Your Questions About Business Online San Diego

Jere answers:

For vintage parts IMHO Dennis Carpenter Ford (http://www.dennis-carpenter.com/), if they don’t have it I do a search of Hemmings Motor News.
If the Ford is newer then that, about all parts places are the same, unless a real Ford part is needed. Then you have to deal through a dealership any way. Shipping quickly offsets any savings.
Now if you want Ford Racing Parts, Summit Racing is competitive with any body in the business and they have a reputation to maintain. So places that give lower prices don’t stay around too long (take the money and run because the parts are counterfeit).
Some times obsolete old stock can be found on e-bay and so can new parts. But not all parts are as they appear because importing counterfeits from China is so cheap. However (one more time) shipping costs can quickly eat up any savings.
Now the hard part about dealerships is that some do not want to bother with depot items or those that require a lot of research to find in the system. If you live in a major metropolitan area the odds of finding a good parts person will be difficult. I say this because in 1978 I was looking for parts for a 1968 Falcon in San Diego, all the dealerships there said Ford no longer made parts for them. However in 1984 while living in New Mexico (yes this is part of the US) the dealership there would order parts (depot) for the same car.
So if you can find a good parts person at the dealership and you want Ford parts- that is where to go for Ford parts.

Jere answers:

Chicago – 9.00%
San Francisco – 8.50%
San Diego – 7.75%
Las Vegas – 7.75%

Chicago has the highest sales tax, San Diego and Las Vegas the lowest. So if you want to buy it in person, I’d suggest buying in SD or Las Vegas.

Also, I just wanted to suggest that you might want to consider buying it online. You could avoid all sales tax if you buy online, as long as the company that you purchase from doesn’t have a significant “presence” (like a business office or warehouse) in your state. (Technically, though, you are liable for “use taxes” on the purchase.)

Happy shopping!

Jere answers:

Check online at some website.

Www.salary.com

Jere answers:

Usually you can get the “dba” (doing business as) names online through your county recorder’s office. Go to the county website, look for recorder and then scan the dba files. It is free in San Diego, CA

Jere answers:

Congrats! I think you have a great start already.

1. Start simple. I would get a feel for the market before you invest too much on a website or materials.

2. Rather than spend your capital on a printer…save it and utilize a service like Cafepress to handle it for you.

3. There are a myriad of free services but you will need to process payments. This type of website usually requires at least a small monthly payment.

4. If you will be operating a business you will need to follow regulations. Check the SBA for regulations in your state (http://www.sba.gov)

When you are ready to hit the ground runnning, there is a lot you can do to promote yourself. You may find the following article on my blog useful:
http://danimariedesigns.com/blog/?p=33

In regards to your first question, I strongly suggest starting out using CafePress. (http://www.cafepress.com ) They will handle the customer service/ returns, payment processing, and printing. This way you can focus on the marketing and design! It’s free to start but I would upgrade your shop to take full advantage. This way you can use your own domain name and really customize the look of your store. (as well as have an unlimited number of products).

If you don’t already have photoshop you can start by using Paint.Net. It’s an opensource copycat of photoshop. (http://www.GetPaint.net )

I hope that helps!!

–Dani Marie, San Diego, CA–
( http://www.danimariedesigns.com/blog )