Hey People!

I hope to start posting more regularly on the OGS blog.  Since Oregon Green Seed’s online shop went live September 2013 I’ve had to practically clone myself in order to halfway keep up with everything.  But little by little I’m getting things streamlined and implementing changes that help customers, save everyone time, and make better use of my time.

Some of the more recent changes and improvements are:

Waiting List – now customers can easily add themselves to a waiting list for any item that’s out of stock, and be notified by email when that item is back in stock.

Expanded FAQ page – I’ve recently added a few more answers to the Frequently Asked Questions page.  Seems like every time I think I’ve got every possible question answered there, I discover another FAQ that needs to be added.

Restocks and New Varieties –  I will be making more regular blog posts – Main topics will be OGS news and updates, and Restocks and new varieties coming.  There will be a link to the blog (news and updates) in the top navigation bar on every page of the website.  Please check that often for updates on when new items may be coming, or out-of-stock items will be back.

Shipping Schedule:  I’ve changed the shipping days from 6 days a week to 3 days a week – Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.   Before this change, I’ve been driving orders to the post office every day but Sunday, even if its just for ONE order.  This should prove an effective adjustment in my effort to streamline and make sure I have the time necessary to care for and manage the breeding projects.

Online Payment Requests:   I’m still offering customers the ability to send a request pay for their order online.  But starting this week (January 26, 2015) I’m only accepting online payment requests for orders of two (2) or more packs.

Why?  Simple.  It takes a programmer (html coder) from 20-30 minutes to code up a stealth payment link, unique to each order that its requested for.  A coder’s time is worth $75 and UP per hour.  Add another 10 minutes to send an email back to the customer with the instructions and their stealth payment link, and we’re now pushing 40-45 minutes spent for each online payment request answered.  Doing this for 1-pack orders is simply NOT cost effective for OGS.  In fact, I could make a good case for the fact that OGS loses money for every 1-pack order online payment request we process.

If only the Fed would go the way more and more US states are going, and legalize.  Then the financial institutions would legally be able work with us, and I could simply turn ON the ‘buy now’ functionality in the shop and send customers directly to our 3rd-party payment processor.  Till then, the only way I can safely offer online payment is through a ‘stealth’ method.

The next post will cover upcoming restock and potential new items coming to the shop.  Watch for that later today or tomorrow.

Keep Oregon Green!