How to Create a Free eCommerce Webpage
Opening an e-commerce webpage can be a great way to supplement your income or break into a new profession. And if you're going to do something anyway, doing it for free is the way to go. Storenvy.com provides an easy and free way to set up your own e-commerce store with powerful tools and a helpful and robust community. Below I'll walk you through the steps of setting up your very own online store.
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Instructions
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Getting Started
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1
Create a Storenvy account. Visit Storenvy.com and click on the "Join Storenvy" button near the top right of the page. Enter your desired username, an e-mail address where you can be contacted, and a password that you can remember. Then click the yellow "Join Now" button.
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2
Click on the yellow "Open a Store" button located near the middle of the page. Enter a name for your store, a Web address, and the e-mail address that links to your PayPal account. If you don't already have a PayPal account, you can visit PayPal.com to set one up for free. Don't fret too much over the store name and Web address, as these are things you can change later, but make sure you enter the right e-mail address for your PayPal account. Entering the wrong e-mail address could result in lost payments.
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3
Design your store any way you want. Under your store's admin area, which can be reached at <your store's web address>/admin, click on the "Design" tab. From here you can apply a theme to your store and customize your store by clicking "Edit Styles." Storenvy provides easy tools for customization, but for the more Web-savvy user, they also give you the ability to code in CSS or HTML for complete customization.
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4
Customize your settings by clicking on the "Settings" tab from your store's admin area. Under the Settings tab, you can edit your store's profile, upload a store avatar, set shipping rates for your products, edit your frequently asked questions section, and even set sales tax for your local area.
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5
Add product to your store by clicking the "Products" tab and clicking the blue "Add Product" button. First you'll just be asked to enter the name and price for the product, but then you'll be able to write a description, upload photos, set stock counts, and add variants of the product. You can then set the product as "active" or "hidden."
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6
It's time to truly open your store. Go to the settings tab, and on the left side of the page click "Off" under "Maintenance Mode" to make your store visible to the public.
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Tips & Warnings
When you first create your store it is automatically set to "maintenance mode," meaning that it cannot be viewed by the public. So feel free to play around with the design and settings as much as you want before you turn maintenance mode off.
It's a good idea to upload more than one picture of each product you sell. Show the product from multiple angles, and if it's wearable, have a picture of someone wearing it.
If you're not confident in your HTML or CSS skills, then don't mess with the code. If you keep the default code then Storenvy is responsible for any glitches, but if you use custom code it becomes your responsibility.
You're responsible for filing and paying your own sales tax, so make sure you understand your local tax laws.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Neon Open sign 2 image by Edward Stephens from Fotolia.com
