E-commerce Tips & Tricks?

[kirsten.cherry]

Out of the 2,400 (and counting) people who are using this community, I know there are many out there who have been successful with an e-commerce business. Let’s make this the thread of all e-commerce wisdom.

If you had or have a successful e-commerce business, please answer the following questions to make it easy for all readers to find the answers they are looking for. (Just copy & paste and fill in with your answers):

1. Why did you start your e-commerce business?

2. What website do you use to sell your products?

3. How did you build your sales? Specific marketing tips?

4. What did you wish you knew before starting this business? What would you do differently?

5. What is one piece of advice you would give to someone who is just starting out or wants to start an e-commerce business?

[mooreincome]

I wouldn’t say that I run a successful e-commerce business but I do have a lot of experience in the e-commerce world and it is a topic that I am constantly studying.

The first online business venture I did involved dropshipping products from suppliers in the US and selling them on eBay.

When I started, I was only 15 and had to use my parents accounts but I was able to earn a decent side income selling products that I never had to touch. We also were living in Nicaragua, Central America at the time so it was a great way to earn money since the average hourly wage for a job in that country was a couple bucks an hour. (I earned $3 an hour as an English teacher when I was 17)

Of course, there were lots of roadblocks that I had to overcome, especially when I tried selling products from suppliers in China. Every now and then there would be a problem with an order so I had to deal with the customer, but that taught me a lot about customer service.

• My primary reason for getting into dropshipping was to earn some extra money.

• The site I primarily sell on is eBay. I have experimented with other marketplaces but eBay has been the best one for me.

• My sales came mostly just from eBay doing most of the selling. I did do some social media promotion but never really got in-depth enough to do my own marketing.

• I wish someone had encouraged me to stick with it. Looking back, if I wouldn’t have gotten lazy, I probably could be making a significant amount with it. As far as what I would do differently. I would not even have dealt with Chinese suppliers when just starting out. It just caused to many issues for me as a newbie and was part of the reason I got discouraged while doing dropshipping.

• My advice: start small, do your research, find something that works and then stick with that until you have learned it well enough to branch out. By being laser focused on one particular area of e-commerce, you will be much more successful long term.

Dropshipping is just one form of e-commerce, there is also retail arbitrage, buying and reselling and wholesaling to name a few. Find one that works for you and learn the ins and outs of it. If you spread yourself too thin you could become a “jack-of-all-trades and a master-of-none”

[deon.christie]

Kirsten Cherry posted:

Out of the 2,400 (and counting) people who are using this community, I know there are many out there who have been successful with an e-commerce business. Let’s make this the thread of all e-commerce wisdom.

If you had or have a successful e-commerce business, please answer the following questions to make it easy for all readers to find the answers they are looking for. (Just copy & paste and fill in with your answers):

1. Why did you start your e-commerce business?

2. What website do you use to sell your products?

3. How did you build your sales? Specific marketing tips?

4. What did you wish you knew before starting this business? What would you do differently?

5. What is one piece of advice you would give to someone who is just starting out or wants to start an e-commerce business?

And you’re quite right @kirsten.cherry. Many people have been successful online, but it does take a lot of time. It did for me I can assure you.

1. Why did you start your e-commerce business?

I have to go with pure curiosity. A single email sparked a curiosity into the logic of making money online. But I also have to admit I was looking for ways to supplement my income. The curiosity however is what kept me going.

2. What website do you use to sell your products?

I use my own blog and email list to sell products. But I also use YouTube among other means to drive traffic to my blog, list and affiliate offers. Clickbank is also a great way to launch and sell your own digital products. I also use Google Ads and Facebook Ads among other methods.

3. How did you build your sales? Specific marketing tips?

Mostly paid advertising with Google Ads and Facebook Ads. But also with SEO, both Blog and YouTube Videos. Joining high authority sites like Quora, Medium and of course Penny Hoarder. Because in order to build sales, you first have to build recognition. Which can only be done through offering value and useful content.

4. What did you wish you knew before starting this business? What would you do differently?

I wish I acknowledged the fact that it’s all about tiny objective steps in the right direction. I would’ve done a much better job with strategic keyword placement. My biggest challenge was choosing a niche I knew absolutely nothing about. Luckily for me, nothing that research and hard work cannot remedy.

5. What is one piece of advice you would give to someone who is just starting out or wants to start an e-commerce business?

Accept the fact that you will spend money, and in many cases even lose money. What you put in is what you get out, it really is as simple as that. An e-commerce business is not a quick way out of financial hardship. Quite the contrary. Because it’s a long term investment in yourself.

Realize your worth and trust your ability. So you no longer confuse failure with defeat. Failure is just opportunity in disguise.

[deon.christie]

Moore Income posted:

I wouldn’t say that I run a successful e-commerce business but I do have a lot of experience in the e-commerce world and it is a topic that I am constantly studying.

The first online business venture I did involved dropshipping products from suppliers in the US and selling them on eBay.

When I started, I was only 15 and had to use my parents accounts but I was able to earn a decent side income selling products that I never had to touch. We also were living in Nicaragua, Central America at the time so it was a great way to earn money since the average hourly wage for a job in that country was a couple bucks an hour. (I earned $3 an hour as an English teacher when I was 17)

Of course, there were lots of roadblocks that I had to overcome, especially when I tried selling products from suppliers in China. Every now and then there would be a problem with an order so I had to deal with the customer, but that taught me a lot about customer service.

• My primary reason for getting into dropshipping was to earn some extra money.

• The site I primarily sell on is eBay. I have experimented with other marketplaces but eBay has been the best one for me.

• My sales came mostly just from eBay doing most of the selling. I did do some social media promotion but never really got in-depth enough to do my own marketing.

• I wish someone had encouraged me to stick with it. Looking back, if I wouldn’t have gotten lazy, I probably could be making a significant amount with it. As far as what I would do differently. I would not even have dealt with Chinese suppliers when just starting out. It just caused to many issues for me as a newbie and was part of the reason I got discouraged while doing dropshipping.

• My advice: start small, do your research, find something that works and then stick with that until you have learned it well enough to branch out. By being laser focused on one particular area of e-commerce, you will be much more successful long term.

Dropshipping is just one form of e-commerce, there is also retail arbitrage, buying and reselling and wholesaling to name a few. Find one that works for you and learn the ins and outs of it. If you spread yourself too thin you could become a “jack-of-all-trades and a master-of-none”

Couldn’t agree more @moore.income. Start small and do your research. Stick with what works and focus on one method at a time. I believe creating an online income is all about how much knowledge you have. Which determines the quality of your content and ultimately conversion.