***Please note that this page is currently scheduled for redesign.  While the information should be current and valid, there may be minor discrepancies which are in the process of being cross-referenced and corrected.  Any question or comment you have regarding these discrepancies can be forwarded to the QCC Council for clarification.***

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updated 5/01/03   [***added since last update]

Who can have shops in the QCC?

Any member of the QCC can own and operate a business or businesses.  If you are a member of a guild in the QCC, you are already in the forum. If you are not a member of a guild already in the QCC, you can register as an Individual and become a member.

How do I start a business in the QCC?

1) come up with an idea for a shop/business. 2) put together a webpage showing your wares or describing the services offered. 3) use the convenient form to register your business.  Click here to go to the Merchant Registration Form.

How do I know what kind of business to make?

Just about anything you want. Think about what you are interested in, then comb through the merchants' listings and see what kind of competition already exists in the QCC.  The more original your idea and wares or services, the more successful you can be.

Are there startup expenses?

If you want there to be, yes.  In order to add realism , we encourage you to buy a plot of land and build a shop or buy a building. Using your message board to post the progress of the building gives you undisputable provenance to the shop. You can hire employees and contract with manufacturers/resources to provide either stock for your shop or raw materials for your manufacturing process. [ie: A weapons' shop needs iron. A furniture/cabinet maker needs lumber. a jeweler needs precious metals and stones.]

If there doesn't have to be startup expenses or overhead, why can't I just undercut everyone and start a price war?

You can undercut your competitors, but I doubt you will start a price war. The point to the QC system is not to make gads of money. It is to provide a platform for our RP. My IC doesn't want to buy a sword for 1QC. What kind of sword would he get for 1QC? No matter how great you talk up your shop's work, for 1QC, I don't feel like he would be getting anything worth owning.

I want to make a shop, but I don't know how to make webpages. Does it have to have a webpage?

No. It doesn't *have* to have a webpage, but we encourage it. If you don't know how to make a page, let us know.  We can help.  It isn't as hard as you think.  With the publishers available now, you don't have to know a thing about html and you can make pages.  Trust me.

***How do I advertise?

The QCC puts out regular updates. You can highlight your shop there. You can also participate in the monthly Marketplace. If you provide a raw material, you can send flyers to those shops that utilize your resource; or if you manufacture a product, you can send flyers to the retailers that might carry it. There is also a voluntary mail list that you can use to send a flyer out once a month on your shop. Contact council@questcoin.com about the mail list.

The QCC also has a Classifieds site that you can put ads up in as often as you want.

Are there any meetings to attend or dues to pay?

No.

I made a shop but no one is using it. How come?

Are you advertising and promoting the shop? Keep in mind that not every shop will generate business every month. You have to be patient. The point is to provide avenues for RP. Having businesses creates those avenues, but not every business will be utilized. You might want to think about putting your business in the monthly Market. The live RP can generate some business for you. Don't give up on a business just because no one came the first month it was opened. Remember that there is no rule that says you can only have one business. Set up a couple. That will expand your avenues for RP.