E-commerce ideas for retailers!

We know the economy is challenging right now for many retailers. If you are looking to add an e-commerce site to your existing brick and mortar store (a good idea!), these are our tips to get started:

1. Secure your domain name at http://www.godaddy.com/ (about $10 a year), try to get a .com address - it's easier for people to remember.

2. You need a website with e-commerce capabilities, a "shopping cart" can be very expensive. We highly recommend http://www.volusion.com/ - you can launch a website with e-commerce quickly and at a great price (you manage/edit it yourself - very important!). Try a free template with the 14 day free trial, all the bells and whistles are amazing. And if you want to upgrade to a premium site template for $400+ this is much cheaper than $3,000 and up which many website companies are quoting these days. The monthly fee (per products) includes: hosting, SEO, quickbooks integraton, inventory management, merchant services, shipping integration, marketing tools, etc. And it's month to month, no contracts. Give the 14 day free trial a test drive.

3. For under $100 or less (excluding hosting @ $15 per month) we recommmend http://www.shoppepro.com/ - so many talented designers with already made website "templates" that are cool and hip, and custom websites are available too. This is a good option for new businesses on a budget.

If you have questions let us know, we are happy to help! Email: mary@moon-cakes.com
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NEW CHILDREN'S SAFETY LAWS, don't panic.

The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) was passed in August 2008. Basically, any children's products for ages 12 and under needs to confirm compliancy to safety regulations now in USA. Be assured Mooncakes is following this closely and already has tested our products for lead and flammability, and we are in compliance.

What do these new laws mean for the retailer? If you have any product concerns or just want peace of mind, ask your vendors to confirm compliancy regarding the products you want to carry on your shelves. Especially in toys.

Please visit http://www.cpsc.gov/ for more information. The CPSIA is ever evolving and we hope will be ammended as it will bankrupt many small businesses and home crafters ... please consider this petition: http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/reform-cpsia-hr4040/signatures.html

Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act details:

1) Conformity Certifications should accompany all shipments of regulated products made after Nov. 12, 2008; and the surface coatings of children's products should be tested by an accredited third party laboratory for lead paint.

The following summarizes other upcoming deadlines:

JAN. 20: Third-party testing for cribs and pacifiers. Products manufactured on or after this date must be accompanied by a certificate based on third-party testing by an accredited lab.

FEB. 10: New lead content retroactive ban. Starting on this date all children's products imported, distributed or otherwise sold in the U.S. must conform to a standard of 600 ppm for total lead content. This standard applies to material substrates, as opposed to surface coatings exclusively.

FEB. 10: New phthalate ban. Beginning on this date all children's products must conform to the new phthalate ban for children's toys and child care articles. These items may not contain more than 0.1 % of the specified phthalate chemicals.

FEB. 15: Third party testing required for small parts in children's products manufactured on or after this date.

Excerpt taken from Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg, P.A. newsletter: http://www.strtrade.com/
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