Which is more important – low prices or track record?

October 28, 2009 | By mvallar In E-commerce, My Thoughts | Comments(1)

There are hundreds of websites selling eload services – electronic load for cellular phones.

Many of these sites are so poorly made that navigating them is a nightmare.

There is one site that shows a log in page right at the home page. Log in to where? I’m not even a member. And why would I want to be a member? There’s nothing there!

Then there are those sites that promise you this and that, and take you through several pages of information before getting to the point.

Some of these merchants keep their prices within a reasonable range. They obviously surveyed other sites before coming up with their pricing scheme. But then, there’s this one site that just came out a couple of weeks ago, and they’re prices are so low you’d wonder how they can stay alive for any reasonable length of time!

With the dollar at an all-time low, if you factor in the bank charges and other operating expenses, this merchant is lucky to make Php 100 per sale.  And if he gets scammed by those unscrupulous Filipinos (mostly call center workers who have access to credit card details of other people), then he won’t have enough to fall back on.

Which brings me to my question: which is really more important in making an online purchase?  Is it buying at the lowest price from a store that might not be there tomorrow, or buying at reasonable prices from a website that has a track record?

If you happen to be looking for such a site, with excellent service, reasonable prices, and a strong track record, then visit http://www.smarte-load.com

They’ve been in the business for more than 2 years now, and have served more than 20,000 individual customers.  That’s a tremendous track record, in a medium where one bad comment might be enough to ruin your reputation.

I’ve found the secret, and I wanna share it with you!

October 22, 2009 | By mvallar In Money Making Ideas | Comments(0)
I was an expert job hunter.  Since the time I graduated from college, I must have had 30 or so jobs. An average of 2 jobs a year. Some I’ve held for more than 2 years, some less than 6 months. And they weren’t run-of-the-mill jobs either. I’ve landed some plum jobs in my lifetime.  Mostly upper management positions, with all the perks like cars, expense accounts, frequent travels, etc.
But for some reason, I couldn’t keep my job. Something wrong would always happen, mostly related to office politics.  I guess I’m not that diplomatic. In short, I don’t kiss ass. I’m probably too blunt for comfort. Loose lips sink ships, they say. I’ve sunk a lot of ships, mine.
Then I discovered the Internet.  I was one of the early users of the Internet back in the day. In 1996 most Filipinos didn’t even have email addresses.  Often, employees of big companies shared one email account. Those were the days.  Now we take email for granted. Even our kids have 4 or 5 accounts.
So I had a headstart, so to speak. I kept up with the fast-changing tech scenario, and stayed ahead of most of my peers. I became a guru of sorts. A go-to when my friends needed information or any kind of help related to computers and, later, the Internet.
But it wasn’t until 2006, while I was in the States, that I learned how to make money off of the Web. I worked for an e-commerce business in Diamond Bar, CA and there I got my schooling in the intracacies of E-commerce. My boss, who was roughly half my age, was making close to $20,000 a month, all from his website. I did most of the dirty work – the order taking, processing, packing, delivery, customer support – for a meager daily wage.
After I had paid my dues and learned the ropes, I decided to venture out on my own, but the results were dismal. There was a lot more to learn.
I finally hit the jackpot when I came back to the Philippines and put up smarte-load.com, my present cash cow. This website has changed my entire perspective. It has made me realize that earning $8000 or $10,000 or even $20,000 a month from the Internet is doable and realistic.
I’m still exploring  and trying new things – the richness and vastness of the Internet can never be fully exploited in a single lifetime. Almost everyday, a new money-making concept comes up, and I need to a least look into it or even give it a try, lest I blame myself later on for missing an opportunity to make a killing.
That’s all we need – a break. One big break and all your bills ill get paid, your lifestyle will change, you’ll have money in the bank, a car,  a piece of property. And you can find that break in the Internet.  It’s no easy task, and it will take much more than posting tidbits in your Friendster account. But the rewards are going to be well worth the effort you put into it.