Whether you’re interested in selling products you’ve made yourself, those you’re importing, or products that you have lying around at home gathering dust, the internet is the place to do it. The world of online retail continues to boom in 2022, thanks to the ready availability of delivery services and the pandemic shifting us all to a more digital way of life. 

With that said, then, it’s worth understanding the steps you’ll have to take in order to sell products online. This guide explains each of them in turn. 

Platform

You need a platform to sell your products on. There are several options here, from going it alone on websites like eBay or Etsy, through to creating your very own website that’ll host your products for you. You might also choose to work with the likes of Shopify or Amazon – both of which offer in-depth assistance to new businesses looking to get set up on their e-commerce platforms. What’s important is that the option you choose is effective in hosting product photos and descriptions, and bringing in web users who you’ll convert into customers. 

Conversion

Whether a consumer comes across your products on Amazon or on your own dedicated website, there’s no guarantee that they’ll actually buy. That’s because online shoppers are a savvy bunch, and they’re typically incentivized to search for the very best deals online. They’re looking for quality but also a competitive price point, and if they feel you fail to deliver on either criteria they’ll look elsewhere. This means that one of the first things you’ll need to do once your products are hosted online is work out a competitive pricing structure, and a series of discounts, offers and vouchers. These are designed to convert more website visitors or product viewers into customers. 

Delivery 

You’ll want to make sure you have a delivery system in place that gets your products to the homes of customers as soon as possible and as cheaply as possible. If you’re selling smaller items, you’ll find that a local courier service might be your best bet at consistently meeting ambitious delivery times; but if you’re selling larger, higher-value products, using a Shiply load board will be your best option. Through the load board, you tender an assignment and wait for the platform to send you the cheapest deal offered by a delivery company. It’s simple, quick, and links you to the cheapest provider.

Payments

If you’re hosting your products on the likes of eBay or Amazon, you’ll not have to worry about payments processing – these e-commerce giants handle it for you. However, if you’re setting up on your own dedicated web store, then you’re going to need to find a way to help customers spend money with your store. Here, consider partnering with payment service providers who accept a number of different payment methods. The more options you present customers – including PayPal and even cryptocurrency – the more likely they are to hit the checkout button. 

Take these 4 fundamental steps in order to start making cash from products that you’re selling online.