Online Sales: Finding Your Platform

The most basic thing anyone planning to enter online retail can ask is this: where do I sell my products? In most cases, entrepreneurs exploring this arena for the first time already know what product they want to sell online. What sets them back from implementing their business case full force is the knowing which selling platform to use.

In this post, we’re discussing the different selling platforms available online. We’re also providing you with the top players in each category.

1. Auctions: Ever heard of eBay? I bet you have. It is one of the most recognizable brands today. eBay is a selling site that lets buyers bid for the item they want. The seller can determine the start price of the bidding, the number of days the item is live and can even add a “Buy Now” option. 
2. Classified Ads Sites: Craigslist is the prime example for this. Before the peak of the internet, selling items via classified ads was the best way to do it without incurring a lot of overhead cost. Today, online classified sites are still very much alive. They not only offer the same cheap/free listing advantage as their traditional counterpart, they also have a wider and more global reach now. 
3. Social Network Sites: Multiply is user-friendly social networking site that can easily be transformed into a site that sells products online. It has a blog module, an area for photos and pages that can be customized for practically anything. People using this site for sales often take advantage of the photo album functionality. They use it such that one album is one product category. We’ve also seen some people use Facebook to sell stuff online. They usually create pages, add fans then use the photo section for product display. Social network sites are the easiest to break into when selling online because you already have existing contacts you can trust – your online friends.
4. Membership Sales Sites and Shopping Communities: Amazon, Kaboodle and Overstock are examples of shopping and sales sites that allow individuals to become members and build out their own channels. Then, there are also selling sites catering to niche markets, such as Etsy.com, which is a network for handmade items.  
5. CMS Plugins and Templates: A Content Management System, like Joomla, has available plugins and templates that easily renders the site into a eCommerce platform. This is something you can do yourself with a little bit of html knowledge and good graphic layout skills. Other CMS to check out include WordPress, Drupal and Mambo.  
6. Custom-built Online Store: Your final option is to build an online store and customize it for your needs. This may entail cost, especially if you want to host it in your own domain name (www.YourDomainNameHere.com). You can contract a web designer to do this for you and pay him or her maintenance for future updates. Some companies will offer a free web store as part of a package for their other services.

Selling online line can be a productive and financially beneficial endeavor, if you know how to do it correctly. Watch out for more tips on selling online, setting up your virtual store front and marketing your own brand here at ShopTalk.