I want to show you how you can start a simple business online. Before we get down to business, let me ‘manage your expectations’. You can start a business. It will be online (internet based). You will put a product for sale online and when a purchase is made, you will receive payment and fulfill the order by sending the product to the buyer. That is a simple online business. If you’re already doing it (I don’t just know how to do it), please skip to a better question. We can address other questions related to an online business, but for now, let’s start a simple online business and don’t get distracted by the many questions you now have.
Your mission, if you accept it, is to put a product up for sale on eBay. Before you protest, take this as your first online business. By the end of the exercise, you will have gathered and assembled the basic tools needed for an online business and will have the basics to improve or create new businesses on other platforms.
You will need a place to host or set up your store and in our case we will be using eBay. You will also need a way to get paid for the sales you make and for this you will need a PayPal account. Signing up for both is easy and free. When you’ve completed these registrations, you’ll be able to buy anything listed on eBay and pay for most online purchases, including eBay purchases, with your PayPal account.
These accounts will allow you to take the next step which is to sell on eBay and receive funds for these sales through PayPal.
Step 1 – Create an eBay account.
An eBay account allows you to make purchases on eBay and list products for sale on eBay. To open an eBay account, simply go to the eBay home page and follow the instructions there. You’ll see the sign up link near the top of the page that says “Welcome! Sign in or sign up.” Click “sign up” and make your request for your eBay account.
In addition to the required personal data, you will need a username. Choose a username that is generic (i.e. not too specific) carefully, one that is short and unique, one that allows you to list just about anything. Please do this first before completing the rest of the form. Try EZ2.TRADE.UK (for example) to start with and it will soon have you down.
Congratulations, you are now able to list and sell on eBay.
Step 2: Create a PayPal account.
A PayPal account allows you to make payments wherever PayPal is accepted. You can also accept payment from anyone as long as they have a credit card or PayPal account. To sign up for a PayPal account, you will need to have a credit card to facilitate the payment between you and your PayPal account.
Sign up online at PayPal. Choose an account type that allows you to sell online and get paid. Having a PayPal account is free, you only pay a fee when you receive payments. You will need to graduate to a premium or business account to receive funds online, do whatever it takes to get to this level. It’s all free, PayPal charges you only when you receive funds.
Step 3 – Sell an item on your newly created eBay account.
You can now list your own product on your eBay store. You can also duplicate any product on eBay that you are willing to sell. At this stage, the goal is to create your online trading machine with at least one product listed.
For a ready-to-use product, visit the ez2.trade eBay store listed on eBay Singapore (ie eBay.com.sg). Once you know the username of the store owner (in this case, ez2.trade), you can locate the store by adding the username to the URL shop.ebay.com.sg/merchant/USER_NAME.
The pH test strips at ez2.trade are an easy-to-ship product suitable for the eBay marketplace. If you make a sale using this listing, simply purchase the test strip at the store and have the owner ship the product to your buyer. If you are posting your own product, choose an item that is lightweight (for example, up to 300g) and easy to send through the postal service
Note: While you can list on eBay at little or no cost, there is a fee from PayPal who will charge a fixed cost and a percentage of the transaction amount. Be sure to factor this into your costs.
You now have a simple online business. If you are doing a ph paper listing sale, simply buy the same item on ez2.trade and provide the buyer’s address for drop shipping.
This is just a simple start, but now you have an online business and with your learning curve beginning, you will begin to see new possibilities in simple online businesses.