STARTUP HELP: Mals, Paypal, 2checkout, whoever???

[MizSeeker]

OK - I am obsessed with being dumb. I know how to design sites on a basic level, design databases on a basic level, have no clue about eCommerce programs (how they work - how they would work with futurequest- sql - etc) PAST the most basic level, or the payment options, etc. I am putting out a call for feedback from here. - I've gotten some good leads from people before on info and am trying again.

I have been told I should do a site with some flea market/festival products I've sold (hundreds of products - minimal profit margin) and I am trying to develop a site concept for someone that wants to do an collectors site and doesn't know if there is anyway to make money on it. Both sites could do some direct product sales ( I have products) but would probably be best if they could also have the capability to store links to outside sites (affliate options). Both have NO play budget. (basically futurequest and the domain names are my play/hobby budget) And - of course - there is that nasty time factor working fulltime+ on the PAYING job.

I need a cheap easy option to build a database of products (I have silver acct and option for SQL here) but then stall on how to access it and turn it into an ecommerce site. I just spent a fullday in an e-commerce class that told me not to do ANYTHING without a lawyer and accountant and scared the fire out of me about copyright laws and international sales but had nothing to do with programming. It was useful but not the way I wanted. When I tried to talk to the instructor about small businesses, startups, etc., she was VERY clear that she doesn't mess with them. 'No money - not worth my time" I slunk away.

I need DESPERATELY tutorials or info that can help explain things to this overloaded slow mind. I've downloaded demos - joined Mals and have Paypal acct to test but don't know enough to setup to TEST it. I can test the demos on look and feel but don't know how to evaulate on worth - the review sites I've looked at seem to refer ones that give commissions to them. I can just see myself paying for something and losing the farm on something geared for middle and larger businesses or just not trustworthy. Is there anyone who I can bend an ear or two (or eye as the case may be) about what we're trying to do and their experiences with small sites????

Thanks you very much.

Martha

[Wassercrats]

I have been told I should do a site with some flea market/festival products I've sold (hundreds of products - minimal profit margin)For low cost items, I'd suggest digibuy (http://digibuy.com). They have a 13.9% order processing fee ($3.00 is the minimum per month, if you want your check, I think. The slightly unclear details are on their site), and I don't think there is a per-sale flat fee. I think they've been mentioned once on FutureQuest, and received a good review. But PayPal is inexpensive too. Can't help with the rest though.

[Syneryder]

I just spent a fullday in an e-commerce class that told me not to do ANYTHING without a lawyer and accountant and scared the fire out of me about copyright laws and international sales*sigh* That is, sadly, quite good advice. There are some who say lawyers and accountants are too expensive and not worth it - and that's probably true too - but it's like insurance. It's all too expensive until the one time when it saves your bacon. So if anyone has any advice on how best to find/choose a lawyer and an accountant, I'd be very interested, and perhaps it will help Martha too.



This may not be quite what you're after, but you could take a look at Kagi (http://www.kagi.com/). They have no monthly charge or setup fee, they handle the credit cards / secure certificates / most of the fraud checking etc, so it's great for startups - basically you can use them for free. They take 10% "commission" on each order - much less (5% + $5 USD) if the order is over $100, and somewhat more if it's under $25. They also have their own shopping cart system now, so if you're looking for a low/zero cost way of starting up it might be ideal. However, their system doesn't "scale" well, if you really want to put *hundreds* of products online you may find it becomes an administrative mess. Perhaps you'd like to experiment for a while with a few products at first, to see if you can make it work out before investing more into your business. A Paypal / eBay combination might be more appropriate for your business.

The one thing in your message that does raise my alarm bells, Martha, is "minimal profit margin". I think you need to have a decent profit margin for an internet business to work out. That's probably the biggest lesson I've learnt from experience. Don't expect that you can make the money up by selling in huge volumes, otherwise your profits may be wiped out by fraud/chargeback fees, and the support time required for hundreds of orders might burn you out. Only my opinion - please don't let it discourage you. Just make sure you're getting paid what you & your products are worth!

I hope this helps - let us know how it works out and keep asking us questions as you go!

[Randall]

Originally posted by Syneryder:
There are some who say ... accountants are too expensive and not worth it Hey now -- I depend on an accountant for the better part of my livelihood, so don't be giving people ideas. ;)

Randall

[Andilinks]

Kohan writes.A Paypal / eBay combination might be more appropriate for your business. Exactly what I was thinking as I read through this thread.

