How to sell online

Selling your product online is possible; you can deal through several methods and different venues. I want to look at a couple of these Amazon, eBay, and your website; first, let’s look at the pros of selling on Amazon.

Amazon has established itself as the number one place for many shoppers and has become the topic of many marketing studies. This post looks at how much a retailer has to gain or lose if he decides to sell products with Amazon.

More Sales

Millions of active customers visit Amazon each month to shop for products.

Amazon has more than 300 million active customer accounts and more than 170 million monthly unique visitors to the website resulting in over $100 billion in revenue; Amazon is the number 1 place to go for most shoppers.

By listing your products on Amazon, you automatically gain credibility and trust. That is because some users are likelier to buy a product from Amazon than from a shop they have never heard of. In addition, Amazon’s promise of excellence, excellent service, and quick delivery of purchased items entice many shoppers into buying the products from their website.

It is also noted that most shoppers trust Amazon over almost any other online store in countries where online shopping hasn’t yet gained full traction.

Low Costs for Marketing   (start your own business here)

Amazon attracts millions of customers to their website daily, and you get access to them.

Depending on your niche and the crowded market, you can start selling from day one without significant marketing efforts.

The competition, however, is very fierce, and you need to stand out from your competition, so it is vital to have a presence that stands out and will help your efforts of piggybacking on Amazon’s huge client database.

No stock

You will not have to worry about keeping an inventory; with more than 100 fulfillment centers around the globe, you can ship all your products in bulk to Amazon, and they will store your list, package it and ship it to shoppers.

Amazon FBA (Fulfillment By Amazon) is your inventory warehouse, manager, and shipper for a minimal amount compared to what you’d have to pay otherwise. On top of freeing yourself from the shipping hassle, your products will qualify automatically for Amazon Prime shipping and buy box priority, which will hugely impact the overall sales.

THE CONS OF SELLING ON AMAZON

Selling on Amazon may have its good points; however, there are some negative things to look out for; it is not all easy and no problem; there are many things to consider before leaping. Things like high competition, high selling fees, and order management will l have an impact on your strategy and pricing and therefore need to be considered carefully.

Very High competition

The competition is fierce selling on Amazon. Your pricing of goods has to be competitive, and my understanding is your competitor can give you a wrong product or a negative seller review, which could be the end for you. It would help if you had a long-term strategy; otherwise, you would fail.

Commissions

Amazon is charging retailers high commissions for every product sold through them.

While on shopping channels, you pay for every click, whether that click converts or not; in marketplaces like Amazon, you pay a percentage of each sale. Because of that, you need to ensure that your margins are high enough to be successful. Depending on the category, from 8% to 15%.

If your products are in low-margin categories, you may be better off moving to other places because you will not profit. Maybe you will end up losing.

Order Management

First, you must sync your orders if you sell your inventory on multiple marketplaces. Next, you must ensure that Amazon orders are directly brought into your system for a constant up-to-date system.

Thankfully, plenty of tools on the market will help you ensure that the number of items in your shopping cart is always up-to-date.

For some merchants, selling on Amazon could benefit their retail strategy, but it will not work for others.

eBay

eBay is known as a place for the small entrepreneur to sell their goods online; it is marketed as a launching point for small business

That does not mean it is for every small business owner. However, eBay certainly has its strengths — having a large user base to other recognized online selling venues might come up short for some online retailers.

Pros

1)  Visibility

eBay has over 160 million active buyers in their network who could find what they’re looking for in your online store. For sellers hoping to expand their e-commerce presence, serving a dedicated community of active buyers is essential to success. To be successful, you must be able to  stand out from the rest

2) Ease of Using

eBay has one of the better checkout and payment processes; the platform has become easier. While individual shop owners are in charge of their customer service operations, they can also count on eBay’s online infrastructure for support should any problems arise.

3)  Branding

eBay makes it easy for sellers to band their online stores by allowing shop owners to add their logos, packaging, and shipping supplies to their stores. This option is precious to small business owners as it will cause them to get name  recognition

Cons

1)  Fee Structure

Most marketplace fees are deducted as part of each sale, and expenses can vary depending on the category; it is crucial that you check what it will take for you to break even because you could end up making a loss.

2) Competing With eBay

Although eBay offers competitive branding opportunities, customers still might walk away from a transaction with the impression that they’re just shopping with eBay rather than doing business with your company. This is because the platform itself — despite offering a system that supports small business owners — is still the focus of the shopping experience. Plus, it might not be easy to convince shoppers to visit your store directly rather than going through eBay if you shop independently.

3) Time and Attention

Running any business can be time-consuming under the best conditions,  and selling on eBay is no different. It requires being engaged at all hours of the day. So whether you’re answering questions about products, providing feedback to eBay itself, or monitoring auction items, expect to be consistently on call. After all, you’re still the shop owner and respond to your customers — especially if you want to turn them into brand devotees.

