If you have plans of selling online, eCommerce offers you a host of opportunities, provided you have a stable internet connection. This is probably one of the simplest ways of making money online and it is also fairly easy to get started. 

How do you start selling online?

You will need to make sure that the online business you are investing in is right for you. While working from home may seem like an attractive decision, you must be aware of the pros and cons before you quit your day job or invest all your savings in your business idea. 

If you have bought or sold anything online before, you probably understand how it works and this will make e-commerce businesses easier to understand. 

Pros

Decide what you are passionate about, whether it is fly fishing; baking, refurbishing furniture, the possibilities are endless. When you start selling online, you can turn your hobbies into a steady flow of income. You don’t have to invest lots of money to get started and you will not have to worry about buying or leasing a building. 

Cons

Everything has pros and cons to it and it is important for you to be aware of the cons before getting into anything. Starting an online business takes time and it may take you a few months before you see a consistent flow of income. There are so many online businesses and you will naturally have competition no matter which business you choose. With an online business, you will wear all the hats, from business owner, to accountant to marketer, web designer, and everything in between. 

You will have to do lots of work, like shipping products, ordering stock and dealing with customer related issues. You must have the time and put in the effort, until you are able to hire staff. 

Choosing an eCommerce Business Model

There are many different business models that you need to consider before you begin selling anything online. You will have to think carefully and decide which model is best for you as each one requires different levels of financial investment and will play an important part in how your business is structured. 

1. Dropshipping: this may be a good idea since the barrier to entry is slow. You will not need to make any investment to get started and won’t need to pay anything until you make a sale. You just need to decide on what you want to sell and find a supplier that provides dropshipping services. This is how it works:

A customer buys something on your site at retail price

You place an order for the stock at wholesale price

Your supplier packages and sends the product directly to your customer

How to source manufacturers

Finding the products you want to sell from a manufacturer is similar to sourcing a wholesaler. The difference is that you can work closely with your manufacturer to create the product you want and even have your own label on it. The investment is slightly more as you are creating something new however; if you want to build your own brand then this is the ideal solution for you. 

Making your own products

If you are a creative person and you have a unique skill that you would like to share, you can make your own products and sell them online. This can be anything from crocheting, building furniture or even sewing unique clothing. You can begin selling while you continue to do other stuff as well and can thereafter focus on your business solely once it takes off and you are happy with the revenue every month. 

There are a few items that are selling very well online at the moment:

• Building blocks 
• Home Decor
• Pet Supplies
• Baby Supplies
• All things coffee

If you want to succeed in this industry, you need to have:

• A serious buyer mentality
• Clear, concise communication
• Good manners
• Long-term customers
• Low-risk relationships

These things can only be achieved by doing research and building good relationships with potential suppliers. 

A few other things to consider:

• You will need to choose a business name
• You will also have to register your business
• Applying for a Sales Tax ID 
• Set up payment options for your store

You will also need to decide which platform you will sell on: Shopify, Amazon and eBay are a few examples of platforms to consider.