Article written by Bob Green, Business Advisor, Western Sydney Business Centre.

You would think that, as a business advisor, I would have had more sense.

One night while taking turns on kitchen duty, I broke the egg slicer. So, I surfed and found a number advertised on one of those mass product sale sites.  One clearance site said that their slicer was “stainless steel”. At least one of the photos seemed to confirm it. It had a bonus that you could slice either horizontal slices or 8 vertical segments and even slice other things. So, I ordered the device ($5.25 postage paid) and waited.

It arrived!  Managed to make my way through the outer package breathlessly waiting to see the magnificent stainless-steel egg slicer.  BIG disappointment, dull grey flimsy plastic.  It broke with the third egg sliced.

Gave the item an honest one-star review on the clearance site.  So far, I have had four begging emails from the seller offering several inducements (including a replacement item!) to amend my review.

Lessons learned

Me/consumer                                                                                   Seller/Business *

You get what you pay for                                                              Advertise honestly

Don’t be anxious to buy                                                                                 “

Don’t believe the advertiser                                                                        “

Don’t shop with them again                                                       Carry better products

Check the country of origin of product and seller               Be wise about the source of your product

Check the country of manufacture                                           Be wise about the source of your product

*If you are a seller/business, work back up the list, each step will demonstrate how intertwined your decisions and the sellers experiences and perceptions are and how they can impact on your business.

Need help with your business? Go to the Business Connect website, look for the Western Sydney Business Centre advisors and book one or call Western Sydney Business Centre on 02 4721 5011. I can also help prospective NDIS providers, Bob Green.