By
Lanee’ Blunt
Register your domain name-- Image by IngerM. |
You
might want to sell many of your own products, or work with wholesalers when opening
your own ecommerce store. Opening an ecommerce store requires little overhead,
and the startup cost is cost effective. When approaching wholesale suppliers make
sure you understand the volume discounts, return policies, and order processing
time.
Website
Build
your website, and register your domain name. A quality website goes a long way because
it will be considered your store front. Design the website yourself. There are some great looking templates that
you can download right onto your website. If you don’t feel comfortable with
doing that then hire someone to design it for you.
Obtain a 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.
Wholesale Suppliers
Identify
high-volume manufacturers or wholesalers first because they will not let you buy
directly from them. A small business with a limited sales volume won’t support
buying bulk on a large scale. When you
have found the wholesale company that provides the types of products you want
to sell, contact each through their website, or by calling them on the phone
and fill out their new account application. You can now buy the products you
want to sell or set up a drop shipping arrangement with them. Market your ecommerce
store.
Reference:
SBA:
Small Business Matters; Tips for Finding and Working with Wholesale Suppliers;
Caron Beesley; 2010
Lifehacker:
How to Set Up Your Own Online Store