E commerce Startup

I also want to start. How is Ebay??

 

Any of you guys know how much capital it costs to build your online store? or an E commerce store. Selling stuff like Ebay?

 

I know someone that did this, spent around $15k on the site alone. (excludes advertising costs). But there are some turnkey scripts out there that you can use, that are cost effective, and or, you simply pay for a better theme and you are good to go

 

Thanks! Do you know if they did well and how long did they start

 

they did not make enough to even be worth talking about....

but $15k is what they spent on the initial site, (not what they spent in advertising, or adwords, or hosting)

 

Try magento , it will cost you between $1k to $2k. Cost may increase or decrease depending on customization and requirements.

 

What do you think about Jigoshop or Word press ecommerce?

 

Do you use Cloud Hosting, or normal shared or dedicated?
If No then Speed up your site, by using Cloud Hosting. Becoz “A 1 second delay in page response can result in a 7% reduction in conversions.” and its fact.
know more about cloud hosting and computing technology topcloudhost . blogspot . in

 

For those of you guys asking tax/incorporation questions, I usually answer it this way .... do you plan to be successful, or do you plan to fail?

If you plan to fail (making a couple of sales a week with ultra-thin margins) don't bother incorporating, just declare your net gains along with your personal income. It won't be enough to push you into a new tax bracket, and there is no liability or risk to be concerned with if all you're offering are products from a dropshipper (that falls on them).

But if you want a real business... with the goal being to grow and eventually be your primary income, or you plan on creating multiple sites in different niches, go ahead and do it right.

As for the types of corporations, this will vary by state ... I always either do an LLC or C corp (I'm basing this answer on Florida law, it may be different for your state so talk to an attorney). An LLC for smalltime stuff where I don't anticipate needing partners, staff, or investors, and a C corp if the goal is to eventually make it big, hire employees, attract venture capital, and sell the business.

It doesn't matter what stage you're in NOW - it's all about where you plan to be.

Also, one piece of advice ... build a brand around your site and don't use ridiculous keyword-based domains. Which site will you remember, ThinkGeek.com or "fun-little-gadgets.com"? Zappos or "website-that-sells-shoes.com"? Heck, ThinkGeek did about $17 million in sales last year selling the same products you can usually find cheaper on Amazon and eBay, and they aren't even in the top 100 eCommerce sites. Think big ... don't worry about getting the sale, worry about getting the CUSTOMER, and make them remember your name.

 

If you know a little bit of coding and love exploring things, i think OPENCART is the option where you can start your own website. Its one of the easiest platform with minor changes as per your need.
i made my site in OPENCART, only changed look and feel of it by updating its CSS file, and for features, i added extensions, mostly free. Its just that.
you can refer my site https://www.linensncurtains.com/shop/ for details and can ask me about it.

If you don't want to go with all such work and stuff, then you can opt ready platform which provide everything. you just have to pay monthly fee. like Shopify.

You can also start selling on Ebay, Etsy, Bonanza and ecrater and similar sites.

 

For those who don't have much knowledge of coding, they can start with Wordpress premium theme, here you can build an eCommerce website as well.

 

1. Should I insure myself and start some sort of corporation? Ex. LLC

Yes. You are better off in lots of ways. Once you do start earning stuff, you can write off your expenses and things.

2. What is the best way to find vendors to sell stuff on your site? Or even other people that are making homemade goods in the same category as mine?

Go to forums where those people would hang out and invite them.

3. I know there are a million opinions on here as to the best E-commerce start up site. I am doing a trial with Shopify right now and I only feel it is so so. I want the best site with the best SEO integration. Does anyone have an opinion as to how to push forward with that? I know that metatags/analytics and all of the required google work is probably the most important part to success. Please correct me if I am wrong. I just don't know the best way to economically do this.

Honestly, Wordpress + Ecwid kicks butt! However, the stuff that is saved with Shopify is website design and things like that. If you don't mind the Wordpress learning curve (Not that crazy really) and are good with graphics, ecwid intergration is seriously just copy and paste. Best shopping cart hands down.


4. Should I start collecting taxes from the start?
If you have to then you should. Don't mess with the government

 

If you just want to sell your own customized products on your site then I would suggest you shoppify. But if you intends to sell other vendors' products too then I would recommend Magento. The easiest way to find vendors is Googlify your niche and I am hopeful that you will find hundreds of online vendors.

 

There's a pretty popular thread over at Warrior Forum that has a ton of great drop-shipping information.

You might find that it's a good way to start exploring that part of eCommerce.

http://www.warriorforum.com/ecommer...ng/728337-share-drop-shipping-sites-here.html