by sending them as PDF files via email.
Advantages:
* customer has the chart pack quicker (I can email it instantly as soon as I'm informed of the order)
* more convenient for customer, as they can easily print as many working copies as they like, and also enlarge them
* cheaper for customer (especially those outside the UK) as I could lower the prices
* more convenient for me (I don't have to print the chart packs or go to the post office to send them)
* easier on the website (only one price, so only one Buy button necessary for each design)
* if a customer really wants a printed chart pack, I could say on the website to email me for that
Disadvantages:
only one, really, but an important one -- digital files are A LOT easier to distribute illegally.
Any thoughts on all the above would be very welcome -- if I manage to decide on one solution I may even make my deadline!