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[S902]Start An Online Store

by Ruby Gehlot, Rub

Two years ago I began selling products on Trade me, New Zealands' version of Ebay. I was so proud of myself, finally I was an "entrepreneur". I had dreamt of being my own boss all my life and now I had my chance. I had always assumned that all it would take to be successful on Trademe is to find a cheap product and sell it for a high mark up. Unfortunately for me this was only half the battle.

1. Problems faced

There were a number of things I had failed to take into account such as competition, trademe fees, people been reluctant to buy from me due to the amount of scammers around, no returning customers and I had no real asset to show for my hard work.

2. Benefits of starting an online store

Fortunately for me a friend showed me the advantages of starting a webstore and that is when my project became a business. By having a web store I was able to drive traffic from trademe to my webstore . Almost eliminating Trademe fees. This meant that I was able to spend more money on other areas of my business, all I needed to do was put up a convincing auction. My sales almost quadrupled since people could see I was a legitimate business and not a scammer. I began to get returning customers because people could now go directly to my web site instead of having to wade through hundreds of auctions just to get to mine. Having a webstore also saved me time having to list items. My webstore was fully set up with all my products and stock in my inventory. It was not only making me money it was now also saving me time.

3. How my web store became an asset

My web store had now become an asset. Previously I had just been selling through the auction site and the only thing of value was the products i sold. Having a webstore gave me a place to market my own brand. It gave me a way of becoming a store owner without having to pay the overheads assosiated with owning a physical store. I now owned my own bit of "online real estate" that I could sell if I ever wanted to get out of the business.

Owning a webstore is perfect for someone who is already selling on Ebay, Amazon or any other auction site, it saves on fees, you can generate more sale and you can sell it as an existing business if you ever want or need to. But if you're wanting to have your own business a webstore is perfect for that as well. You can also generate extra sales buy collecting email addresses from generated sales for your mailing list and potentially sell them to marketers.

So now that you've thought long and hard about starting your own online home business you'll need to take the first steps to getting started. Below I've suggested a place to visit to help you on your way. You don't have to use this resource, as it's only a suggestion. There are many other similar resources on the web which I'm sure are just as good.

As I mentioned in a previous article a decent HTML editor is necessary for creating your own website. I use First Page 2000 which can be found at EVR SOFT Once you've downloaded this or another WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) website editor then play around with it until you feel comfortable enough to start your first web page. The help files are very useful to read though I stress, play around with it for yourself, as this is the best way to learn.

There are four different levels that you can choose from when opening First Page 2000, which are 'Easy' 'Normal' 'Expert' and 'Hardcore'. I recommend starting with the 'Easy' mode and working your way up.

Try creating a very simple test homepage to begin with for example:

This is my home page where I am going to fill it with useful text, only one or two pictures, very little JavaScript, no tables as I am going to progress to use CSS files and quite a few text links pointing to exactly where they say they are pointing.

If you don't understand what the above is about and at this stage I should think you don't, otherwise you wouldn't need to read this, then don't worry. Just remember to save the above paragraph to use as a guide every time you create a web page.

Tips to remember when creating your website:

No 1: Keep it simple. Average users usually surf the Internet and send emails. They are not too interested in flashy gimmicks on your website or how clever you are by adding unnecessary bits and pieces. Google, the Internet's top search engine at the moment and for the foreseeable future, is very plain and simple to use though obviously very complicated underneath.

No 2: Make it as user friendly as possible. Let your potential customers see where they are at all times and keep a constant navigation bar at the top of every page. Ensure that your shopping cart has as few clicks as possible leading to the final payment click.

No 3: Don't have the usual 'You need to register before you can purchase'. This is a sure way to scare off your potential customers.

No 4: Clearly display your contact details on every page, real world business address, email address and landline contact telephone number.

No 5: A clear 'Guarantee and returns policy'. Customers need to have confidence in your products. If you don't show the policy it looks like you don't have confidence in your product so why should they?

Article Source : Breed Of Small Dog

About Author

Both Ruby Gehlot & Tony Pollitt are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

Ruby Gehlot has sinced written about articles on various topics from Credit Cards, Adsense and How to Sell on Ebay. Did you find this article useful? For more useful tips & hint, Points to Ponder and keep in mind, Techniques & insights pertaining to eBay, do please browse for more information at our website:-. Ruby Gehlot's top article generates over 165000 views. to your Favourites.

Tony Pollitt has sinced written about articles on various topics from Small Business. . Tony Pollitt's top article generates over 3600 views. to your Favourites.