How to Set Up an E-Commerce Site For Less Than $100
Setting up an e-commerce site? Here's everything you need to know to do it right.
So you want to set up an e-commerce site. While it may seem daunting at first, don't fret. The following is an overview of different ways to go about it. Simply pick the one that's right for you, and log on.
Going Solo
Many experts and entrepreneurs believe that building your own website is a no-brainer, thanks to the inexpensive, easy-to-use and sophisticated e-commerce services available. You can even setup an e-commerce store with 1 year hosting and email for less than $100 by using e-Marketing Company hosting providers. Visit: http://www.e-marketingcompany.com/hosting.html
Your next step should be to obtain an internet merchant account from your bank, allowing you to accept credit card payments online. If your bank turns you down, try others--and consider offering to move all your accounts to that bank to up your appeal. Or you can perform an online search for "credit card processing" to find a variety of companies offering accounts to budding online businesses.
You'll also need a payment gateway account, which is an online processor that hooks into both your customer's credit card account and your internet merchant account. The gateway verifies information, transfers requests and authorizes credit cards in real time. Leading providers to smaller merchants include Authorize.Net, CyberSourceand VeriSign.
The best one to use is 2Checkout (www.2checkout.com). They are by far the best and one of the cheapest with no monthly fees or hidden costs. e-Marketing Company uses 2Checkout.com and highly recommends them.
NOTE: STAY CLEAR OF PAYPAL. THEY ARE VERY BAD WHEN IT COMES TO CUSTOMER SERVICES AND CHARGES. THEY DO NOT OFFER VALUE FOR MONEY AND THEIR PAYMENT BUTTONS AND ONLINE ORDER SYSTEM IS UNSECURE AND UNRELIABLE!
Of course, you still have to actually host your site. You can do it yourself on a computer that can be dedicated as a web server and that has a broadband internet connection, but such systems are costly and have limited capacities. Your other option: Use a web-hosting company. Many entrepreneurs swear by some of the bigger names in web hosting, such as Affinity Internet, Go Daddy Software, Hostway, Interland, iPower, Network Solutions, 1&1 Internet, Verioand Yahoo!. But some entrepreneurs prefer small, local hosting providers since they offer a direct contact--especially important if your site has an outage. Whether you use a large or small provider, basic hosting services--as well as domain-name registration and e-mail accounts--cost about $10 per month.
There's also a free option: Microsoft plans to launch a beta version of Microsoft Office Live early this year, providing small businesses with their own domain name, a website with 30MB storage, and five e-mail accounts, each with 2GB storage. Visit www.microsoft.com/office/officeliveto check for availability.
If you'd rather not build your site yourself, there are many hosted web or e-commerce solutions that can help. Web-hosting companies generally offer a combination of site-building tools; product catalog tools; shopping-cart technology; payment, shipping and marketing strategies; tracking and reporting capabilities; domain registration; and hosting.
Creative Solutions (www.creativesolutionsuk.com) can provide you a full e-commerce solution for under $500. They are an award winning comany and very honest and reliable. e-Marketing Company uses Creative Solutions and highly recommends them.
Also, eBay offers a storefront solution called ProStores. ProStores--which is available to everyone, not just eBay sellers--offers a full-featured, customizable web store. Unlike eBay Stores, ProStores sites are accessed through a URL unique to the seller and have no eBay branding. ProStores sellers are responsible for driving their own traffic, and items on ProStores sites sell only at fixed prices. The cost of a ProStore ranges from about $7 per month with a 1.5 percent transaction fee to about $250 per month with a 0.5 percent transaction fee.
Hosted solutions generally start at about $30 to $40 per month, plus setup fees of up to $50 per month. Some companies also charge transaction fees. Keep in mind, $40 will only get you basic functionality--bells and whistles cost a few hundred dollars per month.
Before starting an e-commerce site, many companies test the waters by selling on eBay. They have good reason: Today, the eBay community includes 168 million registered users worldwide. "The most obvious reason a new business chooses eBay is the access to our enormous customer base," says Jim "Griff" Griffith, dean of eBay Education.
To sell on eBay, you need to register and create a seller's account. Listing an item is an easy five-step process, but Griff suggests you do your homework first: Research eBay to learn what the market value is for your items and what eBay sellers of similar items are doing on the site.
When you list an item on eBay, you're charged an Insertion Fee ranging from 25 cents to $4.80, depending on the item's selling price. You're also charged a Final Value Fee if your item is sold. Final Value Fees start at 5.25 percent of the item's closing value.
You may also consider opening an eBay Store, which costs from $15.95 per month to $500 per month. eBay Stores let you sell your fixed-price and auction items from a unique destination on eBay. You can create customized categories, add your own logo or choose one of eBay's on-line images, and list item descriptions and selling policies.
Your eBay Store is promoted in several ways: Your listings and user ID include a "red door" icon inviting buyers to visit your eBay Store. The eBay Store Directory can also guide buyers to your Store. And you receive your own personalized web address to distribute and promote.
One company that has made the most of its eBay Store is Jeff Atchison Enterprises Inc., dba Dad's Toys. The Dardenne Prairie, Missouri-based company, which started in 1999, sells high-end gadgets such as flat-screen TVs--many of them on eBay. Founder and president Jeff Atchison set up a basic eBay Store in 2002. Why? "To add credibility to my listings," says Atchison, 41. "It shows people you are more of a permanent presence on eBay." It also allows Atchison to keep all his listings organized on one website that can easily be viewed by customers. Tactics like this have helped Atchison grow his company to an estimated revenue of $2.1 million last year.
