I often get the question about selling products online. There are several types of products that you may be thinking of selling online. Here are some things to consider when deciding what method would work best for you. For nonprofits you may also be considering online donations – but this will be a topic of a different posting.
Type of Product
- Information products – eBooks or products that you can download after purchase
- Tickets – and you need the options to sell one or more online. e.g. tickets to a fundraiser or special event
- Physical items – these require shipping, packing, tax
- Registration / Subscription – person is signing up for some specific service or area of your website that requires a login and they would be paying a monthly fee
Type of Payment
- Is it a one time payment by credit card?
- Is it a multiple payment — installments or subscription?
- Do you already accept credit cards?
- Do you want to give people an option to pay by check?
- Would you need the online system to do calculations e.g. allow multiple item purchase such as 5 tickets, or to select multiple items and get a total for payment?
Shipping and Handling
- Product fulfillment or delivery – is your product an ebook or other digital item that the person will download once they have paid?
- Will you be packing and shipping the order yourself – or are you using some order fulfillment system?
- How will you handle returns?
- How is the shipping rate calculated?
There are many options available and the decision on the method is one that will take some thought and planning and comparisons to see that the solution you select is right for you. This article has some additional ideas –>
Generating revenue from your website
Future postings will have more details on options. If you have an immediate need or question do send me an email with the details. We provide help for organizations and business owners to integrate payment solutions and online payments into your website. davies@alephinc.com
Or try out these 2 websites both have tutorials and information
