Has anyone reading HelpStation moved from eBay to their own e-commerce store?

If I want to move to do it, which one do you recommend, and what functions should it have?

How easy was it and so on?

Thanks

Steve Bardis, ,

Very interesting question Steve. I'm sure that most of us have thought about the idea.

While we're waiting for some reader feedback, here are some random thoughts.

eBay. Selling on-line is a skill. Selling via eBay is probably one of the better ways to develop this skill. And don't forget that once you reach a certain level of sales on eBay you can set up your own "shop" on eBay. I'm not sure if this gives you any cost advantage. Perhaps you should check the eBay site or Google for one of the third party sites..

eBay. Don't forget that although selling via eBay costs you part of the profits, that may be offset by the convenience of doing it that way. For instance, I assume that it's easier to use PayPal than it is to set up your own merchant credit card account.

eBay. I'm sure you've realised that you can sell on a fixed price basis on eBay, not just by auction.

Merchant sites. There are any number of merchant sites available, regardless of which country you're in. For instance, you may like to take a look at Mr. Site which is available as a retail boxed package as well as on-line. Even your ISP may offer merchant services.

Training.. There are many training courses and seminars available on setting up your own merchant site. It may be worth doing one. Or take a look on-line.

User Groups. Your local PC User Group may have a SIG (Special Interest Group) or a training course on this subject. For instance, the Melbourne PC User Group in Melbourne, Australia has a number of SIG's on related subjects such as web site design and affiliate marketing.


Paul Zucker