It's that time of year. Every day the reports of the flu virus spreading gets worse. But colds and flu aren't the only things that spread through populations like wildfire. Attitudes, both good and bad are spread just a quickly.

The other week I went shopping for a dress to wear on one of the formal nights on an upcoming cruise. Having no luck at the mall, I stopped off at a local secondhand shop where I often find items to sell. There it was - a sweet 50s Chanel styled little black number and in my size too! Standing in front of the mirror in the fitting room I excitedly thought, oh yes, that gorgeous black iced Weiss set in my shop will be perfect for sure.

There's nothing better than someone making a purchase from your store. It makes you feel like someone else appreciates your taste and effort in presenting an item in its very best light. What's even more fun is having someone make an offer and bargaining back and forth until both of you are ready to conclude a purchase.

So now the fun begins. Before packaging I go over the item with a fine toothed comb to make sure I've not missed anything. If I see a button loose, a seam opening or anything else that is taken care of and the item is either steamed or ironed.

It's 3 AM and I am up with the flu. I check my email as I cannot sleep and suddenly I got a little sicker. I find I have a message from Ruby Lane. I have been notified I cannot sell a coffee pot because it has a "recall" on their site.

Christmas season is upon us, and hopefully we'll be selling lots of stuff in the coming months. It's up to us to make sure every item gets to its destination safely. There's nothing worse than selling something valuable just to have it arrive in pieces. Sellers always blame the post office. I blame the sellers. If something is packed right, it shouldn't break ... even if a piano falls on it! Here are timely tips from someone (me) who has never had ANYTHING break in transit:

And as shop owners we have more than the goose to think about! The Christmas shopping season is upon us and there is much to do. Most online customers will complete their gift buying by the second week of December, giving us just about 60 days until the end of 2009 Holiday shopping! So, if you haven’t already started—NOW is the time to prepare your shop.

Did you ever take a photo of something that has dimension to it (like a cut crystal bowl or a lovely bracelet) only to find the outcome is rather fuzzy – especially towards the back of the object?

Look at these two pictures of a bracelet. One has a somewhat fuzzy front and back. The other is very in focus on both the front and back details.

A "Must" use Facility to Help Those Sales!

When I first started with Ruby Lane, like most of us, it took me some time to become familiar with all the modules in our shop home. I’d login to Ruby Lane daily and eagerly click on BUYER’S WISH LIST to see what items our visitors liked best and then head over to REPORTS to check out the number of “shop visitors” and the “click report”. I daresay that’s probably what most of do before we scurry off to add new items or go to our day jobs or whatever.

Over a hundred years ago, Teddy Roosevelt said “If You Build It, They Will Come”. That saying has lived on and been turned into advertising slogans by all sorts of companies: Up here in Canada, it’s used by a big beer company.

As you know, Facebook is a fast-growing social networking phenomenon designed to allow you to connect online with others whom you know, or with whom you share common interests. Ruby Lane launched its Facebook page this past Spring, and it's going strong.