Beginners Guide To Selling In The Bark Boutique
| The Bark Boutique is a convenient online marketplace for dog owners to find everything they need for their furry friends and offers dog product suppliers a unique online storefront to promote and sell their goods and services. The Bark Boutique encourages a friendly community and open communication between buyers and sellers. Interesting Statistics: - The TorontoBarks.com site was launched in 2007 and has over 650 registered members
- The Bark Boutique was launched on June 1, 2010
- TorontoBarks.com site averages over 40,000 page views each month, averaging 5+ pages per visit
- Over 250 people "Like" us on Facebook
- Over 1,100 people "Follow" us on Twitter
Why sell in the Bark Boutique?
By listing your products in the Bark Boutique, you will benefit from our increased advertising efforts, social network marketing on Facebook and Twitter, be a featured seller in our newsletter, all at no additional cost to you! These are just some of the ways we are trying to bring traffic and sales to our marketplace. Please read our Sellers FAQ's or contact us at info@torontobarks.com for more information. | 
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SELLING A PRODUCT
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- FREE Sign-up & Set-up of your shop
- Unique branded URL for your store address
- NO sign-up fee, NO monthly fees, NO annual fees
- Each product listing costs $0.25 per item, per quantity
| - 3.5% transaction fee applies when your item sells
- Your product listing will appear for a 4 month period or until sold/sold-out
- Benefit from our daily Facebook Page posts and Twitter tweets
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SELLING A SERVICE
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- FREE Sign-up & Set-up of your shop
- Unique branded URL for your store address
- NO sign-up fee, NO monthly fees, NO annual fees
- Each service listing costs $0.25 per item, per quantity
| - 5% transaction fee applies when service reservation is confirmed
- Your product listing will appear for a 4 month period or until sold/sold-out
- Benefit from our daily Facebook Page posts and Twitter tweets
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Overview Of The Bark Boutique
TorontoBarks.com’s Bark Boutique is a venue, not a retailer whose role is to connect the buyer and the seller. This means when an order is placed on TorontoBarks.com, the buyer and seller are entering into a direct transaction and personal relationship (facilitated by TorontoBarks.com). We encourage the two parties to independently work through the transaction to completion.
A transaction is created when a buyer completes TorontoBarks.com checkout process. The seller and customer will receive email notification from TorontoBarks.com with information about the transaction and an invoice record for your shop. A transaction is completed when the customer pays and the seller ships the item. Payment is submitted directly to the seller via a method specified in the item listing or description (for example: PayPal, personal check, Visa etc).
Communication is the key to a smooth transaction. All customer questions regarding transactions, including payment arrangements and cancellations, should be directed to the seller. TorontoBarks.com recommends that members email to correspond. TorontoBarks.com encourages all sellers to consider keeping all records regarding proof of shipping (for example: delivery confirmation, shipping service receipt, customs form). Please note: other services involved in completing a transaction (for example: PayPal.com, shipping services) may have different policies regarding transactions.
What to Sell
A full line of dog products can be sold on TorontoBarks.com including accessories, clothes, books, toys, treats, kennels, beds, training aids, grooming supplies, memorial products and much more. All items must be dog related, in order to be sold in the Bark Boutique. If you have a question about what to sell or how to become a seller please contact us at info@torontobarks.com.
Banner and Logo/Avatar
Your banner and logo/Avatar can help you brand your shop. Your banner and logo/avatar should be clear, eye catching and professional looking. Your banner could include your logo and tagline or could just be a unique photo of some of your products. If you need help designing a custom shop banner please contact us for more information at info@torontobarks.com.
Your Profile and Company Description
Buyers on TorontoBarks.com want to know who they are buying from. Make sure you tell them a bit about yourself as well as your company. Because this is a community atmosphere, buyers appreciate the personal touch that a description can have. The description is the one place where you really get the chance to sell your company, products and services.
Listing you items
Making the most of your descriptions – When writing a description put yourself in the shoppers shoes and consider what type of information are they looking for? Describe textures, colours, quality, weight and size accurately to help the customer imagine how it might appear or function in real life. By doing so will mean they are one step closer to adding it to their cart. A customer who receives what they are expecting is a happy customer- and one who might return to your shop again and refer their friends. Lastly, double check for proper spelling, grammar and punctuation. This will show professionalism and attention to detail.
Photography (Importance of photography to sell online)
Photography is a very important part of your shop and selling online. If you don’t have clean, clear an eye catching photos, your sales will reflect this. The more professional and cohesive your photos look, the more confidence customers will have in your products and shop. It is important that your photographs accurately represent your product, so multiple views of your product might be necessary.
Your first sale (process from sale to shipping and follow up customer service)
You’ve just made your first sale! After celebrating, you’ll need to get down to business. First you should contact your customer to acknowledge the sale, determine how they are paying (process payment if applicable) and discuss any questions or concerns they might have. Once the customer has paid for the item you should package the product and ship it. Once the item is shipped you could contact the buyer to let them know when to expect their package and thank them for their purchase.
Setting Up Your Shop
Operating a shop is fun and easy! If you haven’t yet, register for a free seller account on TorontoBarks.com as you must do so in order to sell in the Bark Boutique. Contact us at info@torontobarks.com and we will send you a simple form to fill out with your company information. The form will include:
Company Contact Info: All information in this section will be visible to buyers. Here you can enter the basic contact information about your store including: company name, company phone number, company fax number and company email address.
Company Location Info: All information in this section will be visible to buyers. Here you can enter location information of your physical location (if applicable) including: address, city, province and postal code. (These details are only provided to the customers who have made a purchase and wish to pay you via cheque or money order, as these would have to be mailed).
Company Profile Info: All information in this section will be visible to buyers. Here you can provide your company website address if applicable, upload your 150x150px logo and an optional 675x100px store banner. Enter a brief and interesting company description to let the buyers know a little more about your shop and what you offer. This is a great opportunity to mention your return policy or shipping policy (if applicable). This information will appear at the top of your shop page.
Personal Contact Info: This information is used for administrative purposes only and will not be visible to buyers. Here you can enter your first name, last name, phone number, fax and email address.
Seller Settings: Seller Payment Options are defined here and will appear in your shop as well as all listed products. This is here to inform your potential buyers which payment options are available when buying form you. Possible payment options include Personal Cheque, Money Order, PayPal, Visa Card, Master Card, American Express and Discover Card.
Return all completed forms, along with at least 1 image per product and a company logo. We will set up your shop for you and list your products so you can start selling. To read our Sellers Frequently Asked Question please click here.
