The purpose of this thread is only to promote my website

Squaresale
Philippine's Online Handmade Marketplace
https://squaresale.com

Contact Info:
contact@squaresale.com
OR you can send me a message on our facebook page


Social Media Pages
https://facebook.com/squaresale
https://twitter.com/squaresale
https://pinterest.com/squaresale


About
DISCOVER ITEMS YOU'LL LOVE THAT INSPIRE
Squaresale is an online marketplace in the Philippines. A home for handmade crafts and homegrown brands. Squaresale now supports more than 150+ products from different handmade artisans and crafters all around the Philippines

The idea is to give crafters who put their heart and soul into the products they make, a breathing space from branded and secondhand items in today's current marketplaces. And that's how Squaresale was born.

Squaresale is much more than a marketplace. It's about discovering and connecting amazing crafters, people, and products from all around the Philippines. It's a place where you can launch your online store, and a place where you'll discover amazing, one-of-a-kind things you can't find anywhere else.

Important Information:
The most important question I get asked is the transaction process. The transaction is held between the seller and the buyer, which means Squaresale is not involved, and most importantly does not charge commision on the seller's sales, and we don't charge any fees associated with listing your products, no fees on applying on to become a seller. Squaresale though will only intervene if there are any disputes between the seller and the buyer. I've decided since Squaresale is still new that everything should be free.


How To Buy in Squaresale
https://squaresale.com/how-to-order

Become a Squaresale Seller:
https://squaresale.com/How-Selling-In-Squaresale-Works

How secure is Squaresale?
https://squaresale.com/How-Secure-Is-Squaresale

How do I know the seller isn't a scam?
https://squaresale.com/index.php?rou...ormation_id=15

What payment methods can I use to buy in Squaresale?
https://squaresale.com/What-payment-methods-can-I-use


Questions & Answers

1. What existing website inspired you to start Squaresale?
I'm not sure if I call it inspiration, but here's my story. I can't remember the exact dates, but there were two instances that made me decide to start Squaresale. First, one time I was looking for something in Sulit, and as I was scrolling down, I was surprised by how many people actually post products they actually designed and crafted. Second was, I've come across to a lot of crafters who only have Facebook page or Instagram to showcase their products. Then I had a thought why not give a space of their own? Far from branded and secondhand products. A local Pinoy website that will inspire and connect crafters and people to discover amazing products that are one-of-a-kind and purely handmade. A website that when you see it, it makes sense and doesn't confuse you(because I've seen websites where banners, buttons, icons, and specially content are all over the place). There is a popular worldwide handmade website called Etsy, and I personally think they have done a wonderful job.

I would like to grab my previous facebook post to sum up the first question: My goal isn't to be like Etsy, Sulit, Lazada, or Chicanda, or any other popular pinoy marketplaces. I can never compete with the giants who have already made a name for themselves. I don't see it that way because once I do, I'll definitely lose focus on why I created Squaresale in the first place.


2. How long did it take you to build the site and contact sellers?
The website was a one-man job and it took me roughly 4 weeks to build starting last month, and I'm still improving. Since Squaresale is still new and one month old, I am still in the process of contacting more handmade sellers, letting them them know that a website like this exist and is welcoming them with open arms. I don't have a special criteria for crafters looking to be a seller at Squaresale. The only rule is the products you upload, must be the products you designed or crafted.


3. Describe your suppliers?
Although I can't speak for all the crafters. What I can say is they are passionate, and they don't compromise in their craft. Some of which I know work in full time jobs, and so use Squaresale as a tool for extra income. And some of which I know use Squaresale to get their handcrafted products more known to more people here in the Philippines.


4. Do you curate the products for sale, do you vet them?
I check the products before it goes live, and there are two simple reasons. First and the most obvious is, as I said from question 2, the products the crafter must upload should be the products they designed or crafted. Second is, I'm simply checking if they filled out the required information, which is for the benefit of the customer looking to buy their products. Let's face it, we're more comfortable buying offline if we don't know the product that well, what I mean is we tend to scrutinize it well before buying. That's why product descriptions in Squaresale are very important, it's as close as letting your customer feel and experience the product.

There is a system where the seller's store is rated by stars from 1 to 5(and you will see it when you enter the seller's page, for example https://squaresale.com/lakshmi101shoppe). And the only way for them to get rated is through customer product reviews. The product reviews are subject to approval because I don't want anyone to simply rate and review the product. I check if the reviewer was the customer who bought it. Even though I am the owner of the website, i will never compromise the reputation of what I've built by writing product reviews myself to their products(unless I bought it too), because it won't be fair for the seller and especially for the customer.

From time to time, I feature products from different sellers using a section in the website called "Featured Items", and through Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and the blog(under construction). Also customers can have the option to add the products they like in what I call "My Collections".

Squaresale has a blog, and in the future, I will invite the crafters to be a guest authors, and give them the opportunity to post and promote their products and experiences. What you see currently in the website doesn't stop there. Squaresale is just one month old, It will keep improving and give a better experience to our crafters and customers.


5. How many crafters are you working with right now?
As of 1st May 2014, Squaresale has 17 crafters, 10 of which are active and responsible for over 150 amazing and one-of-a-kind handmade products.