Buying and selling stuff online has become one of the most important and one of the most profitable business forms in our era. Most of the businesses that we never thought would thrive in the traditional formats have become huge thanks to online selling platforms in India.
But many of us are skeptical about buying and selling platforms and rightly so. After all, for ages, we have been following the brick and mortar selling approach.
But after reading this post, you will have all your queries solved as this is the most comprehensive guide on selling online. We have compiled the list of all online selling FAQs. Let us look at it one by one;
FAQs for Sellers
Before we start with the FAQs for sellers, we would like to go the extra mile and give you some benefits of selling online.
- Lower Running Cost: You won’t need to invest in showrooms, stalls, and kiosks. You can create a website or upload it on existing online selling platforms in India at one-tenth of the cost including marketing
- Lower Marketing Costs: Thanks to targeted advertising, it would be much easier for you to reach your targeted audience in a very less marketing budget.
- 24X7 open: This by far is the greatest benefit of all. You may be sleeping, traveling, or vacationing, you will reach your audience and the business will run at all times.
- Higher Margins: For the reasons stated above, it would be much easier to recover the initial cost. This would mean higher margins
Now that you know the benefits, let us look at some frequently asked questions about selling online;
1. Do I need to register on the website as a Seller?
This depends on the website that you are planning to sell on. But most websites would need you to create a profile and register because many websites prefer verified sellers only. While you register, these online selling platforms in India will collect information about you, your product, and your business.
2. What Products can I sell online?
Honestly, there is no limit to what you can sell online today. Literally, anything can be sold online. Although it is important you look for a niche website as it would require a lot less “educating the customer” before the sale. You can always go for big e-commerce giants like E-bay and Amazon.
3. Do I need to create my own website?
Creating your website is always a plus. Although it is not mandatory, it always helps. Before people buy your product they will always search for a story behind the product and your website will tell your story way better than any online store that has millions of products. It is also easier to run ads, and market your product when you have your own website.
4. Can I sell outside India/my country?
Duh! Of course, you can.
5. What are the charges I will have to give to the online store?
Listing is free on many websites! You only have to pay for these websites when you make a sale. For most websites, these charges are very minimal, nothing over the top. If you sell from your own website, you don’t need to pay any charges.
6. How can I list my products online?
Many websites have an easy pick and drop kind of technique to create your profile and list your own products. It is a very easy interface for many websites. For your own website, you will need to create a Shopify or an e-commerce website if you have multiple products. Or a product page if you have few products.
7. Do we get protection against fraudulent buyers?
Yes! Luckily due to a lot of laws and rules around online selling and shopping, many websites have to create an anti-fraud policy for their website.
8. Do I need to have a GST number to sell online?
This is the most popular question. Yes! To sell anything online you need to have a GST number that many websites will ask for before creating your profile. All your purchases will be charged these taxes as per the rule imposed by the government.
9. How can I ship my products?
Many online store websites will have a shipping option for you. They will have their logistics partner that will help you ship and deliver these products to your customer’s doorstep. If you have your own website, consider partnering with the local logistics companies that will help you deliver products to the remotest of the locations.
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