2016 - Volume #40, Issue #2, Page #10
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Got A Product To Sell? Here’s One Way To Do It
If you like creating or growing things but you don’t like doing the marketing, check out www.GreenLifeCenter.com. Owner Joe Bobier sets up online stores for free and charges a 5 percent commission when items are sold. “We’re unique from other online services in two ways,” Bobier explains. “One, it’s much cheaper than other systems, and it’s a whole lot simpler. Second, we focus on handmade and sustainable products. We don’t want items imported from China to resell.”
After about a year of building and testing the site, the West Virginia-based company officially went online just before Christmas. Bobier has helped a variety of vendors set up store sites selling everything from jewelry and antiques to homemade lip balms and heirloom garden seeds.
After signing up to be a member, popup messages guide vendors through the process of uploading photos, inputing information about themselves and their products, and setting up pricing and shipping. A private merchant account accepts credit cards to automatically pay the vendor and the GreenLifeCenter commission. Bobier, a technology engineer, is also available to answer questions.
“My wife and I live on a farm and raise Katahdin sheep. We go to a lot of fairs and farmers markets. We noticed how many talented people there were selling everything from quilts to meat to furniture,” Bobier says. “What they have in common is that they are good at producing and bad at marketing. We want to create easy access to retail markets by doing all the legwork.”
In addition to helping vendors set up online stores, the website provides extra exposure by randomly featuring vendors on the home page. Bobier also includes Google search advertising, and offers packages for Google online search engine advertising.
“We focus on sustainability,” Bobier says, noting he hopes to attract vendors selling produce, meat, milk and other products that can be shipped in boxes he can provide.
“As a member you have access to educational videos, blogs, experts and a support structure for a sustainable lifestyle, plus discounts from other vendors,” he adds.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Joseph Bobier, Walker, W. Va. (ph 304 210-6047; www.greenlifecenter.com; service@greenlifecenter.com).
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