Help With Where To Open An Online Store

1. 60

   retail shoppingposted 15 years ago

   Hi Guys,
   
   I have an Ebay store and blog but I'm looking to open an online store since I don't want to have my eggs all in one basket.
   
   I know very little about this computer stuff so I'm looking for somewhere that is affordable and where it has everything I will need and understand how to do including a shopping cart.
   
   There are so many choices out there that I just don't know where to start.
   
   I sell mainly new family clothing, shoes, accessories, household items and toys if that makes a difference.
   
   Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
   
   Thanks A Bunch,
   Peg

   replyreport
   1. 60

      Ralph01posted 15 years agoin reply to this

      It is better to create your own dot-com today. There are several hosting companies to get your business started.
      
      Try FatCow.com 
      
      I have a site developed on this hosting service works well and very cost effective.

      replyreport
2. 61

   visitmaniacposted 15 years ago

   Hi Peg,
   
   This goes based on what you told me so far but there are many different ways to go about it would just need some more information.
   
   http://prestashop.com/
   
   You may want to look into that.
   
   Otherwise you could create your own site, add a shopping cart feature to it and then pick your payment options. I would recommend getting a merchant account. Don't just go with paypal.

   replyreport
3. 0

   staciesgiftsposted 15 years ago

   If you are still doing the research, look into either Yahoo! Stores or www.homestead.com.  Both companies are great for your very own "starter" website.  They are both reasonably priced, and have ample technical support.  Each site features online storefronts with a myriad of design templates and a shopping cart feature. 
   
   Before creating a website, plan ahead.  The initial setup can be time consuming.  Get creative, and have fun with it!

   replyreport
   1. 86

      Marisa Wrightposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      The trouble with using sites like this is that if you decide you want to go somewhere else, you can't take your store design with you.  You'll have to start from scratch all over again somewhere else. 
      
      Plus I think homestead.com is over-priced.  People join up for sites like this because they offer "easy website design" etc, when in reality your own Wordpress site is just as easy if not easier.  And they have plugins to creat your shopfront.

      replyreport
4. 68

   TimTurnerposted 15 years ago

   GoDaddy.com is the largest internet hosting and URL site.  They also have countless merchant options.
   
   I would make sure that you don't go for the cheapest service in any area as you will encounter several hosting issues once your site is up.  I have encountered a ton of problems by going with companies that had "cheap" services.
   
   For your online business, never settle for cheap.  Don't always go for the most expensive, either.
   
   I would read online reviews at places like Epinions.com or Google others and find the best hosting company with great merchant services.

   replyreport
   1. 86

      Marisa Wrightposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      A lot of people have had a lot of trouble with GoDaddy. Buy a domain name off them,sure, but don't use them for anything else.

      replyreport
      1. 60

         Madison22posted 15 years agoin reply to this

         I agree, My domain is from godaddy and my hosting fatcow which I am very pleased with. Good Luck:)

         replyreport
5. 73

   thranaxposted 15 years ago

   I suggest opening it online, but thats only me.
   
   ~thranax~

   replyreport
6. 77

   sunforgedposted 15 years ago

   Hands down your best option is vendio,
   
   http://howtomakemoneyfromyourart.blogsp … store.html
   
   Im a Powerseller and I use the service, I prefer it over the other alternatives
   
   I do also have a hub about it, just happened to have the above article in my immediate bookmarks

   replyreport
7. 66

   MikeNVposted 15 years ago

   If you don't want to market yourself then you should choose to find places that people already know about and visit like eBay which you are already using and Amazon.
   
   Another alternative is to select your own shopping cart software then find an online affiliate network like Shareasale and let affiliates do your marketing for you.

   replyreport
8. 0

   Go Writerposted 15 years ago

   I think the easiest thing to do is capture the traffic you're getting from eBay already, so you don't have to do so much promotion online.
   
   What I mean is that you advertise your blog or web store and put it on your eBay profile. A good exampe of how some people do this are the people who flip lenses. Look under eBay for "websites for sale" and see how to web masters promote there full-time business.
   
   You can do something similar with your blog/web store.
   
   I also recommend you get an autoresponder and put the optin form on your blog that gives people heads up about upcoming specials from your webtore etc. That was you capture a list of propsective buyers and nurture that list.
   
   Don't bombard them every day with promotionals, but when you build a list of customers, you're more likely to make money with them.
   
   Case in point: I'm in the mailing list of a lady who is a ghost writer. She had so many demands for PLR articles that needed to be written that she made her own "webstore" if you will. She sold other products, too, that's how I came to learn about her PLR store. Then she sends an email telling me what new niche articles she's created and posted for sale. Brilliant concept.
   
   I think you should do something similar.

   replyreport
9. 54

   yenajeonposted 15 years ago

   1. Put together a business plan. What are you marketing, who are you targeting, how much do you have to spend? etc.
   2. Sounds like you want an e-commerce website. Go to namecheap.com and get a url (sitename) relevant to your products.
   3. Design a website, or have a graphic artist design one in photoshop and use dreamweaver to 'convert it'
   4. Find a web host. They will host your site, fix problems, help you integrate an interactive shopping cart, etc.
   5. You need a shopping cart that is relatively easy to integrate into the site unless you know html/css
   6. After your inventory is ready, you need a payment gateway company who will safely process credit cards online. If you also want paypal, you can install that too.
   7. After your website is up, its all about SEO which takes a LOT of time and effort! It can become a pain but this is the most important part as it is what gets people to your site. What I am talking about is building links, blogs, social networking, advertising with google adwords (pricey) search engine submissions just to name the very basic.
   
   Hope that helps a little and good luck!
   PS I have an e-commerce website selling fashion merchandise and it was a very long and arduous journey but now that its done I'm so so happy

   replyreport
10. 79

    kaizan28posted 14 years ago

    Your totally right about not putting all your eggs in one basket, also use these alternatives to ebay as well, its a good idea to have a number of auction sites that you use, and then with you website store, you can direct everybody to there. Basically consider auction site selling as direct marketing. Turn your customers into repeat customers on you main website.
    http://hubpages.com/hub/Ebay-alternative-selling-sites

    replyreport
11. 51

    gauravsaini03posted 13 years ago

    Hello,
    
    If you’re planning to put up a website for your products or services, one of the first things you have to consider is finding the best e-commerce Platform, which will easily give you good storefront. The most important thing is making online transactions work, if customers have problem with your transactions they will not be satisfied might not visit your site next time. Content Management is also a feature which should be there. And as far as my choice is concern i recommend you vplanetcommerce which i think is the best ecommerce platform with best SEO which will attract more customers to your store. You can check there site for more info : www.vplanetcommerce.com
    
    Thanks

    replyreport