The Highs And Lows Of Selling Online

Inquirer.net:

Do you have a product you want to sell but don’t have the capital to put up a store? An easy way to make a sale (and test the market) is to go online and put up a virtual store.

That’s right, make cyberspace your mall and set up shop by putting up your own website with your own customized web address or join the many young entrepreneurs doing business via social networking sites like Multiply and photo sharing sites like Picture Trail.

Kaye Catral makes diaper cakes—fancy “cakes” made of diapers, towels and baby essentials that would make good baby shower gifts. She also does towel cakes that are gift items too. At first, Kaye said she was planning to put up a real store, but the overhead alone will make her products expensive. “I decided that putting up an online store site would be a better alternative to a small, starting business like NappyCakes,” says Kaye. Kaye started her Picturetrail site in 2004.

About 60 to 70 percent of NappyCakes’ sales come from online orders. The rest come from referrals or from those who contacted Kaye as a result of her TV and print media exposure.

Claudine de Jesus-Ruiz is a full-time mom who gave up her banking career when she gave birth to her son, Redd, three years ago. A unique hand-made necklace featured in a local magazine caught her eye two years ago, and she ordered it online from the seller, who had a Multiply account. Happy with the experience, she made 4 to 5 more online purchases before realizing she can do this business herself. The result is Eye Candy Jewelry & Accessories.

Ninety percent of Eye Candy’s sales are generated online. The rest are purchases made by family, friends and neighbors.