Website with online shop advice

andyscott

gb12345 wrote: »

And you'll end up with the least professional looking domain name possible. No one in their right mind is going to buy from a website that is a freebie sub-domain.

That is exactly the way it is. You need to start a new business with a good impression on potential customers.

i would never buy from a business using a free sub domain site. I think it just makes the business look cheap and untrustworthy. I would be worried that if there were any problems with an item that I would struggle to get a refund.

cherylanne_2

I would just like to say many thanks for your kind replies which have certainly given me food for thought. The reason I was trying to find a reputable free website is because I was made redundant with no payout and with no savings also I guess I was trying to cut corners. Luckily I make my gifts myself so there is no layout there. I guess I shall just have to stick to selling on ebay instead of my own website until I can save up for something more professional. Many thanks once again to everyone for their advice.

U've_been_framed

While I agree with the posters above, check out wix.com. You just may find it useful.

gb12345

U've_been_framed wrote: »

While I agree with the posters above, check out wix.com. You just may find it useful.

And again, you'll end up with the least professional looking domain name possible. No one in their right mind is going to buy from a website that is a freebie sub-domain.

TeaCake

I look for jewellery and gifts on Etsy most of the time

steve1980

OP, if you're not willing to spend money on a website then don't bother starting a business.

moonpenny

Just wondered what are peoples thoughts on create.net? Is it any good and is it easy to use?

Carer

I use Create.net for my business.

Extremely happy with it. There's a very well used forum for members with all the help you could ever need. You get your own personal advisor for any queries and they answer within hours.
I found it really easy to use and it integrates with paypal, google checkout, facebook and ebay very easily, so I have facebook shop and can auto list on ebay via the Create control panel.

The month's free trial is great - I built my shop completely before handing over any money, and for my package it costs a third of the price of the 1and1 package I was using and has far more functionality, including stock control.

I have no affiliation with the company at all by the way, just a very satisfied customer.

terra_ferma

You can build a successful webstore with hardly any initial layout, don't give up so easily, it's not as difficult as you think!
I know because that's exactly how I started up.

A nice looking cheap or free website is much better than NO website, and for a website to hurt your business, it would have to be really bad.
Someone I know uses a free website, with his own domain, (that you can't get away from) and it's bringing him nice sales in addition to his ebay business. If he had a better website he'd have more sales, but if he didn't have a website at all he'd lose a lot of money!
One of the biggest advantages of using a free/cheap website when you start-up is also that you get an idea of what you need, and will be able to make better choices when you decide to invest more money.

I like create too and hear good things about it, although I've not used it myself, you could sign up for a free trial and see what you think, nothing to lose and a lot to learn even if you decide not to go ahead.

There is a crafts forum where they often discuss websites and I think you'll find it very useful, as you'd get advice from like-minded people who talk from experience.
http://www.craftsforum.co.uk/

Glennn

Setting up a website can be dirt cheap!

Domain name - £10 max (depends on if you are paying for a year or two and if its .com .co.uk .net etc)
Hosting - £5/month

I run a online shop for just the above costs, it isn't the best site in the world but it does the job. I sell mostly through ebay and Amazon but put a leaflet in with each sale which is more of a general how to look after your item that includes the link to the website.

If you want any help setting up etc I don't mind helping out just drop me a pm.