Archive for sell
3 Great Free E-Commerce Storefronts
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If you want to start your own virtual store out there on the Web, you don’t have to go through all the hard work of setting up a shopping cart, lining up shippers, processing credit cards and all those other headaches that are often involved with e-commerce. You could sign up with one of these free online storefronts instead. While they might take a cut of the profits, in the long term – they might also save you money too.
Cafe Press
Now Cafe Press is probably the one service I am the most familiar with so I will start with it first. Back around Christmas time I used Cafe Press not to mass market my goods, but to instead create some simple Web Hosting Show swag to give away to friends and family members. At Cafe Press you can create your own posters, mugs, tote bags, t-shirts, hoodies, hats, bumper stickers and more. Then, to make a little money – you just hike up their basic price for the goods you are selling. Anything extra made (minus the costs of the goods) is yours to keep.
Zazzle
Like Cafe Press, Zazzle is another online service that lets you set up a free online store in a matter of minutes. All you have to do is upload your logos or images, decide what products you want to print them on, and then point people to the storefront URL. They too have a large assortment of products to slap your image on, and their shipping is a little ‘bit faster than Cafe Press too.
Lulu
Last, but not least I also wanted to mention Lulu. This service is a little different in comparison to Zazzle and Cafe Press due to the fact that it is more focused towards printed works, like books and calendars. You can set up the same free storefront interface, but Lulu gives you the tools you need to sell books, ebooks, calendars and photo books. Through Lulu, you can also distribute your book through place like Amazon, by getting an ISBN number. As soon as I get my next ebook done, I might very well be selling it through Lulu too.
All three of these services as great when it comes to giving you a unique way to sell your own goods and services online. No matter if you just want to put your logo on a t-shirt, or you want to publish that book you have been writing. If you have any more great online store tales or suggestions – be sure to leave them in the comments.
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How to Turn a Complaint into a Feature
Posted by: admin | Comments Comments OffYou do not have to drastically change the way you do business though. If you are successful in one area of business, do not toss it aside to do something else that is more popular. I got a question submitted to me the other day from Matt, which touches on this very topic.
Here is what Matt had to say:
How can a free host become successful?
People are always skeptical when it comes to getting something for nothing, so as long as you give free services – you’ll always have somebody out there dismissing your claims of success because they think you’re a fraud. Thankfully, they might also think we never landed on the moon or one of the muppets assassinated JFK. The fact of the matter is there will always be somebody out there to complain.
My question is, do you have to pick one business plan, free hosting versus paid hosting, or can you have your cake and eat it too? I would suggest you keep your free hosting in place, it sounds successful, and you have happy customers – which is something many web hosts, free or not, can not claim. As a secondary service, roll out a paid hosting solution that offers a few perks over the free version. It could be in features, support or anything else you feel like you could offer a little more of to the people willing to pay for it. Then, once that is in place, start marketing your new paid hosting service to those customers you do have, and let them know that it is an option you are providing for them.
Some might bite at the proverbial worm you are tossing out there, and others may say no thanks. Past that point you can sell your new paid hosting option to the masses using the free service as a way to get your foot in the door, as far as seeing how great your hosting setup is. You might even sell it as you are so confident they will enjoy their hosting with you, you are willing to give it away for free.
Thanks to Matt for the question, and to check out his web site – or maybe send some more suggestions his way, be sure to check out ismywebsite.com.
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