Starting My Own 'Shop' Website

kwikbreaks

robt wrote: »

How would you know there is 'virtually none' unless you sat constantly refreshing your site non-stop for two months solid? Do free providers actually provide you with uptime statisitcs?

Another free service will help with that one - http://www.dingitsup.com/

A question though - would anybody here buy from an obviously amateur web shop? When it comes to flashing the plastic most people with any sense need a nice warm feeling that what they are about to buy might actually turn up and that their card won't be buying expensive kit half a world away 10 minutes later.

If this is going to be a serious attempt to sell online then "cheap" probably won't bring the best returns.

ivavoucher

£9.97 for domain name (2 years) and 12 months hosting including shopping cart: http://easyhosting.co.uk

robt_2

kwikbreaks wrote: »

Another free service will help with that one - http://www.dingitsup.com/

Not really. Not unless is checked every 1 second in which case it would be banned from a free webhost.

Any decent webhost should give you access to statistics for the server your site is hosted on.

chunter

Batchy-Boy wrote: »

Hello All,

I want to either make, or have made for me a website. It must be a shop format, where people can buy online.

It needs to be cheap, easy but professional. Want a few catergories, mainly DVD's and games I am going to be selling to start. Email not to important but would want my own domain.

Any ideas?

Thanks,

Mark

"Cheap" and "Professional" probably goes hand in hand with being technically competent working with websites.
Otherwise you'll have to pay a few bob.
How much are you budgeting for and what level of competence have you?

samhale

robt wrote: »

How would you know there is 'virtually none' unless you sat constantly refreshing your site non-stop for two months solid? Do free providers actually provide you with uptime statisitcs?

All providers provide uptime statistics... All I've ever used have.

Even if I didn't have uptime statistics, I'd know when it's down as I'd be flooded with emails.

Just because it's free hosting, there's no need for people to assume the worst.

I just feel sorry for those who pay for hosting.

timbim_2

So free hosting works how? The hosts advertise what they lie how they like on your site. Not the way I want a professional site to look.

samhale

timbim wrote: »

So free hosting works how? The hosts advertise what they lie how they like on your site. Not the way I want a professional site to look.

Sorry?

What they like how they like?

Well, seeing as there are no adverts (placed by them) on the site, there's no difference to your paid hosting.

spakkker

Can't you try an ebay shop? Even if only for starters.
I heard of a local printers who spent thousands and sold 3 items in a year - they now have an ebay shop - £15 a month

weegie.geek

Free hosting is either paid for by adverts, or subsidised by customers with bigger needs who pay for more space/transfer etc.

Free hosting with no SLA might be ok for a hobby site, but if your site's there to make you money, you want 99.9%+ uptime. You don't want to miss a sale (and repeat custom) because you decided to save £1 a month on hosting.

samhale

weegie.geek wrote: »

Free hosting is either paid for by adverts, or subsidised by customers with bigger needs who pay for more space/transfer etc.

Free hosting with no SLA might be ok for a hobby site, but if your site's there to make you money, you want 99.9%+ uptime. You don't want to miss a sale (and repeat custom) because you decided to save £1 a month on hosting.

The thing is, I'm getting 99.9% uptime.
If I wasn't, I wouldn't be with them.

By optimising my website, I don't need big bandwidth. My whole website network runs on free hosting, it just means less outgoing, and more money for me.