So let’s just say you decided it’s time to start selling your bracelets and jewelry online. Everyone says you should so you decide its time to do some research. You are on a tight budget of $ 25-50 a month and have a few options…..
- Buying your domain from Squarespace will be roughly about $20 a month so- $240 a year
- Business plan $23/mo or $276 a year
- The “basic” Commerce is $27/mo or $324 a year
- The Commerce “Advanced” is $49/mo or $588 a year
You’re just renting a spot and for $23 a month, you get a bunch of fancy things like $100 Google AdWords Credit(I used these before but didn’t get anything from it) and Advanced website analytics. Yours looking at a grand total for a year at $23 a month drum roll please $240add the $20 for the domain also that’s going to be $260 a month.What if you don’t make that each month? , You’re going to need to hire someone to design your branding if you haven’t done that yourself ( please don’t use canva to make “design” your logo” hire a professional ) and set up a newsletter, design the “site” yourself, again hire a professional, listing each and every product the list goes on. You’re going to need to open a business account with Paypal if you haven’t done that yet or a Striped account. and honorable mention learn what the hell is Seo?
It comes down to how much you realistically can afford and if you’re willing to put in the time and the effect to get a good-looking site. So realistically the $312 a year wouldn’t be worth your money if you aren’t making more than $300+ profit per month or year. You would be losing money. After costs and shipping costs and packing you wouldn’t be making enough to pay yourself and reinvest in your business.
Look at alternatives :
Wix =
- Drag-and-drop interface
- Paid plans include $300 in ad vouchers
- Free domain name for the first year
Etsy ( remember there’s a $.20 plus a small fee for processing the order and another fee from Paypal)
Square’s free plan ( Bonus- you can link to Tiktok )
Sell in person, online, over the phone, or out in the field. No setup fees or monthly fees – only pay when you take a payment. Design-wise a little limited but for new users worth checking out.
I hope I wasn’t to harsh but the reality is that no matter what platform you pick you’re going to need to learn something new and opening shop a shop is not for the faint of heart, if you have any questions reach out.
