As a site designer myself, I realize how much time and effort goes

into registering, setting up, and designing a site; not to mention the

creation of content and seamless navigation. But it is unbelievable

how complicated and expensive this process has become!

Let's face it, very few entrepreneurs and small businesses can afford

to spend hundreds of dollars to set up their dot-com presence without

knowing how successful it will be! We've seen the results of high

expectations and over spending with the demise of many well-known

companies as reported in the news recently.

It doesn't have to be this way!

Are you planning to sell products or services?

You do NOT necessarily need expensive shopping cart software or

merchant accounts to sell your products or services. You can begin

your online venture by setting up a few of your most popular items or

services that can be purchased online. Once a customer has made a

purchase, you can then follow up with details on how to purchase

additional items.

There are low cost ecommerce solutions that can help you start

conducting business online without breaking the bank.

First, determine exactly how sophisticated your ordering process needs

to be. Then decide which of the following options best suits your

business needs.

Option A - PayPal

Set up a Premier Account with PayPal. PayPal is a stable and secure

company that has been around long enough to establish a credible

reputation. I can personally vouch for them, I use them consistently.

Benefits:

Doing Business As:

You have the option of using a business name or your personal name,

regardless of how your bank account is registered.

Low Cost:

There are no monthly fees and no set up fees. That’s right - it’s

free.

A small fee is with-held each time a transaction (purchase) is

processed.

Hassle Free

They process all orders and notify you when payment is received.

Referral Bonus

You can earn a small cash bonus for qualified referrals you send to

PayPal.

Features:

Shopping

Cart

Premium members can set up a shopping cart that links directly from

their site to PayPal.

Send an Invoice

If your services or product prices vary, you can send customers an

invoice from PayPal once the purchase price has been established.

Option B - eBay

Consider selling your products or services through eBay. You can

accept checks and money orders by postal mail, or you can accept

credit cards and checks using PayPal, or eBay’s version of PayPal -

BillPoint. You can provide links to your site with each item you

list for auction. You can also set up a reserve amount - the least

dollar amount you will accept for your service or product.

Ebay also offers an affiliate program.

Option C - ClickBank

Sign up as a merchant with ClickBank.net. There are some fees

involved, plus you have to determine what percentage of each sale that

you will allow the referring site to earn. Affiliates with ClickBank

can choose merchants they like (higher commission percentages do

better) and then place links on their sites. There is a setup fee for

merchants, but you'll also be providing your site a great deal of

exposure. Plus, ClickBank allows you to accept credit cards and other

methods of payment. You'll be setting up your own affiliate program!

ClickBank also offers an affiliate program:

http://zzz.clickbank.net/r/?abelle

Option D - Find a Host that provides Shopping Carts

Many hosting packages are set up with shopping carts with a buy

feature. Do your homework. Check on the setup fees and the monthly

fees. Make sure it’s a reputable company so you aren’t worried about

your money transactions.

These are just some of the options that are available for setting up

shop without going broke. I'm sure that there are many more options

available - it just takes some net research.

About the Author

Sandra Cobb is a work at home site designer and homeschooling Mom.

Visit her website for free resources at

http://www.designsbyabelle.com, and sign up for her monthly ezine -

Comets4Him at http://www.sandracobb.com.