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I wanna run my own ecommerce website. Selling products with companies that i have partnered with.

How do I go about doing this?

Anyone have any success running a amazon store?

Pros? Cons?

Other advice??
#amazon #store
  • Profile picture of the author amcg
    I'd look at using a hosted solution e.g Shopify or BigCommerce. The technology aspect is something you don't want to think about starting out i.e you need to manage inventory, shipping etc. With the above two platforms, you get everything you need to get started.

    (You can also still list your inventory on Ebay and Amazon too)
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  • Profile picture of the author Solid Commerce
    Originally Posted by AlohaSoldier89 View Post

    I wanna run my own ecommerce website. Selling products with companies that i have partnered with.

    How do I go about doing this?

    Anyone have any success running a amazon store?

    Pros? Cons?

    Other advice??
    How much programming experience? Also, what kind of site are you looking to build, and what kind of inventory do you plan on selling?

    If you don't mind my asking, of course.

    But all this information is going to hugely impact the way that you go about setting up and executing your site.
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  • Profile picture of the author Ashop Ryan
    Unless you're a programmer, I'd stay away from open source shopping carts like Magento, OpenCart, Zen Cart, osCommerce etc. Yes, you can do a lot with them, but you'll get lost unless you know how to code.

    Also, security is a big thing that a lot of people don't think about when choosing a shopping cart. If you host it yourself, you are responsible for security. Hackers love small self-hosted ecommerce sites.

    So with that in mind, you're better off with a hosted solution like Shopify or Bigcommerce.

    I'd also recommend you have a look at Ashop.me (launching soon). We have very similar functionality to Shopify or Bigcommerce, but we also have a marketplace where you can pick up some extra sales. And a free plan, where you pay no monthly fees and no listing fees.

    Having an Amazon or eBay store is a good place to start as well, but you'll have to pay listing fees, even if the product doesn't sell.
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  • Profile picture of the author AlohaSoldier89
    Can it be profitable?

    I was thinking of doing stuff that i like enjoy. Example bodybuilding and billiards. I have a couple accounts with really great distributors for health and fitness products that my cousin uses for his supplier for his retail store.
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    • Profile picture of the author Ashop Ryan
      Originally Posted by AlohaSoldier89 View Post

      Can it be profitable?

      I was thinking of doing stuff that i like enjoy. Example bodybuilding and billiards. I have a couple accounts with really great distributors for health and fitness products that my cousin uses for his supplier for his retail store.
      Of course. The most important thing is to test products first; don't go spending thousands on ordering stock unless you're sure you can sell it.

      There are a few ways to test:

      - Adwords
      - Listing on Ebay/Amazon/Etsy
      - Listing on Ashop.me

      Adwords you'll probably burn through more money, but you'll get meaningful data quickly. Plus you can test different copy + headline variations until you know what works - useful for writing product descriptions and doing SEO later.

      Amazon, Ebay & Etsy are all great marketplaces with significant volume, but they also charge listing fees. So be prepared to spend some money and wait a while.

      Try Ashop.me. You'll be able to list your products for free, so it's perfect for testing, even if you just use it to create a shortlist of products that you then test via adwords/ebay/amazon etc.
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    • Profile picture of the author antis
      Originally Posted by AlohaSoldier89 View Post

      Can it be profitable?

      I was thinking of doing stuff that i like enjoy. Example bodybuilding and billiards. I have a couple accounts with really great distributors for health and fitness products that my cousin uses for his supplier for his retail store.
      I would rather sell something that will be profitable, but not what I enjoy... There are many bodybuilding websites and ecommerce shops that already have a very high ratings and it will be really hard to beat them. You will need to analyze your competitors, be different, offer something that other billiard and bodybuilding websites don't, which will be extremely hard. But of course, it's for you to decide
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  • Profile picture of the author AlohaSoldier89
    So what does it take to start, own and operate a sports nutrition ecommerce store?
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    • Profile picture of the author Solid Commerce
      Originally Posted by AlohaSoldier89 View Post

      So what does it take to start, own and operate a sports nutrition ecommerce store?
      First and foremost? A plan.

      I don't know that you're going to find an all-encompassing answer to that question here on this thread, or on any others. Not only because the answer to your question is a pretty complicated one, but also because it's something that takes a lot of work, trial, and error to figure out.

      What I would do is start writing things down and formulate a plan for yourself. What things are you going to need? What things do you already have? Like I mentioned in my previous post -- do you have programming experience? If not, how much can you afford to spend on that sort of thing?

      A lot of how you go about setting up your eCommerce store is going to depend on what you're capable of doing, both in terms of your budget and your own personal capabilities.

      Your online selling operation can be as complex or as simple as you want it to be. You can sell on marketplaces like eBay, Amazon, Half.com, and others...or you can sell on a webstore using Magent, Voluion, 3dcart, Bigcommerce, or another shopping cart solution. And that's just the beginning! Selling online is a lot of fun, but it's definitely going to be something of a labor of love while you're just getting started.

      Hope this helps!
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  • Profile picture of the author Stuart Macfarlane
    Generally speaking you will do longer and better business if you are passionate about what you are selling.
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    • Profile picture of the author antis
      Originally Posted by Stuart Macfarlane View Post

      Generally speaking you will do longer and better business if you are passionate about what you are selling.
      What if my passion is yu gi oh cards? Will you find anyone that will buy these things from me? Passion doesn't matter at all. Of course, at the beginning it will be hard when you don't know anything about your product, but when you increase your knowledge and start making a lot of sales, you can become passionate about anything
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