Cost: Ranges from free to $29.99/month. No extra fees.

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Flying Cart. Cost: Ranges from $9.99/month to $349.99/month. No extra fees.
Shopify. Cost: Ranges from $29/month to $179/month, plus transaction fees for certain packages.
Spiffy Stores. Cost: Ranges from $25/month to $279/month, plus transaction fees.
Volusion. Cost: Ranges from $9/month to $149/month. No extra fees.
WordPress e-commerce plugins. If your site is built on a WordPress theme, there are lots of free e-commerce plugins available in the WordPress plugin directory. WP e-Commerce has the most downloads, as of writing. Cost: Free.
Shipping and Packaging

You need a plan for shipping and packaging with enough flexibility in the case of things like inclement weather or a spontaneous trip to Vegas. Set up business accounts with the freight providers you plan to use. Most, if not all, of them have online shipping services that can save you tons of time.

Some things you need to determine from the get-go:

What’s the turnaround time to get a package out your door? Set a range of days (e.g., two to three business days) and stick to it religiously. This might mean getting someone to take on shipping/handling responsibilities if a sale closes while you’re out of town.
How much will shipping cost? Is it a flat fee? Based on package weight or location of the recipient? Will you offer different shipping options (e.g., certified, next-day, etc.)? Note the latter two will require more time and organization tunisia whatsapp number database on your end, since one order can be wildly different from the next.
Will you ship internationally? What are the laws/taxes/costs associated with this?
If you allow returns/exchanges, who pays for shipping the items back and forth? What freight provider will you use?
What are your packaging costs? Calculate how much you pay for boxes, bubble wrap, tape, etc. and decide how much of that you want to bake into the shipping/handling fees paid by the customer.
Taxes

According to the Small Business Administration (SBA), “if your business has a physical presence in a state, such as a store, office or warehouse, you must collect applicable state and local sales tax from your customers. If you do not have a presence in a particular state, you are not required to collect sales taxes.”

The SBA also notes that some items, like food and clothing, are exempt from state tax in certain states. Also, Alaska, Delaware, Hawaii, Montana, New Hampshire and Oregon do not charge sales tax, so if you’re operating out of one of those states, you don’t need to add sales tax to your products.

Our advice? Do your research so you don’t get in trouble with Uncle Sam. Some online marketplaces and shopping cart platforms have built-in tools to help you figure out whether or not you need to charge tax and how much.

For more information on taxes and legal obligations regarding e-commerce, check out the SBA’s Online Business Law section.

Becoming an online retailer is a great way to expand your business and customer base. If you have an online shop, share your tips and advice with our readers in the comments!

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