How to Start Selling Online

It’s 2022 and if there’s one thing you can capitalize on, it is probably an online store. It is one of the easiest kinds of businesses you can start that do not need specialized skills and would not take you a very long time to set up. 

Selling online has definitely grown into a trend that most entrepreneurs venture in because of the strong and stable demands, especially over the past year. A lot of platforms have been developed along with many other technologies that make selling online a lot easier than it used to be. 

If you have done your research before reading this, you would know that today, setting up an online shop can be as easy as creating a social media profile. Marketplaces such as Trending Dealers help eliminate the need for the very technical aspects of selling online such as creating your own website and programming all of its functions to cater to your customers’ needs. 

Now that you are convinced and you have decided to start selling online, you probably have more questions to ask. If you do not know where to begin, here’s a quick guide to help you get started on selling online: 

• Create your shop

Creating your shop is as easy as pie. When you’ve found a platform like Trending Dealers to want to sell on, all you have to do next is to create a seller profile. 

In creating your shop’s profile, you have to think of it as opening a physical establishment too. What name will it have? What vibe do you want to give your customers? These are all vital to the overall experience your future customers will have. 

Pick a name that would resonate with your branding, values, and promises and use the description to give your customers a little sneak peek of who you are. 

• Decide on the items you are going to sell

If you are an eager entrepreneur, you probably already have a thousand things you are thinking of the moment you create your shop. 

After you’ve completely set up shop, the next thing to do is to decide on what items you would be selling to get things going. You can decide on what items to sell before your shop is created too. 

Buyers love consistency and that’s why a lot of merchants select items that resonate with their branding. You can do this and stick to one kind of item or become a one-stop-shop for anything your customers might need. 

If you have no idea yet, you can also do a little bit of research on what kind of items sell the most and start from there.

• Gain access to the items you wish to sell

Be prepared and make sure you find suppliers for the items you plan to list on your online store. It is very important to know the rates, shipping timelines, and overall condition of your items before you completely launch your shop online.

One of the safest ways to do this is by looking at your immediate area for suppliers of the items you have taken interest in. Having them nearby will help you make sure that there are no delays in orders and that they are within reach if you ever need assistance with anything.

• Prepare your listings

As soon as you have covered the basics, you can begin preparing your listings by taking photos of your items for sale and writing great descriptions for them. 

Listed items with high-quality photos often sell out fast. Take clear photos of your items for sale. 

Ideally, you should be taking at least four photos of each item – a model shot, a flat lay, and some close ups so your customers would see the details. You do not necessarily need a professional photographer for this. Many sellers take their own photos using smartphone cameras and do them in broad daylight to make sure that their photos would come out well. 

Together with stunning photos, you should also prepare captions that will make your customers want to buy the items you are selling. 

Be honest with your items’ conditions, provide complete details, and tell your customers what makes it special. Do not forget to include any policies you have regarding shipping, returns, and refunds to make sure your customers know everything! 

• Take it to social media

Social media works wonders for all businesses. People spend so much time on them and if your business isn’t there, you could be missing out on so many opportunities.

Once you’ve created your shop, you will have a custom URL or link to it. You can choose to create separate social media profiles for your shop and put the link to your online shop as your store’s website, or simply share your shop link to your newsfeed so your friends can see it. 

These are the most important bases you need to cover so you can begin selling online. It is very important that you have these prepared as you launch your online store to make sure you do not run into problems that would affect your operations and your customers’ overall experience. There are other things you have to prepare too, such as the account where you want to receive your payments and your preferred courier for shipping, but that would come later after you’ve successfully launched your store. 

Ready to take your entrepreneurship skills to the next level? Click here to join Trending Dealers as a seller and make your shop available to a big community! 

If you want to know more about selling on Trending Dealers, read more about it here. You may also visit our support pages and FAQs for more information!