Owning an Online Store

19th May 2008

My sewing projects have taken a back seat lately for several reasons. The first is that I was away for almost a week and was unable to take any of my projects with me. The second reason is that I just haven’t felt well lately, the doctor’s office is telling me I appear to have a sinus infection which is causing my severe and constant headache and causing me to feel tired all the time. The most I’ve really felt like doing lately is surfing blogs and even that seems to have been going in slow motion as of late.

One thing that has caught my eye though as I’ve been reading other blogs is the number of bloggers who also have online shops to sell their handi-crafts. There are so many different types of crafts, but the most common seem to be jewelry and fabric bags, similiar to what I make. I recently noticed one online shop in particular that seemed to be self hosted, in other words, it was not set up via a hugely popular auction site, nor was it through a rather large hand crafted shopping site. It seemed that this particular blogger had found a way to set up a private, nice looking shop for her fabric bags (or was it jewelry) and cut out the middleman. I’m definitely interested in finding out how this works.

Obviously, whether you’re setting up a blog or any other kind of website, such as a shop, the first thing to get is web hosting. Linux web hosting for example, is compatible with PHP programming and can be very economical. Plus, Linux has a better level of security than hosting offered through Windows based hosting programs.

It’s really a lot to think about and I think I would personally feel more comfortable if I had someone with web knowledge to assist me in this area. The internet can be intimidating and I would want to create a shop that is well designed and one that customers would feel secure buying from. Whatever I do, I’ve got a lot to learn!

This entry was posted on Monday, May 19th, 2008 at 10:21 pm and is filed under a little bit of everything. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

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May 2008

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1 On May 20th, 2008, Forest Parks said:

It really isn’t too hard to do such things these days.

You can find store packages on most web hosts sites or just buy some space and create our store items with paypal cart or get some other free or low cost cart software.

If you are really that interested, I can look into it a little more for you and I could use it as a subject to write a post on. Let me know….

Forest Parks’s last blog post..Want to earn from affiliate marketing? Learn with me…

posted on May 20th, 2008 at 8:43 am

2 On May 20th, 2008, Jeannine said:

I have set up my own website, it was a struggle at first but it did get easier, it did cost for hosting and a domain name. I have a jewelry site and there is a lot out there. I wish you luck.

Jeannine’s last blog post..In the midst of unproductiveness

posted on May 20th, 2008 at 10:01 am

3 On May 20th, 2008, Chris said:

ah, I hope you feel better soon. XO. I think my sis uses Linex, I have heard they are pretty good. Take Care.

Chris’s last blog post..Cake

posted on May 20th, 2008 at 1:39 pm

4 On May 20th, 2008, Caroline said:

Setting up your own online store is very easy.

You can purchase premade templates from a website designer for under $100. Here is the link to the designer I use

http://www.hipchickwebdesign.com/

You need to purchase your domain name and maintain that name annually.

You also need to use a WAHM shoppe hosting service for your shopping cart.

http://wahmhosting.com/

Once your website designer has your site up and running, all you have to do is stock it and off you go!

Good luck!

Caroline

posted on May 20th, 2008 at 10:24 pm

5 On May 21st, 2008, lynne said:

Thanks Ian – I’m waiting for my allergies and sinuses to heal and get off all this medication I’m on so I can once again think clearly before delving into anything as important as opening my own shop. I’m looking forward to it though and will keep you in mind for help and assistance as I’m a techno clueless most of the time!

posted on May 21st, 2008 at 1:19 pm

6 On May 21st, 2008, lynne said:

Jeannine – Thanks for the support! It’s a little nerve racking going out on this venture, but I’m just about ready to take the plunge. I love that blogging has enabled me to meet so many people who’ve all ready done it and can give me advice, it makes it a little less scary!

posted on May 21st, 2008 at 1:23 pm

7 On May 21st, 2008, lynne said:

Thanks Chris – I can’t believe that with all the medication I’m now on that I’m still having this headache, if I can get that stopped I’m going to feel much better!

posted on May 21st, 2008 at 1:28 pm

8 On May 21st, 2008, lynne said:

Caroline – Thank you very much for the great information! I love the bags you make by the way and have been admiring your blog and your website since discovering them through EC a couple of weeks ago. I see that you live in Allen which I found interesting because I do too! We moved here last year from the Chicago area. Maybe you’d like to meet for coffee some time?
Thanks again!
Lynne

posted on May 21st, 2008 at 1:34 pm

9 On May 21st, 2008, Jeannine said:

Lynne, it sounds like you will have lots of help once you start with your estore, if I can help in any way I will, just call! The aquamarine is my birthstone as well. I don’t have much of it on either of my sites. My jewelry website has a link from my blog as well. I have not been putting much up lately, with my blog and the other sites I am working on time seems short. I am glad you liked the earrings its always nice to hear compliments from other very talented people. I wish you much success.
Jeannine

Jeannine’s last blog post..In the midst of unproductiveness

posted on May 21st, 2008 at 3:07 pm

10 On May 21st, 2008, Jennifer Robin said:

This is something I’ve been toying with too (not sewing though!)
I have a friend who is a web developer, but even so, it is still daunting. I look forward to following your progress with the idea!

posted on May 21st, 2008 at 3:29 pm

11 On May 22nd, 2008, lynne said:

Jeannine – I loved the earrings on your blog, the aquamarine. I didn’t see those on your jewelry site, are you selling them?
Thanks for the offer of help, I may just take you up on that. I know where I want to end up, I just don’t know how to get started. Such as, do I need a business license?

posted on May 22nd, 2008 at 9:41 am

12 On May 22nd, 2008, lynne said:

Jennifer – I know, it’s scary but exciting at the same time. I just wish I had someone to guide me through the process, especially since I feel clueless about the whole thing!

posted on May 22nd, 2008 at 9:49 am