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Third-party or your website? Which Should You Use To Sell Online


Selling products or services online used to be reserved for established businesses or companies with millions of followers. Today, anyone can sell products or services online, and it’s a great way to earn extra income.

But, deciding where to sell your products is one of the most crucial decisions you’ll make. With so many options available, it can be challenging to know which choice is right for you. Use these four questions to help you decide.

Photo by Styled Stock Society

Where is your website hosted?


When you’re ready to sell your products or services online, keeping all of your commerce on the same platform as your website makes a lot of sense. You’re already established there, you know how to use the platform, and your potential customers are already visiting your website. 

However, not all website platforms are a great fit for e-commerce functions. For instance, if you’re using Wix or Weebly, these platforms are not built to accommodate your online shop easily. However, platforms like Squarespace, Shopify, and WordPress were designed with e-commerce in mind, and all of those platforms offer reasonable pricing to upgrade.

 

Does your product fit best with Etsy?

Etsy used to be exclusive to hand-crafted goods but has expanded its reach to almost every category except services. If you’re selling handcrafted or vintage items or related accessories, the chances are excellent that Etsy might be a good fit for your market.

Etsy offers marketing tools, secure checkouts, and excellent communication tools for talking with potential buyers and customers. 

Are you planning to scale your shop?

If you’re selling a few digital products and plan to scale your shop to later include digital courses or training, you might want to consider a Platform like Podia. Podia offers creators a wide array of features and tools to easily promote and sell your digital products and services. 

Shops like One Nine Design are using Podia to sell digital templates, workshops, and training courses. The site also features innovative chat capabilities, messaging forums, and site analytics to help you grow your business and attract new customers. 

Can you do both?

Yes! If you have the budget to upgrade your current website platform to its e-commerce plan and the time to add products or services to more than one platform, there’s no issue with selling in more than one place.

This strategy requires you to keep a close eye on inventory management and find affordable options for accepting payments for physical products. But, beyond those requirements, the benefits of having more eyes on your shop and potentially doubling the traffic make using both routes a great option.

If you’re just starting with e-commerce and testing the waters, pick a platform and test it. See how you like the interface, the customer service, and how transaction fees impact your bottom line. You might be satisfied with your first choice or find it helpful to shop around. 

If you ask for feedback, listen to your customers, and adjust when necessary, you’re sure to find success no matter which sales platform you choose. 





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