Millions of people from all over the world are using internet for shopping. The number of online shoppers is increasing every day. Because of these the number of businesses that sell their products online is always on the rise as well as older business that are extending their businesse online.
Today you don’t need any significant technical knowledge and large investment to start selling your products online. It’s relatively easy to start your online business and start selling your stuff on internet. There are many people who sell online and are making money. Some people sell used stuff that they longer need. There are places where you can sell physical products, digital products like ebook or tutorial videos or offer your services.
Popular place to sell used stuff online is Ebay and other online auction websites. Photographers sell their photos online by listing their photos of stock photography websites. People also can sell online their on artwork or design on websites like Caffepress or Etsy. If their some area where you are an expert like programming or graphic design there are websites where you can sell your services online. Or anyone can just open their own e-store and start selling his own products reselling someone else’s products for a profit.
If you want to sell something online and start making money here is a step by step guide how to do it:
- Think about what will you sell online. It is very logical the first step to consider before starting your online business is deciding what is that you will be selling. This decision will affect all your future decisions related to marketing, shipping, payment processing etc. If you want to sell physical products you will need to arrange for handling and shipping of products. If you decide to sell difital products like ebooks then there will not be involved packaging and handling of your products because clients can download it to their computer after they purchase it. Next question you need to think about is will you sell your own products or someone else’s products. If you wish to start selling products that are not yours you will need to contact the vendor yourself and reach agreement or join affiliate networks and choose which products you want to sell.
- Decide how will you sell stuff online. You can sell your stuff online either by setting up your own website or on online marketplaces. If you decide to sell on your own website you will need to build your own e-commerce website. To do that first of all you will need to register your own domain name and buy web hosting. You can build your website by yourself or if you are not skilled in web design you can hire someone to do it for you. You can find many good freelance web designer on freelance websites. If you decide to go with your own website you will have to pay for domain name, web hosting as well as the development of your online business website if you hire someone to build the website for you. There are also free website builders online where you can build your business website for free or where you can find free trial, but these free websites come with less features than self-hosted websites. An alternative to selling from your own website is to sell online on auction websites or it’s alternative or on other online marketplaces like Etsy. There are many people making a living online selling items on websites like Ebay, Etsy and similar. To start selling you will need to open an account and list your items providing description and photographs of whatever is that you are selling. To list your items on Ebay, Etsy or other ecommerce websites you will need to pay a certain fee, but on the other hand there are millions of potential buyers you can reach that are coming to search for thing they want to buy every day.
- Create a business plan for your online business. Every successful business needs a business plan and online business is no exception. You must create detailed financial and marketing plan. You will need to calculate your start up budget and considering expenses associated with building your e-commerce website, storage space, permits and licenses. Your business plan will make finding investors for your online business. Your plan will define your potential buyers and how to reach them.
- Register your business and trademark. In order to be eligible for funding, grants or loans as well as legally protecting your online business you should register your online business with appropriate agencies. By registering your trademark you will legally protect your property and build your brand.
- Launch your online business. After you have decided what will you sell online, to whom and how, have set up your budget is time to launch your online business. Build your website and list your items. Next step is to promote your business using social media and advertising networks. You can also start a business blog and connect with your customers by publishing useful and informative content about the products you sell and their benefits to the buyers.