SELLING ON YOUR WEBSITE

Selling products on your blog is one of the best ways to turn your audience into a consistent revenue stream.

You can sell anything that can be sold through blogging, and many bloggers already have a product they are looking to sell. This could be as simple as selling an ebook you have written or perhaps selling your time as a consultant or other type of expert within your field.

You can leverage your audience into many sales, no matter your product.

It’s not  Just Selling  Products; Sell Yourself.  

If you are trying to convince a customer to pay you for a product or for your time, show them a clear example and explain how this will make their life easier or more fulfilling is necessary.

The good news is that you can separate yourself from the pack by making a well-founded case for why your readers should purchase what you are offering. Learn how for free here.

Avoid creating the perfect sales pitch instead of making yourself as relatable as possible to your readers. Authenticity is vital because people are more likely to buy from a trusted source.

If you are new to owning a website and blogging, or even if you are not and need a reputable platform where everything needed to build and maintain a website is provided, let me introduce you to Wealthy Affiliate.

Wealthy Affiliate

Wealthy Affiliate teaches thousands worldwide how to make money using the online or affiliate marketing model. The training on Wealthy Affiliates will enable you to apply the knowledge gained in any business area.

You are given tools, information, and step-by-step training on building your business online, including research tools and the right keyword to get your post indexed on Google.

These tools are necessary for any business that wants an online presence, whether it’s a small local business, an e-commerce website,

At Wealthy Affiliate, besides a marketing education, there is always someone to answer your questions 24/7; within our community of over 1,000,000, there are people who are willing to answer your questions; members of the   WA community also make training videos which are available to you, and you can join for FREE.

For Free, you will get the following:-

• Live Help – First 7 Days
• 1 Website
• Website Backup
• Beginner Training Course
• Personal Affiliate Blog
• Affiliate Bootcamp Training – Phase 1 Only
• Video Walk-Throughs
• Keyword Research Tool – 30 Searches
• Training Classrooms – 2
• Affiliate Program

Wealthy Affiliate also provides:

• a marketing education so you can learn how to market
• website building platform so you can build a website to get leads
• an active community that you can rely on for support
• tools for research and content development (to drive internet traffic for tips) and community support.

With the free program, you can look around the platform, and if you do not like what you see, you can quit, and there is no loss to you

here is a video of one of the ten lessons the free membership offers.

You will not be hounded or bombarded with emails and telephone calls, but on the other hand, if you do like it and would like to stay, I would suggest that you upgrade to premium. If you are asking, can you stay on the free side and be a success? A few people have done it, but I would suggest moving to premium for someone without experience building and maintaining a website.

The Premium Package.

Live Help – Unlimited

• Private Messaging – Unlimited
• 10 Websites
• Website Security Package
• Website Backup
• Beginner Training Course – Full Access
• Personal Affiliate Blog
• Affiliate Bootcamp Training – All Phases (7)
• Live Video Classes
• Video Walk-Throughs
• Keyword Research Tool – Unlimited Searches
• Training Classrooms – 2
• Affiliate Program – 2x Higher Payout
• Earn While You Learn
• 1-on-1 Coaching – Unlimited
• Private Access to Webinars
• 24/7/365 Website Support
• Website Feedback Platform
• Website Comment Platform
• Website Analysis

Everyone knows starting any business will cost you time, money, effort, and determination.

It is $49.00 per month for the premium, you will get the first month for $19.00, and if you pay yearly, it works out to $29.00 per month. You will not only be able to sell your product, but if you would like, you could also have affiliate links; you will be shown how to add these links to your website. You will get a commission if one of your readers on your site clicks on the link and buy something from the merchant you are advertising.

You will be taught how to add a PayPal button on your site to be paid for the personal product you are selling.

In conclusion

Yes, you can make an income selling your goods or services online, and Wealthy Affiliate can and will show you how.

Wealthy Affiliate started in 2005 and has grown to over 1 million members, and we are from all over the world, the continent, and the Islands. We have good ratings from the BBB.

You are not offered anything impossible or promised to be rich in no time.

You are promised to be given the tools and information to achieve, and you will be helped along the way. So why not try us for free if you do not like us? That’s ok; it would have cost you nothing.

And should become a member by joining from any of the links in this post to Wealthy Affiliate. I will be there to assist you. Just send me a personal message, and I will be there for you and many others.

Thank you so much for reading my post; I hope you found it informative and helpful Please drop by again. You can leave your questions and comments in the space provided, and I will get back to you. I would appreciate your liking and sharing this post.

NOTE:  This post includes affiliate links, which, if clicked on and a product purchased, I get a small commission (with no increase in cost to you).