Online Store Help Page - Home Business Online


Let Us Market Your Store or Products...				Click Here!
Search for specific items... Click here for help.

About the Online Store Tour the Store Finding What You Want Frequently Asked Questions Coming Soon to the Store!	About Security Internet Shopping Tips Join the Store! Become a Link Affiliate! Contact Us!
About the Online Store In development since 1997, the Home Business Online Store debuted in April, 1998, with an exciting reception. Its mission is to promote e-commerce by providing a convenient, high-quality and competitively-priced online shopping resource to those who have a home office or who may be seeking a home-based lifestyle. We have searched the web for the best commerce enabled sites and grouped them into easy-to-navigate stores and departments. Each of these merchants gives you the convenience of shopping from anywhere, anytime. If you have any questions or comments, please let us know. We're always looking for feedback in order to make your shopping experience even better.
Tour the Store Your Home Office Store Brought to you by Home-based Bill, find everything you need for your home office, from computers to furniture, from supplies to services. General Store Find anything from clothing and gifts to electronics and entertainment. Exclusive to this store, and by popular demand, is the Crafter's Corner showcasing some of the best talent and homemade crafts from home-based businesses. Bill's Deals Home-based Bill has scouted out some of the best deals found anywhere on quality items. Many of these deals and special offers are exclusive at our Online Store. Be sure to check out the Deals of the Day for excellent limited-time offers.
Finding What You Want There are two ways to search for items in our Online Store: Browse the Shops We encourage you to browse to your heart's content, especially while the Online Store is still fairly new. Click on a department within the Home Office Store or the General Store to find specific shops or items. And always click on Bill's Deals for the best special offers around. Use the Search Function Click on the "Search" button in the bar at the top of each page in the Online Store to zero in on a specific item you are looking for. The Search page will give you instructions for searching. You will also find the Search function on main pages throughout the store.
Frequently Asked Questions Below are a few of the questions we commonly receive from our visitors: I don't have an online shop. Can I still join your store? Yes, absolutely! While the Online Store is new, we have contracted with shops to place links on our site to their shops. However, very soon we plan to set up shops and single product pages for those who do not have an online shop or who would like us to build a quality and competitively-priced storefront for them. If you would like more information, please contact us. Is your store secure? Shops that we link to as well as any in-house shops or product pages are secure so you can shop with confidence. Read more about security below.
Coming Soon to the Online Store Automatic E-mail Notification Tell us what you are looking for and we will automatically notify you by e-mail as soon as it becomes available at the store. Product Pages If you only have one or two products or services you would like to sell, we will build an attractive product page with full online ordering capabilities. This gives the small guy a chance to try out the online merchant experience without having to pay exhorbitant web shop design and development costs. If interested, feel free to contact us for more information.
About Security Transactions at our Online Store are handled with industry-standard SSL encryption. When you enter your credit card number, it is transmitted across the Internet in an encrypted (scrambled) form, then decoded when it gets to us and to our merchants. If you are not the kind of person who worries about being hit by lightning as you're crossing the street, you probably don't have to worry that your credit card number will be intercepted on the way to a secure website. According to CNN, "The prevalent opinion...is that on-line credit card use is actually no riskier for consumers than traditional "low-tech" transactions." We order products online all the time, both as a company and as individuals. When we use a credit card to buy something online, we feel at least as safe as we would using one in a store or restaurant.
Internet Shopping Tips Shopping on the internet can be a great convenience for today's busy lifestyle. The "store" never closes and you can securely browse and place orders from the comfort of your own home. In addition, every day more manufacturers and catalog companies are "getting wired" with websites, making a large variety of products and services available at online stores, often at discounted prices. Here are a few tips to keep in mind as you shop online: Be sure the store you are shopping at has secure online ordering. As mentioned above, you can shop with confidence at our Online Store. Get to know your web browser. It will have small icons that will tell you if a site is secure. Be sure the site you are purchasing from has a phone number. Should you have questions or need assistance, you want to have a way to contact the merchant. You should expect the same kind of customer service on the internet as from a shop at your local mall. Do some comparison shopping at different shops. To find the best product and prices, "surf" around to comparison shop. Use the search function. If stores have a search function, use it to narrow your search for specific items. Type quotes before and after the item for which you are searching (i.e. "coffee mug"). The difference between typing a word or phrase with and without quotes can mean the difference between 10 and 10,000 items or sites being returned in your search. Calculate exchange rates. To make sure you are truly getting a bargain when shopping "overseas," calculate the exchange rate form U.S. dollars to the particular foreign currency. Payment will be accepted in U.S. dollars but must be the correct amount. Watch for special offers. Many stores will have "Deals of the Day," "Specials," "Hot Items," "Recent Additions," "Sale Items" or "Closeouts." These will often offer great savings to you. Above all else... HAVE FUN! Online shopping can be an enjoyable experience. You have no pressure salesman and can shop in the convenience of your own home and comfortable surroundings. So enjoy... and let's go shopping!
Feel free to contact us. Your comments and suggestions are always welcome!