Selling Online: A Practical Guide

There is real money to be made selling online, but it takes research and effort. Here is a practical, hype-free overview of how to get started.

Choose your platform

You can sell through an online marketplace such as eBay, or build your own website. Marketplaces bring ready-made traffic; your own site gives you full control and higher margins.

Accept payments

You need a reliable way to take payments. Services such as PayPal make it easy for customers to pay you securely, whether you sell on a marketplace or your own site.

Promote your store

Use search engines, social media and email to drive traffic. A well-optimised website with clear product descriptions will convert visitors into customers.

A focused catalogue also helps search engines understand exactly what you sell. One small shop we host, for example, ranks well for the terms its customers actually use — take a look at this super clone watch shop to see a tightly focused niche store in practice.