 | | | Author: | | SurprisedReader (---.ipt.aol.com) | | | Date: | | 29.10.07 | |
Jacob Santos Says:
March 28th, 2007 at 9:33 am
I’m sorry, I don’t know of many “all-in-one” products you can just buy and go with. The resources, I was referring to are template sites, which you can spend less than 100 USD and be able to edit the template all that you want or keep it as it is and add your content (you would have to know some HTML or use a What you See is what you get Editors that supports such templates: Dreamweaver is pretty cheap or cheaper than the amount they want!).
The part that got me was the hosting. You can get a way better deal elsewhere, actually anywhere else than StoresOnline. Dreamhost is fairly decent, which I use, some problems from time to time but a matches my needs. Hell, Dreamhost has one click installs, so you can use the panel to “install” the software where you want it and then configure it yourself (which might require more than some technical skills or at least research and the ability to follow directions). One of the offered packages does give you a shopping cart site which allows you to list your products and even change the template.
There are other hosting sites (GoDaddy (would advise against using them, but just because it doesn’t match my requirements) or Yahoo!) that give you a “package” which allow you host a few pages for your business, but I can’t find the source so I can’t say if they also offer shopping carts also. It requires some research and a budget depending on how much you know and how much you are willing to pay for not knowing.
I’m not saying that StoresOnline is a scam, because they aren’t doing anything illegal (marketing hype and overpricing not included). Only that their targeted audience is extremely small and they do nothing for themselves by overcharging and trying to hype the product that isn’t for everyone.
It is extremely difficult to maintain and make a profit in business, even more difficult for online businesses. You really need a product that is hard to find and/or commonly desired. It is also difficult to gain consumer confidence that your company isn’t itself a scam and will actually provide a quality product they were expecting.
That is to say that there is a market for StoresOnline, but for most people they don’t need them. For those who don’t know anything about the Internet or building web sites, services such as StoresOnline would be beneficial, however further research should bring up more reputable companies at cheaper prices.
Also know that if you need help, there are people who will either help for free (forums, IRC, friends and family members) or a nominal fee compared to StoresOnline, depending on how much you want done. Buy the Template, buy the hosting, buy the domain name, and research on how to work them together. The more you do yourself and research yourself, the less chance you’ll walk into a deep (financial) hole. If you don’t want to learn HTML, then there are a number of independent web developers who will charge a decent and fair price for setting up your site for you.
The number of alternatives to StoresOnline is probably why they charge so much, but also given the alternatives and given what I know, I can justify the statement that they are overpriced.
Bottom Line: If you want to start a business and be successful, you need to work your ass off, even if and after you pay a premium to another company to get you started.
Another tip: You don’t even need a web site starting out! Sell your product at bidding sites and multiple ones at that. Amazon, ebay, etc will get you started and let you know if your product is even worth paying for your own site.
You will probably need an online “presence” at the very least. Which is to say, that you have a web site that has your company name, who you are, where you are, how to contact you, and what you sell. Nothing more than 5 to 10 pages is all you need.
After that, use multiple bidding sites, until you make enough each month to either pay for a custom site and hire help.
The nice advantage to using bidding sites is that they do establish trust with protections (paypal, credit card fraud protection, brick and mortar bank fraud protection, etc). Since they aren’t paying cash, the customer is protected more and will be more willing to buy your product than at your own site. Also, there will be review features, which allow others to say how well, and also how awful you were. Do realize that there will be a certain percentage that you will never satisfied and a certain precentage that will always be satisfied. If you get a high enough rating, then you’re set to go.
Customer relations is also a huge deal when establishing a business. Do not try to become StoresOnline, honest and fair can make your business successful. |
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