I sold my first item last night through Facebook Marketplace, my iMac G5. I would have most likely listed it on Ebay if Adam hadn't suggested listing it on Facebook first. The market place itself is a lot simpler than Ebay and has no security or buyer/seller protection but it is free.
Recently I've become more frustrated with high Ebay fees, in general 10% of the total cost of the item goes to Ebay in some way through listing fees, final value fees and PayPal fees. This would be close to
Pied Piper, based in Milk Street, Shrewsbury, has just completed development of the site – www.piedpiperchildrensclothes.co.uk – which features its full range of clothing for boys and girls aged from birth to 14 years.
The shop is owned by sisters Helen and Caroline Francis and is one of the region’s longest-established children’s wear specialists.
“The site has taken some time to launch as we wanted to include all the brands we sell, as well as our accessories, toys and gifts,” explained Caroline.
“However, working with web designer Ron Gale and developers The Web Orchard, both based in Shrewsbury, has been a very rewarding process as we are delighted with the finished product and we have had an excellent response from new and existing clients.
“The site includes a ‘click and collect’ feature which many customers have been using already, attracting people from throughout the county and mid Wales.
“There are very few specialist children’s wear shops around and we have a very loyal customer base but we are hoping that the launch of a Pied Piper internet presence will make our clothing available to a much wider audience,” Caroline said.
The shop sells brands including Joules, Jean Bourget, Sarah Louise, Mayoral, Lego, Emile et Rose, Steiff, Bobux shoes, Kaloo, Happy Horse and Franck & Fischer.
Korea enjoys a rich culture, made up of a mixture of deeply historic elements alongside modern aspects like the blossoming K-pop world. Visitors to Korea can enjoy a variety of cultural and modern experiences unique to this fascinating country. Read on for ten fantastically unique products that can only be found in Korea.
K-Pop and Korean Drama Merchandise
K-pop, or Korean pop music and culture, is taking the world by storm, and is largely responsible for the burgeoning popularity of Korean dramas. Television dramas like Descendants of the Sun have enjoyed worldwide popularity, and Korea knows how to capitalize on the unexpected popularity of its pop culture.
K-pop merchandise can be found almost everywhere in Korea, but the real treasures lie in licensed souvenir shops run by major entertainment agencies.
Socks
While socks are certainly not a uniquely Korean item, the prevalence of sock-buying opportunities and the wide range of colors, designs, and characters available undoubtedly is. And they're not just targeted to children, as wearing socks emblazoned with favorite characters or even political figures is commonplace for modern Korean people too.
In fact, sock buying so common in Korean culture that sock vending machines can be found in popular areas of Seoul.
Cute Trinkets and Phone Cases
Much like the "kawaii" culture in Japan, Koreans love anything tiny and cute. Many cute items can be found throughout Seoul and other parts of Korea, from tiny teddy bears and dolls to intricate miniatures on keychains, and trinkets to attach to bags and cell phones.
As an offshoot of Korea's "cute" culture, the selection of cell phone cases available to purchase is almost unrivaled in Korea. The range of cases in the United States is a tiny proportion of what is available in other parts of the world, so it makes sense to bring home a selection of cell phone cases for yourself and as souvenirs for friends and family.
Beauty Products
BB Cream is one of the hottest beauty items on the market today, and by all accounts its popularity will only continue to rise. With BB Cream being a uniquely Korean invention, it is little wonder why people are exporting it in all its forms around the world.
But the Korean beauty market is so much more than BB Cream, with facial packs being another common and inexpensive item in Korea. In addition, a selection of strange and unusual beauty products can be found, from jaw massagers to double-eyelid tape, and antibacterial hand wipes to facial slimming masks.
Hanbok
Back to the traditional, the hanbok is for Korea what the kimono is for Japan. And just like in Japan, Korean men and women still wear their hanbok with pride during celebrations and social occasions. Visitors to Korea can order a custom-made hanbok, however they don't run cheap and can take up to three weeks to made.
As such, a variety of hanbok dolls and teddy bears are available for sale at various places throughout Korea, which have proven to be popular keepsakes.
Soju
Soju is the Koreans' alcoholic drink of choice, and like much of Korean culture, has become so popular overseas that the most well-known soju brand, Jinro, has been known to outsell other popular liquors in the United States.
A clear liquid like vodka, soju is typically made from rice and is considered to be quite bitter to taste, and not as strong as vodka.
Soju was traditionally made from rice, until rice shortages from the mid-1060s until the turn of the century caused the government to prohibit the use of rice in soju distillation. Creators needed to become inventive, and even today soju can be found with a tapioca, barley, wheat, or sweet potato base. The more expensive brands are once again made from rice, and soju that has been aged ten years in oak barrels carries a premium price.
Traditional Korean Masks
Masks have long featured in Korean culture, in royal courts, battle uniforms, ceremonies, and rituals. Today, traditional Korean masks still play a role in re-enactments of traditional plays and ceremonies, and as good-luck charms.
Korean Tea
Korea has a strong tea culture, with a variety of traditional and newer teas available. Meshil (sweet plum tea) and omija (five taste tea) are traditional variants that are still widely enjoyed today, while jakseolcha, an expensive form of green tea made from only the young buds of the leaves, is a firm favorite.
Hanji
Koreans have been making traditional paper, known as hanji, for thousands of years, and the tradition still endures today. Made from the bark of the mulberry tree hanji was traditionally used to over the windows, doors, and walls in Korean houses, but today is more commonly used for artistic purposes including stationery, paper dolls, and lamps.
Folding Fans
Folding fans have long been a part of Korean culture, with their use being considered essential, even in colder weather. Folding fans are widely available for purchase, and have traditionally been used as props in Korean dances and performances, providing shelter from the elements, and even to hide a person's face from onlookers.
