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what are the ABCs of setting up online shopping site?

i know nothing much about business so really hope someone can give me pointers.. im looking to start by selling female clothings and accessories, maybe with some men's as well, just a simple home based one, low costs, cos im not sure how i would do. so really expensive shopping cart or webhosting systems etc are completely out.. what is the best payment method and delivery method? is it stupid to deliver myself and i should let the post do it? im not aiming at anything big for now, i just want to learn what is the most basic and important thing i need to know/have to start and run it. thanks!

Public Comments

1. If you want the most basic at this point, I suggest you start with venues such as eBay.com or Amazon.com where you just set up an account to sell. Doing so can help you learn about: - product presentation - taking quality pictures of the product - packaging - shipping Then use Paypal for eBay to accept payments, while in Amazon, Amazon takes care of the payment and will just send you your earnings at the end of the month In terms of delivery, you have to think of what your geographical coverage will be. If you are only going to sell in your local county, then you can deliver the items you sell. But if you are selling across the country or even internationally, then obviously you need the post to do it for you. As such, you need to learn the best way to ship the product, how to package the product in such a way to minimize damage, what to do when the product gets lost in the mail (and how to deal with irate customers), etc. With an online shopping site through your own website, you will need a lot of things: - your website - your own shopping cart (which you still need to configure even for the most basic ones) - a secured server layer or SSL that will give you https:// (which means a secured site) - merchant account to accept credit card payments - payment gateway such as Authorize.net so payments can be passed from the Internet to your merchant account Start small and go slow. When you feel comfortable about your products and know there is a market out there for it, then you can create your own site
2. I agree with the previous answer as to using Amazon and Ebay. They will also give your business the credibility and trust factor so many online shoppers seek. Also make sure you utilize forums to drive business and utilize email links in every piece of communication you send out. If you use an instant messenger, make a hyperlink next to your name. If you don't know how, let me know. It's a little thing I do to drive traffic inexpensively. Check out my blog, (the link is below), I investigate, and use sources of online promotion that are very cost efficient. And they work! Make sure you take good images of your products. I'm not sure where you are located but I am also a digital photographer specializing in helping others market their business. If I can help you, let me know. Good luck, and when you get it up and running, please share the link.