Recently, I decided to open an online store for merchandise based around the "Adventures of Traveling Bob" site. I already had a pretty good idea of what I was going to use. Since I didn't really have a product line of my own yet - Bob's travel guides are still works in progress - I opted to go with CafePress. But before I made a final decision, I did a little research. Since I someday hope to offer my own products through WealthTogether, I wanted to see what other options were available. And since I have heard that several of my readers have decided to start selling products online, I decided to share what I found. So here it is - my Top 5 list of virtual storefronts.
1. Volusion. I had already heard lots of great buzz about Volusion before I checked it out. It has won several awards for Best Ecommerce Solution. I signed up for the 14-day free trial to see how it worked. I was immediately impressed by the hundreds of built-in features. But I was even more impressed by how easily I could customize it to suit my own business. I am not a tekkie by any stretch of the imagination, so the fact that I did not have to know tons of code to build my store was a huge plus. The training video's and online wizards were enough to help even the novice internet marketer build a professional looking store. And I love the Search Engine Friendly Feature. You can use their templates and design tools to create your own look or you can have one of their designers do it for you. Security isn't an issue either. They are PCI/CISP certified. There are several pricing packages to choose from, based on your needs. If you have a good selection of products and you want a truly professional looking storefront, Volusion should be your choice. http://www.volusion.com/
2. ProStores. Another award winner. Like Volusion, ProStores lets you design your own storefront or have one of their designers do it for you. And it offers several different tiers, depending on your needs. Unlike Volusion, in addition to the monthly subscription fee, there is also a transaction fee for each successful transaction. While the subscription fee is less than Volusion's, the transaction fee could add up quickly if your business takes off. ProStores is supported by SSL encryption but is not PCI/CISP certified. If you are just getting started and can't afford the cost of Volusion, ProStores could be the right choice for you. Take advantage of the one month free trial and see for yourself. http://www.prostores.com/
3. Yahoo Merchant Solutions. Yahoo offers most of the same features as Volusion and ProStores. The biggest drawback for me was the 1.5% transaction fee in addition to the monthly subscription fee. If you are at all successful in building your online business, 1.5% can add up to a lot of money fast! Other than that, it brings all the experience and marketing clout of Yahoo to your efforts. Not a bad choice if you can swallow that transaction fee. http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/ecommerce/
4. Shopify. Shopify's biggest asset is it's design flexibility. You can have a professional looking store up and running in no time. It doesn't have all of the features of Volusion or ProStores, but it is incredibly easy to work with. Once again, there are several pricing options to choose from and like the others, Shopify offers a free trial. http://www.shopify.com/
5. CafePress. I like CafePress for two reasons. It's a good way to get started if you don't have a product of your own but want to start getting your name out in the world of ecommerce. CafePress allows you to put your logo or other graphics on a wide array of "print-on-demand" products from T-shirts to dog bowls. You can set up a basic shop for free or for a very small monthly fee, you can own a premium shop. I have fun trying to think of creative ways to use the Traveling Bob logo and graphics to create products for my store. Use one of their templates or design your own store. It's a great, low-risk way to get a taste of the world of ecommerce. http://www.cafepress.com/.
A virtual storefront to sell your products is just one of the many ways to make money online. Check these out and choose the one that is right for you.
Showing posts with label CafePress. Show all posts
Showing posts with label CafePress. Show all posts
Friday, January 30, 2009
Friday, January 9, 2009
What Can I Sell?
Q. I'm just starting to think about an online business. I don't have any products. I've read that infoproducts are a cheap way to make some money but I don't even really know what I would write about. I just know that I'm tired of making someone else's dream come true at the cost of my own. What can I sell so I can get started?
This question was asked recently at a marketing seminar I attended. It's a great question. What can I sell when I don't have any products of my own? The answer - someone else's products! How is this possible? There are a couple of different methods.
My particular favorite is called "affiliate marketing." In affiliate marketing, you sell a product for someone else and receive a commission for everything you sell. Most of these programs are free to join and many even provide you with a website to help you market. I happen to be an affiliate marketer myself for several programs. They each bring me a nice little sum of money every month. Take a look at my sites, and you'll see what I mean. I'm an affiliate for Site Build It! (http://buildit.sitesell.com/wealthtogether.html). I'm also an affiliate for Magnetic Sponsoring http://mwhiteley.magneticsponsoringonline.com/. And in addition to being one of his biggest fans, I'm also an affiliate for all of Derek Gehl's products http://www.internetmarketing.com/2009-goals/1155.
