Online selling, how does it work? If you have a physical store, if you want to create a business or if you make handmade products and you are thinking of selling them online, you are in the right place.
In fact, today I want to help you understand how to sell online , answering the main questions of those who are thinking of creating an ecommerce or opening an online store to sell.
In this article you will therefore discover:
- How to open an internet shop and sell online
- What are the advantages of selling online
- The best platforms to create your online store (even without special computer knowledge)
- Some strategies for selling online that work
Make yourself comfortable, enjoy your reading and start your online store!
Selling Online Without VAT
Premise: if your goal is to open an eCommerce without a VAT number, I’m sorry to tell you that it is not possible to do so.
In fact, it is not possible to open an online shop without a VAT number because having an online shop involves the start of a non-occasional activity and consequently you will be forced to open a VAT number .
If, on the other hand, you want to sell online items you no longer use , or if you want to sell handmade items, you may not need the VAT number.
In fact, there are different types of online sales:
- occasional,
- habitual
- “One-off” (eg I have an object that I no longer use and I decide to sell it).
The usual sale occurs when there is a certain recurrence in sales that can be considered regular and continuous over time: in this case it is necessary to open a VAT number.
The occasional online sale is for example that of hobbyists who are not professional operators and who occasionally sell objects of low value often made by hand.
In the case of an occasional sale, the earnings must be declared in the category “other income / different income”.
In this case, to certify the earnings deriving from the sale, you can make an occasional performance receipt .
To sum up:
- You must have an annual turnover of less than 5,000 euros net of the expenses you will incur
- The activity must not be continuous or entrepreneurial and you must not have collaborators
- You don’t have to have a website / ecommerce and you have to issue an occasional performance receipt to the buyer.
Selling on Facebook Without VAT
You’ve probably already seen people selling items on Facebook .
Today Facebook has a real Marketplace through which you can create ads and sell practically anything.
On Facebook you can buy and sell:
- Used items
- Clothing
- Handcrafted creations
- Car and motorcycle
- Properties
But be careful: if you decide to sell through Facebook by entering the prices, this is considered by law as a commercial offer , possible only in the presence of a business activity.
In fact, to sell online without VAT it is necessary that the activity you carry out is occasional : in this case you can sell without VAT as long as the annual earnings do not exceed 5,000 euros.
If you have any doubts about the business you want to open online, you can still ask for advice from an accountant who will be able to evaluate your specific case and give you personalized advice.
Online Selling How Does It Work?
At this point we understood the difference between occasional, one-off and regular sales.
Now we can evaluate what are the possibilities offered by the internet to sell online :
- Open an eCommerce
- Selling on Amazon : there are many companies that sell through Amazon today, often relying also on Amazon’s storage and logistics services (these are the ones that on Amazon are referred to as third-party sellers )
- Open your own shop on a Marketplace : among the various sites that allow you to create online showcases where you can sell your products, there are Bonanza, eBay
Open an eCommerce or an Online Shop
Shopify has quickly become the most used and appreciated service for creating eCommerce and online stores.
Using Shopify, you can:
- Manage orders and products
- Import and have the personal data of all customers always at hand
- Have real-time statistics on purchases, abandoned carts, customers and much more
- Manage payments and inventory
- Create marketing campaigns on Facebook, Instagram, email and SMS
It is not a free platform, the basic plan costs $ 29 a month , but compared to the costs of a physical store, they are really a sustainable cost if you can start a profitable online business .
Create a shop with Shopify
Is it easy to create a shop on Shopify?
Of course yes! Just click on the button in this article to try Shopify for free and immediately create your store:
Enter your email address and then click on start the free trial .
Choose your password and the name of your shop, then click on create your shop .
You will be asked a few questions to help you create your online store:
- Have you already started selling or is it the first time?
- What is your current income?
- In which sector do you want to open your shop?
- Are you creating a shop for your business or for your client?
At this point you will be asked for the address to receive payments, so you can ” enter ” your new store and administer it.
From the Home you will be able to see the Shopify menu then choose the various sections available:
- Orders
- Products
- Customers
- Analysis
- Marketing
- Discounts
- App
Create Online Store with WordPress
An alternative to Shopify is definitely WordPress , the most used platform online today to create websites and blogs (see Creating WordPress Blogs ).
After installing and activating the plugin you can follow the Setup Wizard which allows you to set up your shop quickly and easily.
Also in this case you will be able to manage products, customers, payments, shipments, inventory and everything you need to have an online store.
Create Online Store with Magento
Magento is one of the most popular CMS when it comes to eCommerce.
However, it is designed for those with advanced technical skills, or for those who want to rely on one Web Agency for the development of ecommerce or for the management of ecommerce.
Designed mainly for e-commerce of large brands or companies, it has many extensions available and advanced features, let’s say that it is not the ideal solution for those who want to create an online store but do not have a large budget to devote to the development of e-commerce.
Create Online Store with Prestashop
We cannot talk about online stores and ecommerce without mentioning Prestashop , in fact the competitor (or as they say in the marketing world the competitor ) par excellence of Magento.
However, this too is a CMS (content management system) designed for those with technical skills and therefore usually used by Web Agencies that deal with website development and ecommerce. .
Platforms To Create eCommerce
Other platforms that allow you to create online eCommerce are:
- BigCommerce , a software that helps you create an ecommerce through a step-by-step procedure
- Wix eCommerce : the Wix solution for those who want to create an ecommerce by choosing between different models available
- Weebly: one of the cheapest platforms but with reduced functionality
These are clearly all platforms that offer limited functionality against the payment of a monthly subscription, in my opinion if you want to start in a structured way, to date, the best solution is Shopify .
I hope this guide has been helpful to you and I invite you to share it on Facebook or put a Thumb to support the work that goes into the creation of a guide like this.
Good job and happy creation of your ecommerce / online store,
