Why two shops?
I have two handmade jewelry shops:
- Handmade Jewelry - for international customers (prices in US$, delivery everywhere)
- Handmade Jewellery - for Australian & New Zealand (prices in AU$, delivery everywhere)
Background
Although I am based in Australia, I originally started selling my handmade jewellery online in US dollars as initially I was selling primarily to the US market, with a large number of sales also going to Europe. As my business has grown, my numbers of Australian sales have increased.
For my online prices, it initially made sense to use a currency which American buyers are of course very familiar with, but which is also familiar around the world.
However, with the volatility in the markets came an Australian dollar which couldn't stand still! My Australian customers were faced with never knowing how much my jewellery would cost them until they went to pay, which could result in a nasty shock at times!
A better solution for Australian and NZ customers
The solution was to set up a second shop in Australian dollars which is open to Australian and New Zealand customers - or those elsewhere who prefer to purchase in Australian dollars.
For this shop I have created a fixed pricelist for online sales (meaning that it won't change every time the AU$ changes, although my prices are subject to change from time to time).
Allowing locals to purchase in Australian dollars also means they aren't hit with extra bank fees for currency conversion, which can't be a bad thing!
Which shop to use
It's up to you!
If you are happy to make your purchase in US dollars, then you can shop in the international shop. If you would rather make your purchase in Australian dollars, then you can shop right here in the Australian handmade jewellery shop.
Both shops now allow delivery all over the world.
Note that you cannot transfer your shopping cart from one shop to the other, so make your decision before you start adding items to your cart.
How do I know which shop I'm in?
The easiest way to tell is by looking at the web address in your browser address bar. The address www.shop.simonewalsh.com is my main shop with prices in US$, while the address www.shop-aud.simonewalsh.com is my Australian shop.
In addition, near the top of the main content section on each page in both shops you will see two square icons - an Australian flag and a US flag. Whichever one is shown first and is not greyed out tells you which shop you are in.
Finally, the currency of my prices is always indicated - in my main shop, all prices have 'US' before the dollar symbol to indicate US dollars. In my Australian shop the letters 'AU' will appear there instead.
Oh no! I've started my purchase in the wrong shop
Unfortunately the only solution is to go to the correct shop for your delivery destination and start over, as much as I wish that I could make this easier!
The two shops are operated entirely separately from each other and it's not possible for shopping carts to be transferred from one to the other.
The set up of both shops is identical, however, so it should be easy for you to find what you wish to purchase.
