Checkout Pixlr.  If you want to simply retouch your images but don’t want to buy Photoshop.  In minutes you can upload your picture and modify.

Here are somethings I would use it for:

- Adding text to images (like your website name)

- Reducing the image size

- Cropping out the background

I’m a really big fan of stores with background images.  It adds a ton of personality.

Here are some really great websites that offer really cool looking background images for free:

Din Pattern

Fading Background Images

Everyday Icons

Google Checkout allows you to accept credit card payments using a (free) Google account. In our experience, it is easier to use and more reliable than PayPal for a nearly identical functionality. Read more about Google Checkout here.

Follow these steps to use Google Checkout on your store.  Feel free to download and print these instructions out.

1. Sign up for a Google Merchant account.  It is free and easy.

Please Note: Google will make a small deposit in your bank account and you will need to verify the amount in order to complete your sign up.  This will take a day or two.

2. Login to your Google Checkout account and go to “My Sales”. Click on the “Settings” tab and then click on “Integration” on the left.

3. Make sure “My company will only post digitally signed carts.” is unchecked.

4. Locate your Google merchant ID and Google Merchant Key on the right side of this page.

5. Login to your Flying Cart store headquarters (in a new browser window).  Go to your “Store” -> “Settings” tab.  Scroll down to the Payment section and enter in your Google Merchant ID and Google Merchant key that you got from Step #4.

6. Highlight your API Callback URL from the Google Checkout section and go to Edit > Copy in your browser to copy it. Scroll down the page and click “Update Settings” at the bottom.

7. Go back to the window with your Google Settings and paste the API Callback URL into the field on that page.  Select “HTML (name/value pairs)” as the callback method.  Hit “Save”.

8. Go to your store, put something in your cart and notice that Google Checkout is now an option. Enjoy!

Here are a few of our recent interviews. Read more about what it has been like starting and running Flying Cart.

Rishi’s interview with Pek Pongpaet, hack of all trades

Margo’s interview with Gaebler.com

If you need a new logo checkout 99 Designs.  You simply post up what your company is about and post up a prize amount.  Then designers from all around the world submit their designs to win your prize money.

It seems like a good prize amount to attract top designers is between $100-$250.  To get an idea of how cool this is check out some in process design competitions.

99 DESIGN COMPETITION EXAMPLES

- Competition for Environmental Safe Solutions

- Africa Freak

- Logo for Michael Jackson Tribute band

MORE LOGO DESIGN OPTIONS

- Make your own using a different font.  1000’s of cool free fonts listed here

- Post an Ad on Craigslist under Jobs in the Art/Media/Design section in your city

With the Holidays coming up.  I wanted to share my thoughts on ways to greet your customers.

THE WORST

Nothing makes me want to hit the “Delete Email” button faster when I get an email from a company that sends a massive impersonal email with an image attached (usually something like a tree with snow falling for Christmas, or pumpkins for Thanksgiving, or candles for Diwali)

I get these a lot and think its completely pointless.  If you are going to send a massive email:

- At least make it a newsletter and show off some of your products

- At least include a picture with you and your family in it (isn’t that what the holidays are for?)

THE BEST

I love it when I get a personal email.  With my name and something personal about me.  For example a customer yesterday emailed me this:

“A very special Happy Diwali Greetings to you and flying cart staff members. Let the Joy of flight bring bright future with your wonderful simple, easy to create and use stores brings more shop online stores for common man to get benefited.”

I was really touched!

EXAMPLE EMAIL

Here is an example email that I just came up with that might work for you:

Hey [Customer Name],

I wanted to wish you a very merry Christmas.  I hope you have a chance to wear that scarf you bought from me last month

Attached is a picture of me and my family celebrating!

Have a great holiday!

[Your Name]

[Your Website URL]

Over the weekend I was getting my car tuned up at a local shop.  In the waiting room I saw a brochure for jewelery.  Surprisingly - I actually looked through it because I was super bored.

This made me think of a quick idea (just an idea)- why not make really simple product brochures with pictures of your items and your store information and place them where people are bored.

A jewelery brochure might be great at a nail salon

A clothing brochure might be fun at a laundramat

Just try to think of places that have waiting rooms (doctor/dentist offices, car service locations, laundromats, massage parlors, diners, restaurants, etc.)

It might be a good idea to tell the owner of the shop what you are doing AND even give them a cut.

Rishi and I went to Maker Faire in Austin last weekend and were blown away by all the cool stuff we saw. It’s a two-day paradise of do-it-yourself projects including art, crafts, engineering, robotics, science, music, and more. Anyone who likes to make stuff and look at stuff other people have made would enjoy this. We talked with a lot of crafters about running their own businesses and selling online. The majority of them already have products on Etsy.com and many have their own website as well. Many were interested in learning about other ways to expand their online sales, such as creating their own brand on their own store site with Flying Cart. Here are some photos and a video of our day.

Big thanks to Xylocopa Design, Feto Soap, Stab Happy, and Knotty Bags for being in our video.

Me playing an air piano

A dancer performs

A choreographed mentos/diet coke explosion performance

Getting new customers is good.  Getting customers to return is even better.

Create a personal touch with your customers so they will think about you long after your product has been used.  I remember getting a package a few years ago from a backpack I ordered online.  Along with the backpack they sent me pictures of how they made it and a little bit about the person that shipped it to me.  I thought that was sooo cool!

Here are some ideas on creating a personal touch:

- Put a big smiley face on the package saying “Open with a smile!  You just got a package :)”

- In the package put a picture of your pet, you, an action shot of you with the product you just shipped to them, a funny picture

- Put in a hand made personal note saying thank you for their business

- Give them a free sticker button with your store name on it

Has something worked for you?  Post your ideas in the comments.

In the United States you do not need to charge a sales tax to customers out of your state.

Here are some examples:

Running your business from your home:

Q: I live in Wisconsin and have a home based business (no warehouse or office space).  Do I need to charge sales tax?

A: No. You don’t have to charge any sales taxes.

Running your business from an office/warehouse:

Q: I live in Florida and have a small warehouse where I sell my products out of.  Do I need to charge sales tax?

A: You only need to charge a sales tax to Florida residents.

Running your business from multiple locations:

Q:  I have offices/warehouses in California, Illinois, and Nebraska.  Do I need to charge a sales tax?

A: You need to charge a sales tax to California, Illinois, and Nebraska residents.

MORE INFO:

Internet sales are actually regulated by the federal government because it reaches across state borders. Under current law, states cannot reach beyond their borders and compel out-of-state vendors to collect the tax owed by that state’s residents. What happens is those who buy online are supposed to report it and pay “use tax” in their state, even though it’s not heavily regulated.

Disclaimer: Please check with your state and local tax bureaus.  Local laws change all the time and I’m not a Tax expert.