On Internet Business

How to set up an online store in minutes for next to nothing

Posted by Michael under Business Growth, Online Retail

Lifehacker recently explored how to set up an online shopfront, but how do their top five recommendations work out for UK based online retailers?

1. Sell Simply is as basic as it gets – sell through Twitter and pay a dollar! That’s all there is to it. You list your items for sale via Twitter, they are listed on Sell Simply, and Paypal takes care of the actual transaction. It’s basic, it’s easy, it’s ultimately portable and if you like life to be straightforward, this is the best system for you. Of course, if you want control, complexity, personalisation and presence, this is not going to be your shopfront of choice, but for those getting started or testing an idea, it’s a brilliantly simple route to commerce.

2. Big Cartel is easy to use. The process of store building is simple, mainly because there is a limited amount of stuff that you can change. The shopping cart system is easy too, although it’s tailored to artists and creative types, not mass volume sellers. The pricing structure is also simple: testing the water is free – load your basic store with five items and see how you go! If that flies, you can move into a ten dollar per month store or a twenty dollar per month store. Overall, Big Cartel is an excellent system, aimed at shopfronts that have around 100 pieces for sale (that’s 100 listings, not 100 actual items) and it’s very clean to use. Clean but not that customisable – there are elements you can play with, but one Big Cartel store is often quite a lot like another Big Cartel store and that could be good (easy for customers who are familiar with the system to navigate) or bad (making your unique offering look just like everybody else’s little business)

In terms of the process there are advantages and disadvantages: you will be paying in dollars and you have to inform yourself about what applies and doesn’t apply under USA law in relation to exportable items, but it’s a very simple process to operate the store and paying by the month means you know what you’ve let yourself in for – there’s no nasty surprises if you sell above your predicted volumes.

3. Shopify is another pay monthly storefront and shopping cart system – rather than a basic free model at the bottom of the scale, you get to try before you buy for a month, but then you’re into a monthly package ranging from $24 for 100 products through $59, $99 $249 to $699 per month for 50,000 products. There is also a transaction fee for every purchase made through your store which drops the higher your monthly fee package.

The advantages of Shopify? It’s totally customisable, you can play with every element of both HTML and CSS so if you want a totally unique shop, you get to either edit their templates or design your own from scratch. Downsides? Once again you’re paying in dollars, and this time you’re subject to Canadian law and that of the province of Ontario – probably not a problem for most vendors but there are pretty odd things you can’t sell online and it’s the vendors responsibility to ensure he or she is aware of the restrictions that might apply.

4. Etsy is a venue. It’s important to remember this, because it’s got some unusual and sometimes frustrating features. The good side is that if you’re a craft-based business, it’s designed with you in mind. Setting up your store is really easy but not very customisable. The fees are a little more complicated to understand: there’s a $0.20 listing fee for four months and a 3.5% transaction fee when the item sells. The complication is that there is a fee per quantity so one scarf in stock incurs a fee of $0.20 for four months but three scarves of the same pattern, once listed, cost you $0.60 for the same period, with the transaction fee applying when each one sells.

For the crafter/designer, Etsy has a major bonus feature: alchemy, where people list the item they want to have created for them and Etsy members bid for the work.

5. Self-Hosting – this was ranked three on Lifehacker, but is the most time (and potentially cost) consuming option. You need a web server, basic coding skills or a web person to hand, and some design appreciation too. There are cart systems you can install yourself into your own shopfront, so you don’t have to create a secured payment system unless you really want to.

This method gives you the most control and choice, but is also the most likely to cause frustration and delays in getting to trade. The advantage of the established shopfront systems is that users already know how to navigate them; by creating your own you may inadvertently set up something customers don’t enjoy or don’t have confidence in.

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