How To Set Up Your Own Online Store

Melanie Pinola — How To Set Up Your Own Online StoreWith free tools and cheap web hosting, there's really no reason you can't have your own catalog and shopping cart on the web if you've got something worth selling. Whether you're looking for a side project or a real source of income, here's a starting-from-scratch guide to setting up shop on the web.
Why Host Your Own Online Store?

There are plenty of places you can easily sell stuff online, Amazon and eBay included. We've previously looked at the most popular places to set up shop online, covering sites like Shopify and Etsy. Still, the winner of that Hive Five was a self-hosted storefront, and for good reason.

Hosting your own e-commerce site gives you more control over the shop and its presentation, is better for business branding, makes moving to another web host easier, and can be more cost-effective. You can, for example, avoid transaction and listing fees, but you'll still have to pay processing fees from your payment gateway (more on that in a bit). The downside is that it's more hands-on, and you'll need to regularly update the shopping cart scripts whenever an update is available to avoid security vulnerabilities. But if you're serious about what you're selling, that should hardly deter you.

via Life Hacker
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Make Money Through Online Classifieds

If you live in a small town, or aren't too worried about the dangers online classifieds can cause in some larger towns, it is a great way to get some extra cash. There are many benefits of selling locally, especially considering you do not need to pay to post normal ads like you do with eBay.

Here are some online classifieds websites.
www.craigslist.com
www.ebayclassifieds.com - U.S. only
www.kijiji.ca - Canada only

When I lived in Canada I made some good money doing this, here are some tips that will help you.

1. Start out by selling things around the house you no longer need, make sure it's something someone else would want or be able to use, be honest about the condition.

2. Make appealing detailed ads that aren't too long, always include 2-3 pictures.

3. Price you items at the maximum price you think you can get, make sure it is at least 5-20 dollars more than the price you would expect to get, and be prepared for hard bargaining.

4. Buy! Get to know the market and try to get great bargains, especially on "lots". The best way to make a profit is to buy items and sell them for higher prices. It's easy to do with computer equipment and video games.

5. Meet in a public place, try to bring a friend if possible. If you're female definitely do not go alone, no matter how strong you are. If you are mugged don't fight.

6. Buy in person only!!! If they want you to pay online it's a scam. Deal only in cash.

7. If you have any skills, especially with electronics/computers/etc. offer services at competitive prices.

8. Don't advertise small businesses if you have a retail location, it makes your business seem cheap. What you can do however is sell unrelated items and have your buyers meet you during business hours at your location, they will feel safe and it may bring you a customer.

9. Don't be afraid to ask for a fee for delivery, but don't set it in stone, it may turn some people away.

10. Once you sell your item remove it from the classifieds, this will stop people from emailing you about it, and it is good classifieds etiquette.

This is a unique article written by Isa Abdullah, if you would like to use it on your site please credit me and link to this site. I am willing to do a link exchange as well.

Angus Reid Forum

Angus Reid Forum is a Canadian survey site, unfortunately it is for Canadian Citizens only. They mostly do surveys about politics, but also for commercial companies. The results are often used by Canadian news outlets.

They send surveys almost everyday that start at $1, once you reach $50 you can cash out for a check, I think you can also donate your earnings to charity.

Angus Reid Forum does not have a referral program at this time.

Visit www.angusreidforum.com if you are interested in becoming a member!

Global Test Market

Global Test Market is one of the best paid survey sites out there, and it allows users from most countries. You receive surveys every day and you earn points for finishing them, sometimes you also earn points even if you do not qualify.

1000 Points is required to cash out, which does not take too long to acquire and is the equivalent of $50 US Dollars. So far I have been paid 3 times, it would have been more but sometimes I just don't have the time for surveys, especially since I have ADHD... but I did manage to make $150 extra, which for those who know the value of a dollar is excellent!

Global Test Market use to have a referral program but that ended a couple years ago.

If you would like to register visit www.globaltestmarket.com

ADT Pays!

Home and Business Security firm ADT has a great referral program which enables you to earn $125 or more per sale! This is best for small business owners, and soon they will have an online option as well. ADT will even provide you with promotional materials free of charge.

I work at a cell phone store and we put fliers on our desk and in every bag, we can also promote it by telling our customers with smart phones about ADTs really cool phone application that allows you to check on your house from anywhere you have a data connection. You can see if your doors are locked or unlocked, you can turn your lights on or off, or even adjust your thermostat, all from your smartphone!

A US Social Security Number is required, and it is for legal US Citizens only.

If you are interested in applying for ADTpays visit www.adtpays.com and use referral code A60602

If you are interested in purchasing a security system through ADT call 1-800-699-9238 to keep your home and family safe! Use code A60602 for a special discount.

Amazon's Artificial Artificial Intelligence

You can become a Mechanical Turk, doing simple tasks for companies and individuals at Amazon's MTURK.COM. Tasks include things like quick surveys, translating articles, spinning or writing unique articles, data entry, and much more. Payments start at $0.01 per task, and upwards (some are over $20).

When you reach a balance of $10 you can cash out to your US Bank Account or get an Amazon gift card.

This site is owned by Amazon, and I've been paid, it's 100% legit.

It is great for people who have extra time at a desk job or those who are stay at home moms/dads. You definitely won't earn enough to quit your day job though.

There is no referral program as of yet either. So you know I am not posting it just for referrals, that is not my main goal with this website. The lack of a referral system may be a reason why many people do not yet know of this great website.

Visit www.mturk.com to register!