considering starting ecommerce site

Discussion in 'eCommerce' started by xxtoni, Sep 6, 2009.

  1. #1
    Greetings

    For some time now i am thinking about starting a e-commerce site.
    I came here in the hope that you can help me on some problems i have and give me a few ideas on how to do what...
    I researched the subject for a small time and i know a bit about it i also have a few problems which i will name and hope that you can help me with them


    1)Target market
    At first my target market was where i live Bosnia but when i started to research i noticed quite a few problems.
    Maybe i could aim the international market maybe it would be easier and more profitable since i would have more potential buyers.
    I want to aim Bosnia because i live here,and to be honest,Bosnia is a market for everything,we dont have anything here,the only problem is to make it appeal to the customers but i guess i know what people like and what not...
    I am open to suggestions
    2)Payments
    Most people here dont have credit cards and those that do dont use them online at first i thought this isnt going to be much of a problem,since i could use payment on delivery or money order but then i noticed the other problem which were the crazy prices for shipping here,and money orders are just too slow and most people dont use them either.
    3)What should i sell ?
    I considered selling small things like gadgets which i could buy at dealextreme and resell here but at the high shipping prices here shipping would be more expensive then the product itself,then i read about Drop shipping and thought maybe it could be arranged with dealextreme.
    I am once again open to suggestions.
    4)
    Start capital
    The other problem would be start capital,i could not invest much in this,the best i can do at the start is a nicely designed website and fast hosting
    but honestly i think i need some nice start capital if i want to be successful in this...
    I think there are more points to this but i cant remember more at the moment if i do i will post them
    I want to excuse myself for my bad English and thank everyone in advance who tried to help here

    Kind Regards
    Antonio M.
     
    xxtoni, Sep 6, 2009 IP
  2. mentos

    mentos Prominent Member

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    #2
    About payment,if it within same country,i would suggest you use interbank transfer coz it fast and cheap.
    While to decrease shipping cost,i would suggest you negotiate the rate with them,if you ship more than 1000 parcel per month,i'm sure the shipping cost will be reduced.
     
    mentos, Sep 6, 2009 IP
  3. xxtoni

    xxtoni Peon

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    #3
    Sorry to say none of those are true for me
    1)Bank transfers here (even inside the country) are damn expensive...most people just use money orders for company business
    2)Well that isnt a option at all because i dont have a company and unless you have a company nobody is talking to you here...
     
    xxtoni, Sep 6, 2009 IP
  4. Hugopw

    Hugopw Peon

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    #4
    Sorry to be glum, but if you don't have any capital, any idea of what to sell and are unsure on your target market, I'd suggest you hold off on an e-commerce site and do some research. Capital isn't necessarily a problem, but without a product and customers you will go nowhere fast.

    I'd start with the 4 hour work week by Timothy Ferris. Sounds like a rubbish book, but actaully has some very interesting ideas in it.

    :)
     
    Hugopw, Sep 7, 2009 IP
  5. xxtoni

    xxtoni Peon

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    #5
    yes you are probably right,well i do know most of the things but as i sayed,everything has its problems...
     
    xxtoni, Sep 7, 2009 IP
  6. jmegvil

    jmegvil Member

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    #6
    It is totally possible to start without any capital at all ( like I personnally done ) and today I own 11 sites that are generating $ 10 000 per month ! All you need is to spend a lot of time comparing the best FREE programs/scripts and a lot of perseverance but believe me bro, it can be done if you really know what you want !
     
    jmegvil, Sep 12, 2009 IP
  7. hifive

    hifive Peon

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    #7
    If you want to encourage online payments, you must provide a 'secure, safe' shopping cart. Check out Google's shopping cart. Another tip for you: offer your customers a liberal 'return' policy. Good luck
     
    hifive, Sep 12, 2009 IP
  8. bobchrist

    bobchrist Active Member

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    #8
    Also make sure to protect your customer's transactions by providing secured transactions with SSL certificates.
     
    bobchrist, Sep 15, 2009 IP
  9. xxtoni

    xxtoni Peon

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    #9
    For that i considered using 2CO because they send payments via bank transfer (since i cant receive money directly by paypal)
     
    xxtoni, Sep 17, 2009 IP
  10. ProxyHost

    ProxyHost Peon

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    #10
    Well, I'm new here, thought I would chip in .....

    Do look out for those chargebacks. Very very bad. Always be suspicious and skeptic about large orders....
     
    ProxyHost, Sep 17, 2009 IP
  11. jtbglobal

    jtbglobal Peon

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    #11
    Maybe try Paypal E-checks for payment?
     
    jtbglobal, Sep 18, 2009 IP
  12. xxtoni

    xxtoni Peon

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    #12
    hmm i wonder if that works in Bosnia...how does that work,could you explain ?
     
    xxtoni, Sep 19, 2009 IP
  13. pakidesigner

    pakidesigner Peon

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    #13
    my friend there was a company ..which website i forogt. they do dropship . you only use there script in your domian and the rest of work they do their self....i would suggest you that also,
     
    pakidesigner, Sep 19, 2009 IP
  14. bara.munchies

    bara.munchies Peon

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    #14
    after years of running my own ecommerce store i would advice you to better jump into affiliate marketing. at the end it's both about how many targeted customer can you generate, but affilaite marketing safes you a lot of headache. believe me.
     
    bara.munchies, Sep 21, 2009 IP
  15. Hugopw

    Hugopw Peon

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    #15
    I would agree Affiliates is a good place to start, especially without capital. Yes - you can start without capital, it just makes the chances of success much lower.
     
    Hugopw, Sep 21, 2009 IP
  16. matigemelli

    matigemelli Well-Known Member

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    #16
    matigemelli, Nov 7, 2012 IP
  17. horelcool

    horelcool Peon

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    #17
    i think i have simple answer for your question:

    An eCheck just means that the person who paid you is paying you with money from their personal bank account.

    - If someone pays you and chooses to take money from their credit card, you get the money instantly.

    - If they have a balance of funds in their online Paypal account, you get the money instantly.

    ....BUT - If they have no credit card on file, and no balance of funds in their online Paypal account, they must then withdraw from their bank account and so you get an "eCheck." It takes about 4 to 7 business days to clear. Imagine as though someone paid you with a paper check. Your bank would "hold" it for a few days and once the funds clear, you get the money.
     
    horelcool, Nov 7, 2012 IP
  18. candytwirp

    candytwirp Peon

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    #18
    Starting an eCommerce site solely would be hard. You will going through a lot of struggles to fully establish it. For starters, there are eCommerce software platforms that can be found internet that will help you start the business. When you have already a website, focus on marketing and customer service that will attract more customers. Lets just say you have a promotional products ready to sell, better promote it in some known social networking sites.
     
    Last edited: Nov 7, 2012
    candytwirp, Nov 7, 2012 IP