How to Start an Online Business in Australia

Running an online business in Australia requires the same legal procedures as that of an ordinary brick-and-mortar business.

Running your own online business from Australia can potentially make you a fortune and leave you with an easygoing, comfortable lifestyle. However, like any brick-and-mortar business, there are certain procedures you will need to carry out before you can open your virtual doors for business. It is best practice to observe and abide by Australian business laws from the onset of your operations to avoid potentially devastating penalty fines in the future.

Things You'll Need

• Computer
• Web space
• Domain name
• Bank account

Instructions

1. Submit a 201 Form to the Australian Securities and Investment Commission, which will legally register your business in Australia. If you believe your online business will generate revenue above AUD $50,000 in any 12-month period then you should register for Goods and Services Tax (GST) through the Australian Business Register.

2. Download a shopping cart system. There are plenty available online for free, such as Zen Cart. The wonderful thing about most of these commerce-specialized content management systems is that you don't need any coding experience to implement them. If you do have some coding experience, you can edit your shop's look and feel with HTML and CSS. Download the shopping cart, extract the files from their compressed package, and upload them to your web space using an FTP program such as Cyberduck. To begin the installation wizard, simply navigate to your web space with a web browser.

3. Register with a payment processor like PayPal. This will enable the quick processing of credit or debit card payments. When configuring your payment process, remove any superfluous information such as postal address and fax number. You don't need to send your customers faxes or printed post because you can achieve the same with e-mail, which is faster and cheaper. Verify your PayPal account with your bank account, and upgrade your PayPal account to a business account.

4. Upload details and photos of your products to your shopping cart on your web space. You may be able to do this through the administration section of the shopping cart, or you may have to do this manually with an FTP program. The directory where down-loadable products are stored can vary between shopping cart systems, so check the included documentation.

5. Configure your shopping cart system to identify your products as either physical or down-loadable products. This way, once a customer completes the payment process, your shopping cart system will either process the product's delivery details or generate a unique download link that will only be valid for a limited time, and a limited number of downloads.

6. Market your online shop to potential customers around the world. Try and come up with original advertisement ideas, as Google or Facebook advertisements could cost you more than it's worth. A good idea is to include links to your web shop in comments on related blog articles or YouTube videos, as this is free and generally targets customers better.

References

• Business Link: Create an Online Shop
• Business.gov.au: Directory of Government Business and associations