Do-It-Yourself Web Stores for Dummies (ISBN - 0470174439)

386 Pages·2021·16.93 MB·English

Web Stores

FOR

DUMmIES

‰

DO-IT-YOURSELF

by Joel Elad

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Web Stores Do-It-Yourself For Dummies®

Published by
Wiley Publishing, Inc.
111 River Street
Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774
www.wiley.com

Copyright © 2008 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana

Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana

Published simultaneously in Canada

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, elec-
tronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the
1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through
payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923,
[phone], fax [phone]. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Legal Department,
Wiley Publishing, Inc., 10475 Crosspoint Blvd., Indianapolis, IN 46256, [phone], fax [phone], or online at
http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions.

Trademarks: Wiley, the Wiley Publishing logo, For Dummies, the Dummies Man logo, A Reference for the Rest of Us!, The
Dummies Way, Dummies Daily, The Fun and Easy Way, Dummies.com, and related trade dress are trademarks or registered
trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the United States and other countries, and may not be used
without written permission. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Wiley Publishing, Inc., is not
associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book.

LIMIT OF LIABILITY/DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY: THE PUBLISHER AND THE AUTHOR MAKE NO REPRESENTATIONS OR
WARRANTIES WITH RESPECT TO THE ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS OF THE CONTENTS OF THIS WORK AND SPECIF-
ICALLY DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION WARRANTIES OF FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR
PURPOSE. NO WARRANTY MAY BE CREATED OR EXTENDED BY SALES OR PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS. THE ADVICE
AND STRATEGIES CONTAINED HEREIN MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR EVERY SITUATION. THIS WORK IS SOLD WITH THE
UNDERSTANDING THAT THE PUBLISHER IS NOT ENGAGED IN RENDERING LEGAL, ACCOUNTING, OR OTHER PROFES-
SIONAL SERVICES. IF PROFESSIONAL ASSISTANCE IS REQUIRED, THE SERVICES OF A COMPETENT PROFESSIONAL
PERSON SHOULD BE SOUGHT. NEITHER THE PUBLISHER NOR THE AUTHOR SHALL BE LIABLE FOR DAMAGES ARISING
HEREFROM. THE FACT THAT AN ORGANIZATION OR WEBSITE IS REFERRED TO IN THIS WORK AS A CITATION AND/OR
A POTENTIAL SOURCE OF FURTHER INFORMATION DOES NOT MEAN THAT THE AUTHOR OR THE PUBLISHER
ENDORSES THE INFORMATION THE ORGANIZATION OR WEBSITE MAY PROVIDE OR RECOMMENDATIONS IT MAY MAKE.
FURTHER, READERS SHOULD BE AWARE THAT INTERNET WEBSITES LISTED IN THIS WORK MAY HAVE CHANGED OR DIS-
APPEARED BETWEEN WHEN THIS WORK WAS WRITTEN AND WHEN IT IS READ.

For general information on our other products and services, please contact our Customer Care Department within the U.S. at
800-762-2974, outside the U.S. at 317-572-3993, or fax [phone].

For technical support, please visit www.wiley.com/techsupport.

Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in
electronic books.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2007942002

ISBN: 978-0-470-17443-2

Manufactured in the United States of America

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

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Web Stores

FOR

DUMmIES

‰

DO-IT-YOURSELF

by Joel Elad

01_174432 ffirs.qxp 2/6/08 1:34 AM Page i

Web Stores Do-It-Yourself For Dummies®

Published by
Wiley Publishing, Inc.
111 River Street
Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774
www.wiley.com

Copyright © 2008 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana

Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana

Published simultaneously in Canada

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, elec-
tronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the
1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through
payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923,
[phone], fax [phone]. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Legal Department,
Wiley Publishing, Inc., 10475 Crosspoint Blvd., Indianapolis, IN 46256, [phone], fax [phone], or online at
http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions.

Trademarks: Wiley, the Wiley Publishing logo, For Dummies, the Dummies Man logo, A Reference for the Rest of Us!, The
Dummies Way, Dummies Daily, The Fun and Easy Way, Dummies.com, and related trade dress are trademarks or registered
trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the United States and other countries, and may not be used
without written permission. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Wiley Publishing, Inc., is not
associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book.

