Start Your Own Online Store

By Lanee' Blunt

Starting an online store is a good way to make money selling your products every day.  Cheap web hosting and templates help you to build a website for your own catalog on the web. Setting up your own e-commerce site gives you more flexibility, freedom, and more control. Having your own site lets you avoid transaction and listing fees, but you will have to pay processing fees from your payment gateway.

Obtain a Tax ID

Get a sales tax ID. To sell products you are required to collect sales taxes, you will need to obtain a Sales Tax Permit from your state or local government. In order to deal with wholesalers and distributors you will need the tax ID before they will let you open an account with them.

Web Host

You probably have one in mind so I won’t talk about it too much here. Make sure that you use a web host that offers features that make installing third-party scripts like shopping cart systems just in one click. Get a domain name.

Set up your website. Install your shopping cart system.

Online Store

Get an account with an online provider such as Amazon, Yahoo, or eBay.

Payment Method

You can install payment modules including Paypal, 2Checkout, and others. Select a credit card payment processor for accepting payments through credit cards. Paypal is easy to set up and popular for most online users. For the shipping cost you can specify per item shipping cost, and rates for different zones.

Product Images

Use product images and descriptions of your products in your online shopping site. Select a category product image and enter in the other detail description and name.

Reference:

Lifehacker: How to Set Up Your Own Online Store

Posted in: Start Up