by Sandra Cobb

As a site designer myself, I realize how much time and effort goes into registering, setting up, and designing a site; not to mention the creation of content and seamless navigation. But it is unbelievable how complicated and expensive this process has become!

Let's face it, very few entrepreneurs and small businesses can afford to spend hundreds of dollars to set up their dot-com presence without knowing how successful it will be! We've seen the results of high expectations and over spending with the demise of many well-known companies as reported in the news recently.

It doesn't have to be this way!

Are you planning to sell products or services?

You do NOT necessarily need expensive shopping cart software or merchant accounts to sell your products or services. You can begin your online venture by setting up a few of your most popular items or services that can be purchased online. Once a customer has made a purchase, you can then follow up with details on how to purchase additional items.

There are low cost ecommerce solutions that can help you start conducting business online without breaking the bank.

First, determine exactly how sophisticated your ordering process needs to be. Then decide which of the following options best suits your business needs.

Option A - PayPal

Set up a Premier Account with PayPal. PayPal is a stable and secure company that has been around long enough to establish a credible reputation. I can personally vouch for them, I use them consistently.

Benefits:

Doing Business As:
You have the option of using a business name or your personal name, regardless of how your bank account is registered.

Low Cost:
There are no monthly fees and no set up fees. That’s right - it’s free.

A small fee is with-held each time a transaction (purchase) is processed.

Hassle Free
They process all orders and notify you when payment is received.

Referral Bonus
You can earn a small cash bonus for qualified referrals you send to PayPal.

Features:

Shopping Cart
Premium members can set up a shopping cart that links directly from their site to PayPal.

Send an Invoice
If your services or product prices vary, you can send customers an invoice from PayPal once the purchase price has been established.

Option B - eBay

Consider selling your products or services through eBay. You can accept checks and money orders by postal mail, or you can accept credit cards and checks using PayPal, or eBay’s version of PayPal - BillPoint. You can provide links to your site with each item you list for auction. You can also set up a reserve amount - the least dollar amount you will accept for your service or product.

Ebay also offers an affiliate program.

Option C - ClickBank

Sign up as a merchant with ClickBank.net. There are some fees involved, plus you have to determine what percentage of each sale that you will allow the referring site to earn. Affiliates with ClickBank can choose merchants they like (higher commission percentages do better) and then place links on their sites. There is a setup fee for merchants, but you'll also be providing your site a great deal of exposure. Plus, ClickBank allows you to accept credit cards and other methods of payment. You'll be setting up your own affiliate program!

ClickBank also offers an affiliate program: zzz.clickbank.net/r/?abelle

Option D - Find a Host that provides Shopping Carts

Many hosting packages are set up with shopping carts with a buy feature. Do your homework. Check on the setup fees and the monthly fees. Make sure it’s a reputable company so you aren’t worried about your money transactions.

These are just some of the options that are available for setting up shop without going broke. I'm sure that there are many more options available - it just takes some net research.

Discuss this in our Forum

About the Author:

Sandra Cobb is a work at home site designer and homeschooling Mom. Visit her website for free resources at www.designsbyabelle.com, and sign up for her monthly ezine - Comets4Him at www.sandracobb.com.