The eBay merchant community has grown quite large, I think you should pose your questions there.

http://pages.ebay.com/community/index.html?ssPageName=h:h:over:US

It is possible to start small with very little risk there.

Andi

[MizSeeker]

Good points all - I told you I was dumb - never looked for community boards on eBay.

The high volume products I have are bumper stickers - I guess fairly respectable profit margin but it's the low price deal - it seems the higher volume of sales in festivals come from the cheap silly things and people have asked if I have website so they can refer them or get more - had too many for them to see (I have about 100-120 in person). The other items I had are type of books - not sure about them yet. Honestly, I could probably make just as much money with both selling them online with affliate links - both of my main suppliers have programs through either Commisson Junction or Amazon, I think. But I was told at one point that I can't do affliate programs on eBay shops - not sure now or on PayPal shops. I started the festival/flea market tests to see if different things would sell and the bumper stickers did best. But the books did bettern if displayed differently and such.

The other program is in concept mode - much of it would probably be a referrel program also - commission sales - no way could they setup warehouse and ship out - they are investigating how and what they could do while I explore the tech end of it. It would be more of a collectors site linking people to various products in each area. My inclination is to setup a database of listings and let the code sort and display everything - easier to maintain and reference - I just need to learn HOW online.

I swear - it just seems like hobby ideas abound but no one here has the perfect high dollar - enormous profit - easy answer solution - I guess my brain isn't wired right - I like the small cheap stuff!

oooooook - off to read eBay boards and PayPal.

thanks everyone - I always appreciate the helpfulness I find here. Always welcome any and all suggestions!

Martha

[Andilinks]

how best to find/choose a lawyer... Well, I have small two bits of advice and one link.

1. Ask around and get personal recommendations and referrals, the more the better.

2. Do this before you really NEED a lawyer.

Here are a lot more ideas:

http://www.entrepreneur.com/Your_Business/YB_Node/0,4507,540,00.html

Andi

[Syneryder]

1. Ask around and get personal recommendations and referrals, the more the better.Heh, that's what I thought... so I tried that with some friends who are in business (in a similar field too) and for some reason they never replied to me. I mean, I know I'm not the most friendly-like person anymore, but that did surprise me....

I could try asking on the shareware newsgroups & Kagi list, but the shareware community seems to be kinda small here in Perth, and naturally recommendations from the US won't be helpful to me. We can claim Peter Lewis though (of Anarchie/Interarchy fame, wildly popular Mac FTP program), but I've always been a bit shy when it comes to sending unsolicited email to superstar-like peoples - maybe I should just bite the bullet and try asking him. Thanks for the Entrepreneur.com link Andi, that should give me a clue and a head start.


Okay, no more posts from me today. I'm saving my next post for when the clock ticks over to tomorrow, 12 hours from now....

[Andilinks]

I never said it would be easy. If you had a competent honest lawyer would you want someone else competing for her time? Or maybe they just didn't know any. But persistence pays off, don't give up.

The articles listed at the link I gave above will give you the right questions to ask. Everything else being equal begin interviewing lawyers based on geographical convenience. Most will give a first consultation free so if you go in with some question you get a freebee.

But the interview process itself will be instructive and will serve you well in any case, the better you prepare the more you will learn. If you stay in business eventually you'll need a lawyer, the best legal advice is preventative.

Ummm.. I'll repeat that. The best legal advice forsees and prevents problems before they occur. It is also possible to go too far with that--too much lawyering can kill a good deal.

Andi

[Randall]

Replace "lawyer" with "accountant" and most of the above still applies. For a really small business you may not need the help -- my father does his own taxes -- and a CPA seems almost quaint in the Age of QuickBooks. But if you're not sure about what you're doing you should at least talk to someone.

If nothing else, a forward-looking accountant can make sure you're setting up the software properly...

http://www.entrepreneur.com/Your_Business/YB_Node/0,4507,407,00.html

Randall

[MizSeeker]

OK this sounded bad - what I meant to say is me and my friends all seem to have small business ideas that don't fit a high profit - easy implementation model. It wasn't anyone on the boards that I was refering to - just the dreamers where I live.

thanks!

Martha


Originally posted by MizSeeker:

I swear - it just seems like hobby ideas abound but no one here has the perfect high dollar - enormous profit - easy answer solution - I guess my brain isn't wired right - I like the small cheap stuff!

thanks everyone - I always appreciate the helpfulness I find here. Always welcome any and all suggestions!

Martha