I've read tons of articles on how to bring customers to your site but it seems like not a whole lot of articles cover getting those customers to return. I thought I would put together a few tips, I try to implement in my shop to encourage buyers to come back.

1.) Ensure that the first transaction goes smoothly.
- By replying to convos/emails quickly.
- Acknowledging the transaction (a thank you convo).
- Shipping quickly and letting the buyer know that you've shipped the order with a personal convo.
- The packaging doesn't need to be stunning but it should be well-packaged to ensure that the product arrives safe and in the same condition.

*These steps only take a few minutes of your time and make a world of difference.

2.) If something goes wrong, fix it.
- As a seller who accepts payments via Paypal - I am responsible for the package until it arrives in my buyer's hand, safe and sound. If the package is lost or broken, I replace it without complaint.
- Do what you say. When you don't, make it right with the buyer. My policies say I ship within 2 business days, if I can't I let the buyer know asap and if it's appropriate, I refund the shipping costs.
- Many buyers will consider coming back even if something went wrong the first time, as long as, the problem was dealt with properly.
- Don't make excuses - take responsibility for the problem and correct it.

3.) Be friendly and professional - ALL THE TIME!
- Honestly, very few things frustrate me more than pushy or angry convos. As a professional, you should be "PROFESSIONAL" at all times. If you can't be professional at the time, walk away until you can be and read whatever you've wrote at least twice.

4.) Offer Incentives
- Providing first-time buyers with coupons for %-off, free shipping, buy 2 get 1 free, etc. Can help to ensure that they come back for more.
- If you offer too many discounts, too often, some buyers won't come back until you provide them with one (I know I won't go to Michael's without a coupon anymore).
- Listing new items regularly, to a first-time buyer everything is new but to a return customer, only some will be new. Having new items for them, may help to encourage to look for something that catches their eye.

5.) THE MOST IMPORTANT
- Create a product that is well-made, well-priced, beautifully photographed, and ensure that you stand behind your work.

I hope someone will find these points useful and can implement them to ensure they're own returning customers.

I've heard for a while now that Firefox was supposed to be the better browser (compared to Internet Explorer) but I had never really taken the plunge to change it. A few weeks ago, I was playing on my brother-in-law's computer (which had Firefox) and I was really surprised how fast and easy to use it was. So, when I got home, I made the big switch on my new laptop. I was really surprised how much faster and customizable it was.

I hadn't used my desktop computer (which is about 4 years old) for a few weeks now, mostly because the internet was always a lot slower than my laptop. Anyway, after what seemed like waiting forever to list some new items, something clicked in my head. Why, hadn't I changed this computer's internet browser to Firefox? So, after a couple of minutes of downloading and installing Firefox, VOILA, new internet browser. Now, I was wondering, how of much of difference was this going to make, if any at all? Sure enough, my internet is 10 times faster than it was before. Nearly as fast as my laptop!

So, if you haven't taken the plunge to Firefox, you should at least check out it and see for yourself.

Thanks for reading,

Teri