A. Dear
Teresa:
Sure, many online stores make a lot of money. But you need to consider
that:
1. An online store needs traffic, lots of targeted traffic interested
to buy. Traffic is something you cannot build overnight. So if you are
looking for an online store to make money quick, then you might find
yourself waiting for a single order in 6 months.
2. Online store requires inventory. In order to sell something,
you need to have something to sell. Where are you going to get your
products? Do you have the capital to buy your inventory?
3. An online store requires investment. You will need to create a
website (if you don't know how, then you will have to buy a template or pay
someone to build you one) -- all of which requires money. You will need to
get a merchant account to be able to process credit card payments; if not,
you can use online payment processors such as Paypal or 2CheckOut. You need
to either buy or license a shopping cart system, SSL for secured ordering,
etc. You need to have a good camera and photographic know-how as jewelry is
very hard to capture well on film -- in ecommerce, product presentation is
extremely important (visitors must be able to see your products well and
judge its quality from their computer screens)
4. You must have a product that consumers want. Opening an online
store is not a guarantee that you will make money if you do not have any
products that people would actually want. What makes your jewelry so special
that people will buy from you, and not from the more established online
jewelry stores? Jewelry is a product that entails a lot of trust and you
need to overcome this type of thinking of most people -- "I can buy a book
from anywhere because I know I will be getting a book; but if I buy jewelry
from a less trusted source who knows if I will get a fake?"
If you want to start selling online, eBay can be a test market for you so
you can start understanding the process (from creating product presentation
that sells, to processing payments, to shipping and fulfillment). If you
have little resources at this time, eBay can give you a cheaper alternative
to selling on the Web.
Good luck,
Isabel Isidro
About the PowerHomeBiz.com Guide:
Isabel Isidro is the
co-founder and VP-Managing Editor of PowerHomeBiz.com, an online magazine
for home business entrepreneurs that provides guidance on starting, running
and managing a home-based business.
The opinions expressed in this column are
those of the author, not of PowerHomeBiz.com.
Users
should not treat the Guide's response as legal, accounting, or
professional advice as all answers are intended to be general in
nature. Such advice can only be properly given by qualified
professionals who are fully aware of a user's specific geographical areas or circumstances, such
as
an attorney or accountant.