Which of these products would you be most interested in bringing home from a trip to Korea? Are there other quintessentially Korean products that should be included on this list? Have your say in the comments below, and please like and share this article.
References
17 Uniquely Korean Items to Buy in Seoul - http://www.gpsmycity.com/articles/73-17-uniquely-korean-items-to-buy-in-seoul.html
A Guide to Cool “Korean” Things to Buy in Korea - http://grrrltraveler.com/countries/asia/korea/cool-things-to-buy-in-korea/
Top 20 Things To Buy In Seoul To Take Home - https://blog.trazy.com/2016/07/07/top-20-things-to-buy-in-seoul-to-take-home/
Top 13 Korean Souvenirs That Friends Will Love You For - https://www.tripzilla.com/buy-souvenirs-south-korea/19531
10 Best Seoul Souvenirs Worth Your Money - http://www.therealtravelers.com/south-korea/seoul/10-best-seoul-souvenirs-worth-your-money/
Top 10 Items to Buy in Seoul - http://english.visitseoul.net/top10/Top-10-Items-to-Buy-in-Seoul?indexSn=1§ionSn=77
Items to Buy - http://www.lifeinkorea.com/shopping/items.cfm
Every business owner needs to look for ways big and small to make their company run more quickly and more efficiently. In this way, you can save time and money, as well as valuable resources, while driving up your profit margins. But what steps should you be taking to make your business run smoothly every day? Check out the tips below to get started.
Single Sign-On
Single Sign-On, also referred to as SSO, is a great way to eliminate the time-consuming process of needing to authenticate as you move between different apps. Every one of your employees can make use of SSO when they use any web or mobile apps that are hosted in the cloud or hosted by your own business. Take SSO solutions provider ProofID as an example of one of the products that you can use in your company every day. With the right SSO provider, you can have the best combination of user experience and security to get more done in a shorter amount of time.
Customer Relationship Management Software
Another wise investment would be customer relationship management (CRM) software. This will give you the tools necessary to control all of the communications between your business and your clients. In this way, you and your employees will never drop the ball when it comes to keeping your customers—especially your loyal customers—happy and coming back for more. This along with online counseling could lead to increased sales and more satisfied customers with less effort on your part.
Use Free Cloud Solutions
Your employees work on a lot of different projects every day in order to keep your company going strong and they often have to send files back and forth to each other, making revisions all along the way. This can be time-consuming, as well as take up a lot of space on your email server. So rather than sticking with the old-school method of emailing updates between employees and making notes in files, why not use one of the free cloud services that are available? These include Dropbox and Google Drive as a couple of popular examples. You can give and restrict access for security, as needed, and you can track changes a lot more easily too. Plus, workers from remote locations can access these files with greater ease, without having to worry about having the files on their drives everywhere they go.
Outsource Where Necessary
A final way to make your company more efficient is by outsourcing the tasks that your staff can’t handle on their own. The last thing that you want to do is give your workers too much to do, causing them to hate their job and actually become less efficient overall. So, if you need writing services, design work, or even IT support, consider outsourcing these tasks to qualified pros.
With the strategies and tools above, you can take small steps towards making your business a lot more efficient every day. Before you know it, you will be able to save money that you can reinvest into your brand to help it continue to grow.
There's no manual that tells you how to handle every subject in your blog, blogs aren't blogs without opinions. On the other hand, with sensitive topics, you must be careful in order not to kill your online and blog reputation. With the growth of freelancing, there are many situations where blog posts may become hot topics. So, what are the golden rules you should follow to keep your reputation in tact? Reputational damage can be hard to fix, some details can be compensated with professional help, but it is much better to avoid this harm in the first place. Here are a few tips to do just that.
Be sensitive to other people’s values
Not everyone will agree with your opinion, just as you won’t agree with theirs. But when it comes to more than just opinion, when your articles strike at people’s values, traditions and culture, that can have a huge impact. Understanding how your article may affect the people reading it and being sensitive to that is very important. You’ve heard that line think before you speak. Well that’s the same as blog writing too. You need to fully respect other people’s values and even if you don’t agree, avoid targeting people, especially when it’s something that cannot be changed.
Respond to negative comments
A blog is about communication, so you need to be open about talking to people who read what you write. Don’t just ignore bad feedback, by responding and respecting opinions or even further backing up your own opinion. You are showing you care about what your readers think and perhaps engaging more readers to share their opinions. You will always get the trollsthat are looking for a backlash. However, do not respond angrily. Make your response clear and composed, don’t lose your cool.
Its important to be yourself
When you write a blog, you are sharing yourself with the world. So, you need to share your true self. Lying will only come back on you in the end. There are many reasons why people may lie in their blog writing. Perhaps to avoid criticism, to make themselves appear to be better or more important than they are or sometimes just to fit in. This only makes it harder to back up views and opinions if they come under scrutiny. Plus, if you are caught to be lying in one instance, it undermines everything you have shared and quality honest work you have done. Avoid reputational damage by telling the truth, being yourself and if you need to, say nothing at all.
Use trusted sources
There’s nothing worse than being called out after using an untrustworthy source. Make sure you check and double check your sources and most importantly write from your own experience. Don’t be drawn into speculation or share photographs or pictures that are not associated with the topic you are talking about. Sharing untrue information, some might even call it fake news, can reduce the trust from your audience and damage your reputation.
Do you know how to handle sensitive topics on your blog?
Think back to why you started your business and blog in the first place. How do you feel about the niche it represents? Think about this when you are writing about sensitive topics and you will write true to yourself. In essence, you should use trusted sources, respect other people’s values and answer criticisms and negative comments in a dignified way. And remember, if you do come to some reputational harm, help is out there to reduce the impact as much as possible.