I am in the process of setting up my own
t-shirt business and would like a little bit of advice if I may.
I would like to eventually set up a web page and online store to sell my t-shirt designs and wanted to know how I would go about this?
Is this going to be something that I can do myself or will I need to get a pro to help me? I don't really want to spend too much money so was I hoping that this might be something that I would be able to do myself.
I read online that there are free website hosting services but I would really like to have my own website.
Any info or advice that anyone could offer would be so greatly appreciated.
Re: Can I set up my own web page and online store?
You can get a website happening no worries at all for FREE to cheap.
A online store with checkout is what costs the money.
My website was done by my father for CHEAP CHEAP if you want a website like mine with shopping cart let me know and I can point you in the right direction.
D
__________________ www.littlemonstas.biz
Baby & Kids clothing for your Little Monsta
Re: Can I set up my own web page and online store?
If you have the knowledege to build a website then sure you can do it yourself.
Quote:
I read online that there are free website hosting services but I would really like to have my own website.
This comment leads me to believe that you may not understand how websites work as you will need a hosting company to get your site online.
Use the search feature at the top of the page and check out the ecommerce design section on the main page. This will give you plenty of information on the subject and only you will no if you are capable of doing it yourself.
Re: Can I set up my own web page and online store?
Aussiegirl2009,
I assume you are in Austrailia? If Paypal is as big over there as it is over here in North America I would suggest setting up an account with them. I think you must be a business, premier or premium member to be able to accpet credit cards. Once you have an account setup, you can create Buy it Now or Add to Cart buttons through Paypal. All the transactions will be done on their secure server so your buyers have 'a peace of mind' that they are in a safe buying environment.
Good luck,
Andy
__________________ www.throwinbombs.com
"...an expression of athletic aggression."
Re: Can I set up my own web page and online store?
Thanks guys for all this helpful info.
Your right tiger24 I'm from Sydney Australia.
I do know that I will need a hosting company to start my web page but I had read alot of cons from various sites and people who had used these free services and alot had quite a few start up problems and mentioned that you don't have too much control over certain aspects of it. Is this true?
I am hoping to make things as easy, reasonably inexpensive and as uncomplicated as possible. Is using a free web hosting service the the way to go when starting up? And if so can you guys recommend any good, simple ones that stand out.
I am a paypal customer already and it is pretty popular over here as well. If the customer doesn't have paypal I have to make sure that there are other payment options accepted so that I do not loose their business.
Also monsta imports I just had a look at your site and it's very cute. I like the simple, straight forward set up as it is easy to navigate through, which is defintely what I want - easy, easy easy with very minimal problems.
Thanks again guys, you have been very welcoming to a newbie.
Re: Can I set up my own web page and online store?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Aussiegirl2009
I do know that I will need a hosting company to start my web page but I had read alot of cons from various sites and people who had used these free services and alot had quite a few start up problems and mentioned that you don't have too much control over certain aspects of it. Is this true?
I have never used a free hosting company but from what I have read it is not a great idea. They will post a bunch of advertisements on your site and you can not control it. I personally do not want anything interfering with potential customers. The hosting company I use is Godaddy.com, and 1and1.com. They both do what they say they will do as I have no complaints. I am not very savy at building websites so I use professional help but when starting out there are several instant do it yourself shops that wil get you going quickly.
For example.....Bigcartel.com, Ecrater.com, Etsy.com, Shopify.com, instantecommerce.com,
These are just a few and they will get you online in a hurry.
If you have any web building experience then open source is always better because it is free. Joomla, zencart, cubecart, magento, opencart, agora, and so on and so on. If not then designers will set up the free carts for you for a small fee.
Re: Can I set up my own web page and online store?
A friend of mine also suggested godaddy. I have been reading alot of the posts on here which are so so helpful and full of so much great information.
I came across one thread that said you should not have your domain name and web hosting with the same company - even after reading the replies I am still not really sure why this is? Can anyone clarify this a little more for me please?
Re: Can I set up my own web page and online store?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Aussiegirl2009
I came across one thread that said you should not have your domain name and web hosting with the same company - even after reading the replies I am still not really sure why this is?
Some companies are extremely unethical and can't be trusted. Precedent on the internet has shown that sometimes these companies seemed perfectly reputable at first, and went bad later.
There are two main reasons people recommend keeping them separate.
One, an independent domain registrar is theoretically more independent and accountable than a typical registrar that is attached to a hosting company. In the past there have been registrars that have gone bankrupt, and getting your domain name off them (remembering names are more leased than purchased) can be difficult.
Two, if your host is also your registrar, they can hold your domain name hostage if you want to move your hosting to a different company.
Personally I feel these risks are overstated. They're not common problems, and if you do your homework on hosting you can minimise the risk of being with a bad host. Sometimes the host isn't even doing anything wrong - it's just a misunderstanding on the part of the client (it's quite common to provide a free domain registration with hosting - if you want to stop hosting you will need to pay the registration fee, which with any reputable host is the standard nominal $10USD or so - sometimes people try and make a lot more of that than what it is).
However, there's no denying that these events have played out a number of times in the past and are likely to again in the future (in my opinion, with decreasing frequency). Keeping them separate is paranoid, but that doesn't mean it isn't also appropriately cautious.
__________________ "Ah, Henny Penny," said Chicken Little, "the sky is falling, and I must go and tell the king."
Re: Can I set up my own web page and online store?
I just bought mine from Register.com and i called in and the lady was rippin kool(mate) and talked to me for ever, i had to get rid of her actually, sooooooooooo helpfull and insightfull, also ask for specials, i got the 10for10 deal 10 years for 10bucks a year, ......hosting is another deal, but im sure if you called them they would talk you threw anything, it was so kool to talk to a human, and not get rushed to boot.
Re: Can I set up my own web page and online store?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Solmu
Wow, that place is seriously expensive. I hope it's a good cart.
Well, i find expensive is relative.
For example, if you had a form of advertising that returned $100 for every $1 spent, then it is not really expensive is it? In that case spending $1000 per month might seem expensive, but not when you consider it is bringing in $100,000
So yes, compared to some of the cheap or free carts, $99 per month may seem expensive.
But considering all the inclusions (and it is seriously all inclusive), how easy it is to set up, how the ashop team is always working on improvements etc etc , then yes, i feel it is a good cart :-)
I use it as an online store, and with a simple check box i can change it to a "brochure" site (which is how 3 of them actually run)
I could yap on for hours about how good i think they are :-) , but i wont, it is horses for courses, and you have to try things out for what suits you.
Although more costly than others, i feel i get great value out of my sites.
Bren
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Too many rules on the sig, my list of sites wont fit
Can I set up my own web page and online store? 
