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The Internet, for us, is an absolute dream come true.
As my wife Anne and myself are disabled it meant relying
on the Government to provide us with state handouts. This
not only left us physically disabled and on a very low
income, but severely restricted any chance of being able
to secure a steady real-world job.
If fact we had not been able to earn any money for over
10 years. Being stuck in this position, what could we do?
I heard so much about the Internet that I just HAD to try
it out... maybe it could provide the answer I was looking
for? but I found so much marketing hype that I just wasn't
sure... How could I start trading online? What could I sell?
Then it hit me.
I Was In The Perfect Position To Turn Anne's Hobby Into A
Proven Internet Money Spinner.... Here's How:
Anne had always liked collecting thimbles and with the
Internet revolution, maybe I could find people of similar
interests who would purchase our findings.
With the help of my family, friends and a few online sites,
I developed my own Internet storefront, which soon became
one of the UK's most popular and widely used collectable
products websites. Here's how I did it:
1) I started with PASSION. Being disabled meant that this
was my one real chance of ploughing FULL energy into a
project... I chose something that was based on a hobby,
ensuring I kept 100% motivated at all times.
2) I knew I had to put together a collection of products
that people would purchase. I had to find something that
I could see a market for... virtually anything can be sold
online, but it had to be a market I KNEW or at least could
easily research into... I knew the "thimble" market inside
out, I also knew I could quickly learn about plates, bells,
mugs and other collectables, so my sights were set.
3) Now came my Internet presence... forget free sites or
unprofessional web space. I got my own domain, hooked up
to a credit card processor and set-up an online shopping
cart system to handle all orders. It needn't cost the
earth... for less than one hundred dollars, our Internet
presence was ready to go live.
Here's my checklist for starting an online store:
* The right products... do you know the market? If not,
can you easily associate and learn about the market?
* Grab your domain name today. You can register them for as
little as $6 per year from names@blacktop.org. Then hook it
up to a professional web host (for as little as $10 per month).
* Set-up your payment options. Credit cards are essential if
you are selling down-loadable products or services and you
could use WorldPay.com, Multicards.com, iBill.com or any of
the other available services. We now use WorldPay, but if you
like us sell physical products you can start out with just
cheques and money orders. If fact over 60% of our customers
place their orders online but still send their payment by post.
* Most credit card processors give you instructions on using
shopping cart software with their processing service. Set-up
this link and include all products on sale into the cart
system... ensuring that all customers can easily order.
* Get your site designed. Our own page is fairly simple but
continues to sell really well. If you need to hire a designer,
Respond.com can help you find your perfect low-cost worker. OR
if you will be selling any collectables and wish to join The
Collectable Shopping Center I will design your site for FREE.
Customer service is the key to repeat visitors. Make sure you
include full ordering and contact information on your site.
Include privacy policies and return/refund procedures too, so
that your customers know they're in good hands.
I can even provide you with all the tools you require to set-up
an online store. My URL is http://www.collectableshops.com
I started with the dream... the dream to turn a hobby into a
sure-fire seller. We now earn a living, have thousands of loyal
customers/friends around the world and ALL this has been achieved
through our online store.
The dream is not only applicable to disabled people, but also
to people who are in a dead-end job or need extra money.
It can be done part time as I can only work 1 to 2 hours a
day for health reasons. The possibilities are unlimited!
It has taken me over twelve months and three websites to learn
from my mistakes, you can still visit my 2nd site at
http://www.thimbles.org and see how hard it was to use. Having
said it is hard to use, it still makes a profit. YOU CAN now
learn from my mistakes for FREE, all you have to do is ask.
So now it's time for YOU to decide, are you just going to sit
and dream, or are you going to take ACTION?
About the Author
Mike Blacktop is an Internet marketer who spends his working
life dedicated to practicing what he preaches on marketing on
the Internet. See the fruits of his creations and his tactics
at his online gift shop, at http://www.collectableshops.com
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