Right now I'm constructing my online store. I'm limited to only a few templates, and I need bird photo for the site. I'd prefer a photo of a parrot hanging around some toys or something that would be noticed, but not terribly exciting. The biggest restraint is that it has to fit a certain size of 175x196 pixels. Also I still want to know what you must often buy online and what online bird store you go to.

Hi OZ.
Great idea about the online store.

I dont really buy much online.
I am pretty lucky to have a great pet goods store near me.
They are cheap, friendly and will order in for me if I need something different.

I would look at selling
solid Quaker proof toys
good quality and variety of foods
quaker stuff for the parronts and as gifts> mugs, drinking glasses, pens, stationary, key rings, stubby holders etc
bird books
breeding boxes
handrearing requirements > spoons, droppers, syringes, rearing mix, thermometers, thermostats etc

Thats all I can think of for now.
Good luck.

Tricia.

p.s. no pics suitable

Shipping to Canada, and hopefully the shipping will not be more than the order itself like some sites.

I agree about the shipping. I'm in the U.S., but sometimes shipping costs are ridiculous, and I know it couldn't possibly cost that much to ship. I think some online sites are making a chunk of their profit from "shipping costs." I ordered a bird carrier from Drs. Foster and Smith and shipping was $10!!!! The carrier was only $11-something. You have to make a profit, of course, but when you do it that way it creates a bad taste in your customers' mouths, and you don't want that.

I have a favorite site to order clothing from and their way of doing it is to have flat shipping no matter how many items you buy. So someone who buys several things pays the same shipping as someone who buys only one -- this encourages people to buy more at one time, and makes them feel they've gotten a good deal by paying less for shipping to boot. You should probably be very up front about shipping costs, too. There's another site I like to look at, but have never actually ordered from because you have to go through several steps to figure out how much they're going to charge you for shipping and it's a pain in the patoot to try to order online. Make ordering easy and set up a PayPal account and be up front with shipping and people will be more inclined to buy stuff from you.

And ship quickly. My mother does most of her Christmas shopping from catalogues -- she can't drive anymore -- and one of them takes WEEKS to send the stuff. She likes their stuff, so she grits her teeth and orders from them anyway, but it annoys her very much that they're so slow. People are also more inclined to order from you if you're quick about it and make it a pleasant experience.

I have emailed what looks like is going to be my primary supplier. I've asked about what their rates are for drop shipping. One of the other companies said that I have to pay shipping plus a 5% packaging fee. I'm hoping that this company will be a better deal, especially since they are texas based, and I can get products shipped to me quickly. That could lead to potential for the international shoppers.

I totally agree that shipping fees can get insane on some websites, and I want to keep the shipping prices low, but for the most part the shipping prices are out of my hands.

Well I have to try and finish up a few thigns before I go out and get the rest of the halloween stuff ready.