setting up an online business

[Julie]

Heya guys,

I am hoping someone here is a website designer or whatever they call them lol, I'm not very knowledgable in this area. Basically I want to set up my own online business, with a professional looking site that I can update stock etc, needs to be a com.au addy, I know nothing about buying a domain name etc. I also read somewhere that to sell stuff from a .com.au addy you need an abn? Is this correct?

How much am I lookin at if I hire a professional to set this up? Any advise would be greatly appreciated!

Ta, Julie

[jack.mc]

Cost depends on how professional you want it to be, and the e-commerce software you use. I dont work in the field, but have some experience.

What would you be selling? Lots of product lines? Would you be taking CC payments?

It could easily be thousands just for the "online shop" software, if you want that. Otherwise, you can set one up for next to nothing if you are processing small quantities, and accepting payment by paypal..

Hosting can be had for next to nothing if you shop around, but .com.au registrations can be a bit pricey I think.

Not sure about the ABN, but if you're serious about running it as a business I guess that is something to look into..

I hope at least one thing I mentioned is useful to you

[Julie]

I would be selling paintings, only really require a small website and atm probably only about 30 or so different products but that would expand weekly. I wouldn't be worried about cc payment at this stage, just paypal and direct deposit. Basically I have started selling paintings on ebay and through word of mouth and I have had a lot of people asking if I have a website. So I think its probably a good idea to make a website, will keep those damn ebay fees down and better showcase my work.

Thanks for your reply

[AirStrike]

Julie, I wouldnt worry with actual software for it. I would just setup a page with a picture, price, item number and discription. People can then just email you the one they want and then you can forward your postal address (checks and money orders), account details (direct deposit) or paypal info.
Just do it like this until it has grown to warrent the funds spent on a proper shop setup.
As for ABN not sure how they work that out.
AirStrike

[J_D]

I think you only need an ABN if your turnover is over a certain amount per year.

[Troy711]

I think you only need an ABN if your turnover is over a certain amount per year.

i think you are thinking of claiming GST as you only need to do so if you earn over 50 or 55 thou a year... or somewhere around there. then when you start claiming GST you have to startin doing quarterly business activity statements (which are a real arse).

juile, keep in mind if you get an ABN you will have to provide receipts to customers. in doing so, all money made will be taxed. im assuming you already work? if so the money you make will not be subject to the (i think) 6K tax free threashold and you will be paying tax at a fairly high rate as it will be classed as a second job. perhaps someone here can confirm the tax percentage? on the plus side you will be able to claim materials, cost of setting up a website and anything else directly linked to your business.

i think you would be better off selling them just as a private sale, that way it is all cash money and is tax free.

[Doctor Bob]

website design isnt that hard julie, i did mine www.memcals.com & my wifes www.eroticdelights.net
theres free templates all over the net, find one you like & open it in frontpage & play around with it
Hosting can be done over the net & once you work out how easy it all is you will be surprised.

The order form is made using a free version of Quask Form Artist, its quick & dirty but gets the job done for our purposes


Rob

[jack.mc]

Not sure if it could be adapted, but you could use a blogging program to set it up. If you have a look at my page (in my sig), you'll see how that works - each post could be an item for sale, in a certain category (see my sidebar - music reviews, genres etc could be anything you like), and once its sold you can just delete the post.

Mine uses wordpress if you're interested, and there are thousands of templates available. I only know a bit of web design, but these days its not hard to look professional. You can try it out easily enough at wordpress.com - just have a muck around.

BTW, that site has only been up for a week or so, I just got proper hosting & domain name . While I'm not selling anything, my ads should come good pretty soon. I'm almost up to my first paycheck from google

[paddyj]

If you want to reduce the cost slightly a .com domain name is a lot cheaper than a .com.au domian name, and easier to register!

[jack.mc]

yeah, my .com was about US$10 per year I think, .au's are about AU$50 from memory?

[Hairy Eater]

Julie... I have got a few friends that can do web design sites... you could let them design your site or you could make a sketch or tell them what you want... This is a site that she did for the seller to sell his book... http://www.only13.net/ ... she also does the uni website where she works... I'm sure she would be happy to earn some extra money making a site for you.... next time I'm chatting to her, I'll ask....