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Hey, remember when I got an e-mail from a company called WiseRep looking to include me into their business so I could sell my "baked goods" into places like Walmart and other companies? I had a little post about it.
I got another e-mail today from a company, and I thought they were the same one based on the writing style of the e-mail. However, I noticed the company's name is IntoStores.
So, I decide to do a little digging. I found a post on StartupNation and people are asking about the e-mails. It's interesting to see that many other companies are getting the same kind of letters, but that's what businesses do to get noticed, right?
Well, first off, the fact that I have to pay to get into their catalogue scares me off. That feels like the "pay me and I'll find you a job" mentality.) Second, there's no guarantee that someone like WalMart, Starbucks, Second Cup, or even MMMuffins would want my product. Third, I hardly have the capacity to operate at that level (and I replied to the WiseRep person saying as such back then).
I keep reading the forum at StartupNation, and at the fourth page, I come across someone who's a little tech-savvy. He mentions that the servers that both companies used are the same, and so I decide to take a look at the BBB site. WiseRep is an F, IntoStores is an A (and was apparently an "A+" last November, when they were registered). I also notice that WiseRep's website is starting to break-down, with no images loading.
I also discover that IntoStores is located 10 minutes away from where WiseRep used to be, in another county in California.
And then, on a lark, I decide to check IntoStores' metatags to see what they're targeting...
<meta name="keywords" content="Internet shopping site,Mail order catalog companies,Manufacturer directory,Markets with variety of items,Nations top retailers,Offer company directory,Online store,Specialty retailers,Lead wholesale marketplace,Network of wholesale and retailers,Wholesalers and retailers connected,The world largest stores,Trade lead USA,Wholesale,Wholesale directory with the real wholesalers,Wholesale industry,Wholesale merchandise,Wholesale product,where stores come to find products,The website for wholesaler,Help you sell,Home shopping network,wiserep.com, wise rep, wiserep">
Emphasis mine. Whoops! Someone forgot to update their metatags. ;)
This all is not adding up to me, my skepticism is keeping me level-headed here. I'm leaving this out in the open since I want people to be able to find it if they start searching for connections online. In theory, there could be no connection whatsoever, but I'm finding the relation between the two businesses too close to be coincidental.
On an pseudo-related note, people sell food on Etsy?
I got another e-mail today from a company, and I thought they were the same one based on the writing style of the e-mail. However, I noticed the company's name is IntoStores.
So, I decide to do a little digging. I found a post on StartupNation and people are asking about the e-mails. It's interesting to see that many other companies are getting the same kind of letters, but that's what businesses do to get noticed, right?
Well, first off, the fact that I have to pay to get into their catalogue scares me off. That feels like the "pay me and I'll find you a job" mentality.) Second, there's no guarantee that someone like WalMart, Starbucks, Second Cup, or even MMMuffins would want my product. Third, I hardly have the capacity to operate at that level (and I replied to the WiseRep person saying as such back then).
I keep reading the forum at StartupNation, and at the fourth page, I come across someone who's a little tech-savvy. He mentions that the servers that both companies used are the same, and so I decide to take a look at the BBB site. WiseRep is an F, IntoStores is an A (and was apparently an "A+" last November, when they were registered). I also notice that WiseRep's website is starting to break-down, with no images loading.
I also discover that IntoStores is located 10 minutes away from where WiseRep used to be, in another county in California.
And then, on a lark, I decide to check IntoStores' metatags to see what they're targeting...
<meta name="keywords" content="Internet shopping site,Mail order catalog companies,Manufacturer directory,Markets with variety of items,Nations top retailers,Offer company directory,Online store,Specialty retailers,Lead wholesale marketplace,Network of wholesale and retailers,Wholesalers and retailers connected,The world largest stores,Trade lead USA,Wholesale,Wholesale directory with the real wholesalers,Wholesale industry,Wholesale merchandise,Wholesale product,where stores come to find products,The website for wholesaler,Help you sell,Home shopping network,wiserep.com, wise rep, wiserep">
Emphasis mine. Whoops! Someone forgot to update their metatags. ;)
This all is not adding up to me, my skepticism is keeping me level-headed here. I'm leaving this out in the open since I want people to be able to find it if they start searching for connections online. In theory, there could be no connection whatsoever, but I'm finding the relation between the two businesses too close to be coincidental.
On an pseudo-related note, people sell food on Etsy?
no subject
Can you contact the BBB? Or would they need something more official as proof, I guess...
no subject
I also heard that all new businesses accredited with the BBB automatically get an A+ rating since they have no complaints filed against them. That would explain why IntoStores.com lists an "A+ rating" on their site - because they did have one! When they started...