eBay is an online auction where ordinary people can sell one or two items for small upfront fees. People with an eBay account can bid on these items until the sellers close, just like in an in-person auction. Or, the seller can choose the “Buy It Now” option, which lists an item at a fixed price and there is no bidding process. eBay is an online auction where ordinary people can sell one or two items for small upfront fees. People with an eBay account can bid on these items until the sellers close, just like in an in-person auction. Or, the seller can choose the “Buy It Now” option, which lists an item at a fixed price and there is no bidding process.

Payment can be made with a credit/debit card or with the most popular method: PayPal, which keeps personal information confidential and also acts to prevent fraudulent transactions. Once payment is confirmed, eBay deducts your fees, which is usually a percentage of the final sale and the initial listing fee. The fee schedule depends on the sale price of the item. If a person has more than a few items to sell or wants to sell on an ongoing basis, then the best option is to open an eBay store. These come with pre-built templates, setup is quite easy as far as shipping options, pricing, and the type of customer the seller wants to do business with.

For example, a seller can make their eBay store invisible to buyers who have recently received negative feedback from other sellers or who have had problems clearing payments for items they purchased on eBay. Monthly rates for blinds vary and other options are available. The downsides are that customization is limited and whether or not a sale is made; a fixed monthly fee must be paid to remain open. Some people start by selling a few items and gradually open a store just to test the waters.

For some, opening an eCommerce website is a better solution. If you are skilled in desktop publishing, HTML, or basic web design, this would give a person an opportunity to show the creative side of themselves. Even if a person has no artistic skills but has a vision or theme in mind, they are more likely to get positive results from a custom eCommerce store than a pre-formatted template offered as part of an online auction package. . At the time of setup, payment preferences and other filters can be set with the webmaster or the company that manages the site. Companies that offer eCommerce websites have other essentials like email, weblogs, search engine optimization, and marketing packages that are usually included in the price. Fees for setting up e-commerce are annual and in most cases less than online auctions when calculated monthly. This eliminates the hassles of dealing with a monthly invoice, post-sale percentages to be paid to a third party, and most online shippers would prefer to have a partnership with a separate store rather than an auction site.

The downside is that if a seller wants to cancel their store after, say, six months of operation, they won’t receive a refund of prepaid fees. Another possibility is that the seller is fully responsible for the transaction, from start to finish. This means providing efficient customer service to ensure those items are received in a timely manner and, unless the seller is a PayPal customer, taking responsibility for losses such as fraud and other non-payments.

In general, if you’re just starting out in the world of e-commerce websites, look for an eBay store. However, if you’re looking to start a business and make a living, open a custom eCommerce store on your own domain and hosting.

Here is a list of what you will need to do.

or – Get a domain name and hosting package from a website host (about $150 per year).

or – Buy a pre-configured e-commerce package (around $500 one time) or get a free package like os-commerce and have it modified by a website designer and coder.

or – Have a webmaster (someone who knows about FTP upload) to upload your site

o – Add your products and customize your store

o – Top and SEO expert to get your website ranked higher on Google yahoo and other search engines. As with the real world, it’s all about location, location, location. Being at the top of Google for your keyword is paramount to a profitable business. (Keep in mind that SEO will take 6-12 months to work, there are a lot of SEO scammers so make sure it’s a big company or a reputable company. And no one can guarantee a top position if Google walks away if you do make) .

o – Make sure you have as many payment options available, from pay pal to Google Checkout credit card.