Dar Bob Watson,
I first got into the mail order business when I was a teen, in the 1960s. After trying to do it the old fashioned way, buying up merchandise at wholesale and selling it with magazine ads, I soon realized that managing the whole enterprise took time I didn’t have what with going to school and planning for my future.
I discovered drop-shipping, where a company would fill the order and send it to my customers. For each order, I received a modest commission. At one time, I teamed up with a publisher of paranormal books, and made a few dollars selling their stuff.
That’s how it began.
From the very first day we debuted The Paracast, we wanted to merchandise the show. Listeners wanted personalized T-shirts and other products with The Official Paracast logo, and we were happy to make it happen.
At first, we lined up a printer and ordered a selection of branded T-shirts in different sizes. Of course, we guessed which sizes we’d need — and we were usually wrong — but we got better at it.
This also meant getting into the mail order business, keeping stock, managing orders, juggling customer service. It also meant investing in merchandise without knowing what would sell and what wouldn’t.
But what about drop-shopping?
Finally, we decided to set up one of those on-demand online storefronts. They make it possible for you to build a complete store and rely on the service’s ordering system to custom print personalized products and ship them.
That should have been it, except we selected a print-on-demand firm that, without letting us know, discontinued the service after a few years. So one day, our storefront link pointed to — nothing.
Since then, we have tried a couple of services to see which one offered the most reliable experience. Along the way, we had a developer custom-build a shop. He made deals with suppliers to drop-ship the orders, with hit-or-miss results. Sure, orders were shipped relatively on time, but it required lots of hand-holding and he bailed shortly before the worldwide pandemic hit.
Back to the on-demand printing service.
The newest version of The Official Paracast Store will officially launch on June 24, 2021, but we have it working now. It’s ready to roll. You can check it out at: link removed
Our store uses the CafePress print-on-demand system to run the shop and fill the orders. As many of you know, CafePress is a reliable company founded in 1999. It is currently owned by PlanetArt, a firm that specializes in personalized products under several brand names that also include FreePrints, Ink Cards, Personal Creations, SimplytoImpress, and Gifts.com.
Over the past few days, we’ve worked day and night to get the store ready. Well, actually our Paracast co-host, J. Randall Murphy, has done much of the heavy lifting.
The look and feel still has glitches, and features are being added. But the ordering system is rock solid. Absolutely! This means you can order the Official Paracast branded products you want and be assured that you will receive your merchandise as quickly as possible.
And that’s not all…
We are also looking into opening up one or more additional Official Paracast storefronts for an even wider selection of personalized products.
We are also opening up the shop to artists.
So, do you have any cool designs? One of the ways you can promote yourself for free is to donate a design. If it’s accepted, we'll feature it here on the shop! You and your friends will be able to order all kinds of goodies with your artwork. Great for gifts too! If it sells, we'll also award you with a credit for The Paracast+.
For now, please visit our new store and look around. Remember, that the commission we receive when you order from The Official Paracast Shop helps us pay the bills.
And if you have any questions about our new shop, just write.
Peace,
Gene