Website: http://www.toughcoins.com/

Description: A one man operation, ToughCOINS has only recently plunged into the ecommerce waters, finally becoming less dependent on the eBay springboard. Mike from ToughCOINS states, “This was a major step in the plan to grow an agile, yet full-featured online retirement business as the end of a forty year engineering career gradually approaches.

ToughCOINS buys and sells scarce and rare United States coins, offers appraisal and consignment services, screens and submits US coins for professional grading, and offers gift certificates for all of the foregoing. Our customers run the gamut, from collectors of scarce coins, to heirs wanting to sell…from givers of gifts to their beloved collectors, to retired bank tellers seeking an appraisal…from antique shops wanting coins authenticated, to investors wishing to strengthen or diversify their holdings. ToughCOINS addresses all needs connected to uncommon United States coinage, and does so with the low overhead and very close personal attention afforded only by the smallest of operations.”

Technologies Used: Mike continued, “While sales on the website do not yet keep pace with our well-established eBay store, which has a six year head start, it generates more business with each passing month, building our extra eBay customer list. In an industry rife with antiquated, static websites, visitors are quite complimentary of the look and feel of the site. They comment on how easy it is to check out, often comparing it to the ease of buying on Amazon, all thanks to the ShopSite software, to our developer Merchant Corner, and to our ecommerce host LexiConn.

Since this is a LexiConn featured site, their horn should be tooted a little. I had never worked in the back office of an ecommerce business before, as must have been evident eleven months ago when the site went live. Despite the developer’s detailed instructions, there were still lapses of attention on my part as I tried following the steps required to get my inventory listed. Facing a deadline before the tradeshow where the site was to be unveiled, I got frustrated with my lack of progress, and leaned on LexiConn a few times more than one probably should. The live help I received was prompt and courteous, and delivered the results I sought – numerous times. Because the LexiConn staff was so tolerant of all my newbie questions, I finished before the trade show, and everything went off without a hitch! What more could one ask for?

Now that the basic site has been running on all cylinders for nearly a year, I plan to add the ShopSite Product Review module, as well as a customer-specified want list, which I am hopeful the ShopSite Wishlist capability will address.”

Advice / Tips: Mike finished, “Even though the initial investment in the site is not nearly recouped yet, budgeting and planning for the next round of site improvements has already begun. I believe one should not stop investing in a promising business.”