LIMIT OF LIABILITY/DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY: THE PUBLISHER AND THE AUTHOR MAKE NO REPRESENTATIONS OR
WARRANTIES WITH RESPECT TO THE ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS OF THE CONTENTS OF THIS WORK AND SPECIF-
ICALLY DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION WARRANTIES OF FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR
PURPOSE. NO WARRANTY MAY BE CREATED OR EXTENDED BY SALES OR PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS. THE ADVICE
AND STRATEGIES CONTAINED HEREIN MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR EVERY SITUATION. THIS WORK IS SOLD WITH THE
UNDERSTANDING THAT THE PUBLISHER IS NOT ENGAGED IN RENDERING LEGAL, ACCOUNTING, OR OTHER PROFES-
SIONAL SERVICES. IF PROFESSIONAL ASSISTANCE IS REQUIRED, THE SERVICES OF A COMPETENT PROFESSIONAL
PERSON SHOULD BE SOUGHT. NEITHER THE PUBLISHER NOR THE AUTHOR SHALL BE LIABLE FOR DAMAGES ARISING
HEREFROM. THE FACT THAT AN ORGANIZATION OR WEBSITE IS REFERRED TO IN THIS WORK AS A CITATION AND/OR
A POTENTIAL SOURCE OF FURTHER INFORMATION DOES NOT MEAN THAT THE AUTHOR OR THE PUBLISHER
ENDORSES THE INFORMATION THE ORGANIZATION OR WEBSITE MAY PROVIDE OR RECOMMENDATIONS IT MAY MAKE.
FURTHER, READERS SHOULD BE AWARE THAT INTERNET WEBSITES LISTED IN THIS WORK MAY HAVE CHANGED OR DIS-
APPEARED BETWEEN WHEN THIS WORK WAS WRITTEN AND WHEN IT IS READ.

For general information on our other products and services, please contact our Customer Care Department within the U.S. at
800-762-2974, outside the U.S. at 317-572-3993, or fax [phone].

For technical support, please visit www.wiley.com/techsupport.

Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in
electronic books.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2007942002

ISBN: 978-0-470-17443-2

Manufactured in the United States of America

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

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About the Author

Joel Elad is the head of Real Method Consulting, a company dedicated to educating people on
how to sell on the Internet, and eBay in particular, through training seminars, DVDs, books, and
other media. He holds a Master’s Degree in Business from UC Irvine, and a Bachelors Degree in
Computer Science and Engineering from UCLA.

Joel has written several books in the field of e-commerce, including Starting an Online Business
All-In-One Desk Reference For Dummies, eBay Your Business, and How to Sell Anything on
Amazon . . . and Make a Fortune! He has contributed to Entrepreneur magazine and Smartbiz.com,
and has spoken at regional and national conferences on the topic of eBay and/or e-commerce.
He is the lead eBay instructor for the Learning Annex in New York City, Los Angeles, San Diego,
and San Francisco. He has taught at institutions like the University of California, Irvine. He is an
Educational Specialist trained by eBay and a proud member of eBay’s Voices of the Community.

Joel has previously worked for companies like IBM Global Services, where he was a project man-
ager and software developer working for Fortune 500 clients. He operates several e-commerce
sites, including NewComix.Com, which has quickly become a low-priced leader of comic books,
toys, and action figures to US and international customers. While he was the Marketing and
Sales Director at Top Cow Productions, Joel implemented an eBay sales channel and helped
revamp their e-commerce operations. He continues to consult for various clients to add or
improve their e-commerce operations.

Joel lives in San Diego, California. In his spare time, he hones his skills in creative writing, Texas
Hold ’Em poker, and finance. He is an avid traveler who enjoys seeing the sights both near and
far, whether it’s the Las Vegas Strip or the ruins of Macchu Picchu. He spends his weekends
scouring eBay and local conventions for the best comic book deals, catching the latest movie
with friends or family, and enjoying a lazy Sunday.

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Dedication

I hereby dedicate this book to two dear friends, Anthony Choi, and Michael Wellman, who help
make my dreams a reality and make my reality that much more enjoyable. They have defined
my success with my online ventures and I wouldn’t be where I am without their help, knowl-
edge, patience, dedication, and drive. You two are my inspiration!

Author’s Acknowledgments

I have to give a BIG thanks to the superb team at Wiley for making this book a reality and trusting
me to guide the way. I have to especially thank Blair Pottenger for his infinite patience, advice,
and steady guidance, as well as Steven Hayes for his encouragement and faith. I also have to
thank Michael Bellomo for keeping me on the straight and narrow, an exhausting job to be sure.
And where would I be without the editors at Wiley, like Jenn Riggs, to make me sound so clear
and grammatically correct?

Secondly, I’d like to acknowledge the various e-commerce store owners, IT professionals, and
friends who gladly gave their time, advice, and opinions to help me craft this book: Anthony and
Yvonne Choi, Lynn Dralle, Phil Dunn, Joshua MacAdam, James Marchetti, Chandler and Sharon
Rice, and Joshua Schwartz. Also, I have to thank several assistant managers at the San Diego
Kinko’s locations for helping me as I holed up there for weeks and weeks to get this book writ-
ten. (Thumbs up to Christine Seliger and Dan Chandler.) The Napa and Point Loma locations are
ACES in my book, and the 24-hour Hazard Center Mission Valley location was my lifeline!

Lastly, thanks to my family for putting up with my late-late-night writing sessions and frequent
seclusion to get this book ready for publication. Your support is always invaluable.

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Publisher’s Acknowledgments

We’re proud of this book; please send us your comments through our online registration form located at
www.dummies.com/register/.

Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following:

Acquisitions, Editorial, and Media Development

Project Editor: Blair J. Pottenger

Executive Editor: Steven Hayes

Copy Editor: Jenn Riggs

Technical Editor: Michael Bellomo

Editorial Manager: Kevin Kirschner

Media Project Supervisor: Laura Moss-Hollister

Media Development Specialist: Angela Denny

Editorial Assistant: Amanda Foxworth

Sr. Editorial Assistant: Cherie Case

Cartoons: Rich Tennant (www.the5thwave.com)

Composition Services

Project Coordinator: Kristie Rees

Layout and Graphics: Carrie A. Cesavice,
Stephanie D. Jumper

Proofreaders: Laura Albert, Linda Quigley

Indexer: Potomac Indexing, LLC

Publishing and Editorial for Technology Dummies

Richard Swadley, Vice President and Executive Group Publisher

Andy Cummings, Vice President and Publisher

Mary Bednarek, Executive Acquisitions Director

Mary C. Corder, Editorial Director

Publishing for Consumer Dummies

Diane Graves Steele, Vice President and Publisher

Joyce Pepple, Acquisitions Director

Composition Services

Gerry Fahey, Vice President of Production Services

Debbie Stailey, Director of Composition Services

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Table of Contents

Introduction .................................................................................1

About This Book.........................................................................................................................1
What You Can Safely Ignore......................................................................................................2
Foolish Assumptions .................................................................................................................2
How This Book Is Organized.....................................................................................................2
Part I: Planning and Gathering........................................................................................2
Part II: Constructing Your Web Store.............................................................................3
Part III: Filling In the Blanks (and Shelves) ...................................................................3
Part IV: Finalizing Your Web Store..................................................................................3
Part V: Promotion and Outsourcing of Your Web Store ..............................................4
Part VI: The Part of Tens .................................................................................................4
Icons Used in This Book............................................................................................................4
Where to Go from Here..............................................................................................................5

Part I: Planning and Gathering ......................................................7

Chapter 1: Web Stores Overview: Discovering Your Purpose........................................9

Deciding What to Sell.................................................................................................................9
Finding Products to Sell ..........................................................................................................13
Start with what you own ...............................................................................................13
Pound the pavement......................................................................................................13
Work on the wholesale ..................................................................................................16
Establishing Your Store Information......................................................................................18
Creating a Skype Phone Number............................................................................................20

Chapter 2: Developing Your Store Policies......................................................................27

Putting the Service in Customer Service ..............................................................................27
Finding your level of customer service.......................................................................28
Writing your Customer Service policy ........................................................................28
Writing Your Return Policy .....................................................................................................32
Making Your Privacy Policy Public ........................................................................................34
Preparing your Privacy policy......................................................................................35
Writing your Privacy policy using the Direct Marketing Association......................36
Writing Your Shipping Policy..................................................................................................39
Writing Your User Agreement.................................................................................................42
Policies — The Final Word......................................................................................................43

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Part II: Constructing Your Web Store............................................45

Chapter 3: Finding Your Storefront Provider....................................................................47

Evaluating Web Storefront Providers ....................................................................................47
Evaluating storefront accounts ....................................................................................48
Evaluating storefront services......................................................................................51
Picking Your Storefront Domain Name..................................................................................52
Registering Your Domain Name .............................................................................................53
Using WHOIS to Find a Domain Owner..................................................................................57
Researching Other Domain Name Options...........................................................................60

Chapter 4: Yahoo! Merchant Solutions.............................................................................65

Why Yahoo? ..............................................................................................................................66
Yahoo! Account Types.............................................................................................................68
Starter..............................................................................................................................69
Standard ..........................................................................................................................70
Professional.....................................................................................................................70
Signing up with Yahoo! Merchant Solutions .........................................................................73
Creating Your Store Design.....................................................................................................76
Adding an Item to Your Store .................................................................................................80
Completing the Open for Business Checklist.......................................................................83

Chapter 5: ProStores ............................................................................................................89

Why ProStores? ........................................................................................................................90
ProStores’ Plan Types..............................................................................................................92
Express ............................................................................................................................92
Business...........................................................................................................................93
Advanced.........................................................................................................................93
Enterprise........................................................................................................................93
Signing Up with ProStores.......................................................................................................95
Creating Your Store Design.....................................................................................................99
Adding Categories to Your Store..........................................................................................104
Adding an Item to Your Catalog ...........................................................................................106
Completing the Getting Started Checklist ..........................................................................110

Chapter 6: 1&1 eShops.......................................................................................................119

Why 1&1 eShops?...................................................................................................................120
1&1 eShops’ Plan Types ........................................................................................................122
Business eShop.............................................................................................................123
Professional eShop.......................................................................................................124
Developer eShop ..........................................................................................................124
Signing Up with 1&1 eShops .................................................................................................125
Creating Your Store Design...................................................................................................131
Adding an Item to Your Catalog ...........................................................................................135
Publishing Your 1&1 eShop...................................................................................................137

Chapter 7: Establishing Your Payment Options.............................................................145

Features, Fees, and Required Information for a Merchant Account................................145
Features and Fees of a PayPal Account...............................................................................149

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Web Stores Do-It-Yourself For Dummies

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