PayPal:
Make sure that the PayPal account you set up is a Premier or Business Account. If you already have a Personal one, you can upgrade through PayPal and it is free to do. Personal accounts do not have Secure Merchant Account ID (SMAID for short) codes assigned to them like the Premier & Business accounts do. The SMAID code is a 13 digit alphanumeric code needed to activate your Buy Now button on your page so purchases can be made. It can be found in your PayPal account under the Profile tab. Just copy and paste this code into the Blue Tab of your vendor account "Update My PayPal". Transactions will take place through PayPal automatically. Make sure to check that your Buy Now button has been activated correctly. That is, you've inputed the correct code (Secure Merchant ID code) that PayPal assigned to you as a merchant when you signed on with them to open a Premier or Business account. You won't be able to process or sell using a Personal PayPal account. You can double check to see that your button is active just by clicking on it. If it opens up the pop up window for PayPal with the transaction invoice there, then your button is activated properly. You can just close the window and your are ready to sell. If when you click on it and an error message shows up on the page when the pop up window opens up, then the button hasn't been activated properly and the wrong code was entered.
Remember, you don't need to wait to become "verified" by PayPal to start setting up your shop and selling your items. PayPal's verification process validates your link from your PayPal account to your bank account and can take a few days to occur. My City Artisans does not see nor store any of your credit card or banking information. This takes place strictly between you and PayPal through their secure payment gateway.
Uploading Photos:
Should you notice that your photos don't upload at all or they appear distorted after you upload them to your page, make sure the photo size is not too big. Please see our mini-tutorial under the yellow tab "My Products" then click on "Add a Product". It will show you how to resize your photos, along with approximate recommended sizes for your photos to upload correctly. The size does not have to match exactly the recommended sizes mentioned, it is a guideline.
After you upload your 1st view & you fill in the descriptive fields for that item, you are then prompted with 2 options:
a) upload another item (referring to another product photo) OR b) upload another view of this product (referring to the one you just did), click here....
When you click there, you'll see 2 browse tabs. Browse your picture library, select your 2cd view, then browse again for your 3rd view, without clicking the Upload button in between the 2cd & 3rd browses. Once you've selected those 2 other views, then click the upload button so that it'll upload both those photos. Once done, it'll take you to their respective descriptive fields for you to fill out, then make sure to click "Save".
If you click upload after the 2cd view AND before you've browsed for your 3rd view, the upload will only recognize the 2cd and default there. If you only have 1 view of your product, just proceed to "Upload another item" to continue adding photos of your other products.
Make sure you fill in the description of your item. Be creative, have fun with it...you want to entice buyers to read about the item you are selling. Also, be aware to "categorize" your item in the appropriate category tab from the dropdown menu. Otherwise, if left blank, your item will be categorized in the first tab listed by default. It would then be more difficult to search for your items if they are not assigned in the right category.
Uploading Your Bio Picture:
For your shop to show up under the "My City Artisans" list of vendors, you need to upload your bio picture and have the name of your store. The bio picture could be a picture of yourself, one of your products or your logo image. Your bio picture will also show up under your "My Bio" section of your vendor page. To do this, go to the blue tab (My Profile) of your vendor account dashboard. Scroll down to see where to upload your avatar. Also, in the "Update My Profile" tab, make sure you fill in the field for your store's name as it too will be on the list and if you want, a general location of where you're from.
Your Shipping and Return Policies:
When filling out these fields, make sure you are clear about your policies so there are no misunderstandings later. To factor in your shipping costs, you would set that up through your PayPal account (not on our "Update Your PayPal Info" page). Go to your PayPal acct--select Profile or Merchant Services...look for Shipping Calculation--click on it. It opens up a page where you can pre-set either
a flat rate or % based options for shipping. They also have an option that allows you to over-ride these pre-set amounts whenever you want (i.e. where you don't want to charge someone shipping because they'll pick up your item in person). Once you set up your shipping fees & click save, you'll get a message at the top of the same page that you successfully updated your shipping preferences. This info is attached to your PayPal code (Buy Now button on your vendor page), so when people buy an item from your vendor page & go through PayPal to complete the transaction, they initially will see the invoice summary with only the purchase price. Once they login to THEIR PayPal account to continue, the shipping cost will be applied automatically & the invoice summary will now reflect the added cost of your shipping with the new purchase total.
My Bio and Notes From the Vendor:
These are some fun fields to fill in and a great way to market yourself. Let your personality shine through in your "Bio" notes. People are always curious to find out how a vendor began making their particular craft and what inspires them. Use your vendor notes to let viewers know about events you may be at, new projects you are working on or even to announce some specials and contests to promote your items and talent. Contact us by email to let us know about any events you will be at, any specials or contests you may be running, that way we may post it on our Facebook and Twitter pages to get the word out.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO):
Our newest feature is found in our Green tab "My Page" then click on "Notes & Keywords". To help your My City Artisans page be seen by online Search Engines, enter a short description of your page and keywords describing your products. Make sure to separate keywords with a space. In reality, your most powerful keywords are the first five. There is a 500-character limit on keywords, so don't waste space with product type names and variations like t-shirt, tee, and tee shirt. They are too common. Instead, be specific and focus on describing your product's design. What is the specific subject or theme? What is it and what can it be used for? Just remember that any keywords beyond your top five are a bit less important, so choose your top keywords wisely!
Hope these tips will help you set up a successful shop. If you have any questions or require further assistance, please feel free to email us at info@mycityartisans.ca.