If you're interested in exploring affiliate marketing further, there are several resources available to match you up with tons of affiliate programs. I use (and I'm an affiliate for) Affiliate Showcase run by my friend Ken McArthur http://www.AffiliateShowcase.com/?46035. Ken has put together a site where you can access hundreds of programs that will pay you commissions of 50% or more.
Another great source of products is Clickbank (http://www.clickbank.com/). Some other sites you may want to look at as well are:
http://www.cj.com/
http://www.linkshare.com/
Another source of products that is different from affiliate marketing is called drop shipping. In drop shipping, the products you sell are maintained by the source company. When you make a sale, you provide the customer's order information to the drop shipper and they ship the product directly for you. Your profit is the difference between the cost of the product from the wholesaler and your selling price. As with anything, there are pros and cons and scams involved with drop shipping. I personally have never tried it. But there is a great article that explains it in detail at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drop_shipping. And one of the best known and most highly recommended drop shippers is Doba (www.Doba.com). Their website has some great information on how drop shipping works as well.
If you have any type of graphic work available to you, there is another source of products for you. CafePress is a virtual storefront that actually provides part of the product for you. They have a wide variety of apparel, housewares, gift items and other merchandise. All you do is add your own graphic design and you have an instant product. I use CafePress for the "Travels with Bob" products. Check it out at www.cafepress.com/travelwithbob.
Whichever route you decide to take to finding your products, make sure you research the company thoroughly to be sure their products will meet your customers' standards. You want to do business with a company that is reliable and guarantees their products. Of course the best thing to sell is your own product. Use these other options to help you build an online presence and some marketing skill while you develop a product that uniquely yours.
This question was asked recently at a marketing seminar I attended. It's a great question. What can I sell when I don't have any products of my own? The answer - someone else's products! How is this possible? There are a couple of different methods.
My particular favorite is called "affiliate marketing." In affiliate marketing, you sell a product for someone else and receive a commission for everything you sell. Most of these programs are free to join and many even provide you with a website to help you market. I happen to be an affiliate marketer myself for several programs. They each bring me a nice little sum of money every month. Take a look at my sites, and you'll see what I mean. I'm an affiliate for Site Build It! (http://buildit.sitesell.com/wealthtogether.html). I'm also an affiliate for Magnetic Sponsoring http://mwhiteley.magneticsponsoringonline.com/. And in addition to being one of his biggest fans, I'm also an affiliate for all of Derek Gehl's products http://www.internetmarketing.com/2009-goals/1155.
If you're interested in exploring affiliate marketing further, there are several resources available to match you up with tons of affiliate programs. I use (and I'm an affiliate for) Affiliate Showcase run by my friend Ken McArthur http://www.AffiliateShowcase.com/?46035. Ken has put together a site where you can access hundreds of programs that will pay you commissions of 50% or more.
Another great source of products is Clickbank (http://www.clickbank.com/). Some other sites you may want to look at as well are:
http://www.cj.com/
http://www.linkshare.com/
Another source of products that is different from affiliate marketing is called drop shipping. In drop shipping, the products you sell are maintained by the source company. When you make a sale, you provide the customer's order information to the drop shipper and they ship the product directly for you. Your profit is the difference between the cost of the product from the wholesaler and your selling price. As with anything, there are pros and cons and scams involved with drop shipping. I personally have never tried it. But there is a great article that explains it in detail at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drop_shipping. And one of the best known and most highly recommended drop shippers is Doba (www.Doba.com). Their website has some great information on how drop shipping works as well.
If you have any type of graphic work available to you, there is another source of products for you. CafePress is a virtual storefront that actually provides part of the product for you. They have a wide variety of apparel, housewares, gift items and other merchandise. All you do is add your own graphic design and you have an instant product. I use CafePress for the "Travels with Bob" products. Check it out at www.cafepress.com/travelwithbob.
Whichever route you decide to take to finding your products, make sure you research the company thoroughly to be sure their products will meet your customers' standards. You want to do business with a company that is reliable and guarantees their products. Of course the best thing to sell is your own product. Use these other options to help you build an online presence and some marketing skill while you develop a product that uniquely yours.
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