How to Sell With Market Places You Choose

How to Sell With Market Places You Choose

Have you chosen the market place you would like to start selling with? There are many options available out there, and you will have to choose what feels good to you. Make sure you research them a little bit before you sign onto one. 

Etsy is for handmade, upcycled repurposed, vintage, art, and supplies. An alternative to this is Artfire. Etsy has really taken off from where it started back a few years ago when there was just 400,000 active sellers which it is now up to more than a million, and counting. Other alternatives to look into would be Ebay, Amazon, Storenvy, Indiemade, Zibbet, Ecrater, and there is plenty more to consider. It depends on the type of products you intend to sell, if you want to sell straight out, or if you prefer auctions like what is offered at Ebay. Some will be free to list, some will have small final value fees, some will offer different payment processors that you can choose to offer with your shops, and many other things. 

Once you have chosen the place you would like to start with, and have set up shop with your shop name, policies, shipping, and etc. You will then want to get started with pictures of your products for you listings. Make sure that your pictures are bright, crisp, and clear. With good pictures your products will be noticed. Remember that the photos are a very important part of your customers first impression when they visit your shop. 

Next you will want to work on proper listings for your products you are offering. Remember as you do this that the customers cannot touch the product you offer. So, you will have to describe a physical experience for them. If you do not take the time to list your products properly then the customers will not give you the sale. 

Don't make your listings like they are going to be on craigs list. Customers won't go for that. They like to have the descriptions in full so that they do not have to spend all their shopping time asking you questions. Instead welcome them into your shop just like you had a physical storefront. When they click on your picture they want to feel that you have taken the time to respond to their interests. 

This is all a part of building your shop. With the early stages of your shops you will have time which is on your side for you to do things with. You could start a blog with the same shop name, or if you already have a blog maybe you would want to use that for your shop name. Use Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Instagram. Set up some social media accounts, and spend some time establishing those places as well. As you get busier you will be able to choose the places that are more enjoyable, and that you find benefit with too. It's all a part of building your small business. 

Think about one of your favorite places that you like to visit, and shop with. Remind yourself of the atmosphere, and the surroundings it has that you so enjoy. This is what you would like to incorporate into your own shops so that your customers will want to take a part of your business home with them.  As your business grows you will refine things along the way. 

Keep in mind that the market place you choose is just a starter home for you to build with. Also, do not be disillusioned by business takes off the minute you open shop. It takes time, many things to learn, mistakes will be made, but it will grow with patience and work of it. Visit with Lisa at Market Your Creativity to learn from her experiences that she shares with everyone. 

Thanks for visiting with LilacsNDreams in learning some ways to start our online businesses. I enjoy it, and hope to see you again soon. Have a Happy Day everyone!

MarketPlaces For New Businesses Starting Up

MarketPlaces For New Businesses Starting Up. Having a Back Up Plan is good too.

Starting a new business we generally choose a marketplace, or a platform to start with. We are nervous starting out, it takes so much work, there is so much to learn, we have to know so much, marketing needs to be done, SEO, and there is really a lot to consider. So, when starting out you try to go with a platform that does some of this work for you. 

For handmade, upcycled, repurposed, vintage, supplies, and so on many sellers will start with Etsy as they are growing, and becoming known. There is also Artfire that some sellers will use too. Don't forget Ebay the big one that is still around after all these years, and Amazon too. It just depends on what you are selling, and the exposure you are looking to have for your products. Using recognizable sites adds an extra dose of reputation, and accountability to your shops. 

Many are not sure who to trust online, and that is understandable. When shopping sites like Etsy, Ebay, or Amazon people know that they will have a place to report fraud, non-delivery, and offer feedback too. Keep in mind when building your business from scratch that using a recognizable website will add instant credibility for you too. 

What you need to understand is that when using marketplaces you do not truly own your small business with them. These marketplaces own the shops that they host, and they do reserve the right to manage them however they feel fit to do. You are paying them rent to use their platforms to sell your goods. When you use these places you agree to their contracts, their terms, their rules, and their policies. So, it is always good to have a back-up plan as mentioned. 

Honestly, think about it. If your shop was closed by one of these marketplaces due to violation of rules, copy rights, infringements, etc without any warning - What would you do?  What would you lose? Think of all the hours, and time invested into your shops. So, if you are serious about your small business you will want to look at these marketplaces as a starting point for you, not a permanent home. 

I would recommend that you have a domain for your business as soon as possible. You can use the domain for the platform you have chosen to start with. Build your reputation with the domain directed there. What is good about having a domain is that it can be redirected at any time, and you are not losing out on anything. This is a part of that back-up plan you should have for the "just in case" something happens. 

Yes, it is good to start with a reputable marketplace. Find one that is organized for a new business with low inventory. Make sure that it is clean, simple to use, feels comfortable for use by you....everyone is nervous first starting out, does the proper job of show casing your products, your brand, your reputation (feedback, previous sales, followers, admirers) 

Many feel that when they first start they should have their own websites right away. It takes a lot of work to set up a site, build your reputation, work with SEO for visibility and to be found, and etc. With you learning a new venture it is good to start out simpler so that you can learn with it. Using a marketplace is a way to start for your customers getting to know you, learn your brand, your business, and what you have to offer. 

Most places you can start your shops free today with some of your products, and your pictures. Once you open shop hopefully you will have some user friendly tools to use that you can play with, and learn from. Also, with some of these user friendly sites it is nice to have tools that show you anayltics of views you receive, traffic, sales, income received, keywords being used to find you, etc. These kind of stats can help you see what marketing efforts are working for you, and what is not working for you. They are good to learn from.

Once you have worked with a platform you will come to a point that you are out growing the place. This is why you want to have that back-up plan working so that you can start to move on, expand, or if an issue arises with the marketplace you are able to move on. Having the domain looks good on business cards too. When you decide to move the domain can be redirected, and customers will always be able to find you by using that domain too.

Remember to visit with Lisa at Market Your Creativity. She has had more experience with some of these issues, and she is sharing them with everyone to learn from. 

Thanks so much for visiting with LilacsNDreams today. Have a Happy Hump Day everyone! See you again soon.