I want to sell my crafts on line and do not want to do it on ebay. any suggestions ?
2006-07-31 09:38:33 · 4 answers · asked by TillieDillie 3 in Business & Finance ➔ Advertising & Marketing
The best routes to take are to research the process of starting a business as well as the industry you're interested in.
I recommend checking out the SBA, Entrepreneur, The Start Up Journal & Nolo. All 4 are great informational resources for the new/small business owner. I posted links for you in the source box.
Associations may be a good avenue to explore. These organizations will address many of the thoughts, questions and concerns you'll inevitably have as well as many you haven't anticipated yet. See the source box for some relevant links.
Research, research, research – this cannot be stressed enough. Read as much as you can about the industry. Here are some book titles that are relevant:
Arts & Crafts Specific:
* Start Your Own Crafts Business (Entrepreneur Magazine's Start-Up ; Guide #1304) by Entrepreneur Press
* How to Start a Home-Based Craft Business, 4th by Kenn Oberrecht
* The Basic Guide to Selling Crafts on the Internet by James Dillehay
* The Crafts Business Answer Book & Resource Guide: Answers to Hundreds of Troublesome Questions About Starting, Marketing, and Managing a Homebased Business Efficiently, Legally, and Profitably by Barbara Brabec
Selling Online Specific:
* Selling Online: How to Become a Successful E-Commerce Merchant by Jim Carroll, Rick Broadhead
* The Complete E-Commerce Book: Design, Build, and Maintain a Successful Web-Based Business by Janice Reynolds
* Intelligent Selling: The Art & Science of Selling Online by Ken Burke
* E-Commerce for Dummies by Don Jones
Web Site Design Specific:
* Make Your Small Business Web Site Work: Easy Answers to Content, Navigation, and Design
by John Heartfield
* Small Websites, Great Results by Doug Addison
* The Complete E-Commerce Book: Design, Build, and Maintain a Successful Web-Based Business by Janice Reynolds
* Six-Week Start-Up: A Step-By-Step Program for Starting Your Business, Making Money, and Achieving Your Goals! by Rhonda Abrams
There are plenty of free informational resources out there. Check the source box for links to articles.
Hope that helps! I wish you much success & happiness in all your ventures!
2006-08-01 08:54:37 · answer #1 · answered by TM Express™ 7 · 1⤊ 2⤋
If you are planning to sell online and not through ebay, you need to have the following elements:
1. Website - Your online connection to your prospects and customers. There are a number of places on the web to get "free" websites - although you may be required to display an advertisement. The design of your site is critical to the success of your business! If it does not look like a professional, legitimate business - NO ONE WILL ORDER ANYTHING - no matter how great the products you have. If you are serious about doing business on the web, either go back to school and learn html, java, cgi, etc., or hire a professional to design your site.
2. Merchant account - Bank authorized account which allows you to accept major credit cards, electronic checks, etc. Many banks will not give you a merchant account if you do business on the Internet because they may classify it as high risk. Be careful when looking for a merchant account provider! Watch out for hidden fees, high setup fees, and other unscrupulous business practices.
3. Payment Transaction Software - Software which actually processes customer order information, address, credit card number, etc. The data is sent to a credit card authorization network which verifies that the credit card is valid and verifies that the shipping address matches the billing address. A possible warning sign that the card has been stolen is that the billing and shipping addresses do not match.
4. Secure Server Connection - https:// - Link to a special computer which encrypts confidential ordering data for customer protection. You know you are on a secure server when the URL in your browser says "https://". The "s" stands for "secure." If ordering information is not sent via a secure server it can be intercepted by computer hackers.
5. Shopping cart - Software which allows you to accept product orders for multiple products from your website. This software automatically calculates and totals orders for your customers. Some setup must be done in the html code of your website, and the shopping cart software must be installed on the server which hosts your site or on the secure server which accepts sensitive ordering information.
2006-07-31 16:41:08 · answer #2 · answered by imisidro 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
go to www.godaddy.com and sign up for a domain name and web hosting. They have tools to help you setup a full web page and sell things with credit card acceptance. They also have a full support team to assist you and answer your questions for any of these features. Also very reasonably priced.
2006-07-31 16:41:53 · answer #3 · answered by purekaine 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sign up for Yahoo stores. Inexpensive and pretty good quality.
2006-07-31 16:41:51 · answer #4 · answered by dt 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