Sincerely,
Scott Richard Adams, CEO
e-Marketing Company
www.e-marketingcompany.com
So you want to set up an e-commerce site. While it may seem daunting at first, don't fret. The following is an overview of different ways to go about it. Simply pick the one that's right for you, and log on.
Going Solo
Many experts and entrepreneurs believe that building your own website is a no-brainer, thanks to the inexpensive, easy-to-use and sophisticated e-commerce services available. You can even setup an e-commerce store with 1 year hosting and email for less than $100 by using e-Marketing Company hosting providers. Visit: http://www.e-marketingcompany.com/hosting.html
Your next step should be to obtain an internet merchant account from your bank, allowing you to accept credit card payments online. If your bank turns you down, try others--and consider offering to move all your accounts to that bank to up your appeal. Or you can perform an online search for "credit card processing" to find a variety of companies offering accounts to budding online businesses.
You'll also need a payment gateway account, which is an online processor that hooks into both your customer's credit card account and your internet merchant account. The gateway verifies information, transfers requests and authorizes credit cards in real time. Leading providers to smaller merchants include Authorize.Net, CyberSourceand VeriSign.
The best one to use is 2Checkout (www.2checkout.com). They are by far the best and one of the cheapest with no monthly fees or hidden costs. e-Marketing Company uses 2Checkout.com and highly recommends them.
NOTE: STAY CLEAR OF PAYPAL. THEY ARE VERY BAD WHEN IT COMES TO CUSTOMER SERVICES AND CHARGES. THEY DO NOT OFFER VALUE FOR MONEY AND THEIR PAYMENT BUTTONS AND ONLINE ORDER SYSTEM IS UNSECURE AND UNRELIABLE!
Of course, you still have to actually host your site. You can do it yourself on a computer that can be dedicated as a web server and that has a broadband internet connection, but such systems are costly and have limited capacities. Your other option: Use a web-hosting company. Many entrepreneurs swear by some of the bigger names in web hosting, such as Affinity Internet, Go Daddy Software, Hostway, Interland, iPower, Network Solutions, 1&1 Internet, Verioand Yahoo!. But some entrepreneurs prefer small, local hosting providers since they offer a direct contact--especially important if your site has an outage. Whether you use a large or small provider, basic hosting services--as well as domain-name registration and e-mail accounts--cost about $10 per month.
There's also a free option: Microsoft plans to launch a beta version of Microsoft Office Live early this year, providing small businesses with their own domain name, a website with 30MB storage, and five e-mail accounts, each with 2GB storage. Visit www.microsoft.com/office/officeliveto check for availability.
If you'd rather not build your site yourself, there are many hosted web or e-commerce solutions that can help. Web-hosting companies generally offer a combination of site-building tools; product catalog tools; shopping-cart technology; payment, shipping and marketing strategies; tracking and reporting capabilities; domain registration; and hosting.
Creative Solutions (www.creativesolutionsuk.com) can provide you a full e-commerce solution for under $500. They are an award winning comany and very honest and reliable. e-Marketing Company uses Creative Solutions and highly recommends them.
Also, eBay offers a storefront solution called ProStores. ProStores--which is available to everyone, not just eBay sellers--offers a full-featured, customizable web store. Unlike eBay Stores, ProStores sites are accessed through a URL unique to the seller and have no eBay branding. ProStores sellers are responsible for driving their own traffic, and items on ProStores sites sell only at fixed prices. The cost of a ProStore ranges from about $7 per month with a 1.5 percent transaction fee to about $250 per month with a 0.5 percent transaction fee.
Hosted solutions generally start at about $30 to $40 per month, plus setup fees of up to $50 per month. Some companies also charge transaction fees. Keep in mind, $40 will only get you basic functionality--bells and whistles cost a few hundred dollars per month.
Before starting an e-commerce site, many companies test the waters by selling on eBay. They have good reason: Today, the eBay community includes 168 million registered users worldwide. "The most obvious reason a new business chooses eBay is the access to our enormous customer base," says Jim "Griff" Griffith, dean of eBay Education.
To sell on eBay, you need to register and create a seller's account. Listing an item is an easy five-step process, but Griff suggests you do your homework first: Research eBay to learn what the market value is for your items and what eBay sellers of similar items are doing on the site.
When you list an item on eBay, you're charged an Insertion Fee ranging from 25 cents to $4.80, depending on the item's selling price. You're also charged a Final Value Fee if your item is sold. Final Value Fees start at 5.25 percent of the item's closing value.
You may also consider opening an eBay Store, which costs from $15.95 per month to $500 per month. eBay Stores let you sell your fixed-price and auction items from a unique destination on eBay. You can create customized categories, add your own logo or choose one of eBay's on-line images, and list item descriptions and selling policies.
Your eBay Store is promoted in several ways: Your listings and user ID include a "red door" icon inviting buyers to visit your eBay Store. The eBay Store Directory can also guide buyers to your Store. And you receive your own personalized web address to distribute and promote.
One company that has made the most of its eBay Store is Jeff Atchison Enterprises Inc., dba Dad's Toys. The Dardenne Prairie, Missouri-based company, which started in 1999, sells high-end gadgets such as flat-screen TVs--many of them on eBay. Founder and president Jeff Atchison set up a basic eBay Store in 2002. Why? "To add credibility to my listings," says Atchison, 41. "It shows people you are more of a permanent presence on eBay." It also allows Atchison to keep all his listings organized on one website that can easily be viewed by customers. Tactics like this have helped Atchison grow his company to an estimated revenue of $2.1 million last year.
Sincerely,
Scott Richard Adams, CEO
e-Marketing Company
www.e-marketingcompany.com
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