Opening an online store is an excellent opportunity for those who want to expand their brand or enhance the products available. You will surely know how easy it is to create an eCommerce using the most famous platforms, whether they are open source or paid .
Many private individuals and companies start selling online from scratch using interesting and easy-to-use software such as WordPress or similar, but in many cases we focus on what are the graphics of the web page and the sections within it, forgetting that we must also take into account some bureaucracy.
Thinking of creating a website and being able to use it as if nothing were for the sale of services and items is implausible, in fact, in this article we will see how to open an online store starting from scratch and what to take into consideration in order not to run into unexpected problems . We recommend that you also read the articles on online shopping sites and sites that sell shoes to get a clearer idea of how they develop their marketing strategies.
Index
- Costs to open an online store and what are the tax obligations
- 10 platforms to open a free online store
- Shopify
- Aruba
- Etsy
- eBay
- Flowering
- Amazon
- Weebly
- Jimdo
- Conclusions
Costs to open an online store and what are the tax obligations
Creating the web page is not the only condition to take into consideration, to open a free online store you will also need to follow a series of bureaucratic steps and start the sale legally. To simplify the path to follow, here are the steps to take into consideration.
The legal form : the first step to take is to choose what will have to be the most suitable legal form for your sales activity. Assessing whether you have an individual or collective business can make all the difference in the world.
VAT number : the second step concerns the opening of a VAT number and establishing precisely what the ATECO code of your work activity is.
CC registration: once you have identified your ATECO code, you will necessarily need to register with the Chamber of Commerce , in order to declare that you wish to comply with the sales rules.
SCIA : enrollment in the CC is not enough because you also have to declare that you intend to start working online. You will therefore have to present a SCIA to your Municipality of reference.
PEC : serious work without PEC has no reason to exist; therefore, you must take care to open one and use it for your certified communications with suppliers and specific customers. The cost is very low and you can start a PEC with the service you deem most convenient. Find more information in our guide to free certified mail .
Staff recruitment : if your aim is to hire other staff as well, in this case you should open the INAIL/INPS position for recruitment. Arming yourself with other employees effectively makes you a company that has to pay state contributions and charges , this process requires specific communication, even if you are using a digital tool such as an online store.
Regularizations : the last step to take into consideration is the regulation of the disclosure obligations established by law . You must take into consideration the GDPR , the Privacy Code and obviously the Consumer Code . All these elements make you a company in good standing and ready to sell products and services without any legal impediments.
10 platforms to open a free online store
In the previous lines we anticipated how it is very simple to open an online store from scratch , but which platforms should you consider to start your business by spending almost nothing? Let’s see the most inflated and loved by individuals and companies that have the same need as you.
- Shopify
One of the most used platforms at the moment is Shopify , with over 1 million sellers who exploit the potential of the service for free. The software allows you to start your online store both from a PC and from your smartphone, everything will seem very simple and intuitive. By going to the official website you can download the free version and start creating your digital store, with dedicated products and sections.
To open an online store and start selling, you can try Shopify for 3 days and subscribe to one of the available plans: Basic for 21 euros per month (the first 3 months cost 1 euro), Shopify for 59 euros per month, Advanced for 289 euros per month.
- Aruba
When you want to save as much as possible, it is almost obvious to focus on the services of Aruba , a platform which, although it does not have super-performing servers, offers you very low costs and a personalized domain. Aruba SuperSite is perhaps the solution most chosen by companies, but among the many services you can also opt for just the creation of the PEC or electronic invoicing .
SuperSite is an editor with advanced features that allows you to create a website even if you don’t have computer skills. You can subscribe to the SuperSite Easy plan at the initial price of 17.90 euros per month + VAT for the first year and for subsequent years at a cost of 49 euros + VAT, or choose the SuperSite Professional plan at the price of 19.90 euros per month + VAT for the first year and renewal at a cost of 99 euros + VAT.
- Etsy
You’ve probably never heard of Etsy , a company that allows you to open a free online shop without wasting too much time between confusing sections and dozens of services. Unlike many other online platforms, with Etsy you can only sell handmade products or items that are more than twenty years old. An online shop suitable for vintage and a niche audience .
There is a commission of 6.5% of the sale price (including shipping costs) for each sale with Etsy . By accepting payments through Etsy Payments , you will also be charged a payment processing fee of 4% + €0.30 when an item sells. In addition to the Free plan , you can subscribe to the following plans: Venture for 19 euros a month, Business for 39 euros and Unlimited for 99 euros.
- eBay
Unlike Etsy, eBay is perhaps the best known platform for selling and buying items and services. In order for you to be able to sell on this website you will need to create an account as a seller, either private or with a VAT number. All you need to do is register and wait a few days for eBay to give you confirmation of the start of the sale.
There are three eBay Shop packages available for professional sellers: Basic , Premium and Premium Plus . The first costs 24.95 euros per month, the second 49.95 euros per month, the third 179.95 euros per month. For further information you can visit this page .
- Flowering
Blomming is a little jewel for opening an online store , this allows you not only to create a store from scratch, but also to connect it to many other platforms , Facebook above all. All you need to do is go to the main page and register, upon completion of the same click on Open your shop and create the shop you want by uploading the products.
You can try Blomming for free for 15 days and then subscribe to one of two tariffs: Lite or Blomming . The first costs 9.99 euros per month + VAT, the second 19.99 euros per month + VAT. For more details you can read this page .
- Amazon
Usually people are led to think that on Amazon you can only buy, although many users use this platform only to buy, in reality Amazon also allows you to sell what you want. You can use the basic account, which allows you to sell up to 40 items per month, or switch to the Pro version which exceeds this limit.
With Amazon, the Individual Selling Plan is $0.99 per unit sold, while the Professional Selling Plan is $39 (excluding VAT) per month , regardless of the number of units sold.
In recent years, the Facebook online store has been enjoying great success, especially for those who want to sell items that are not necessarily new. You can access the platform from both PC and smartphone, creating your ads in seconds and putting them online for sale. However, you will have to go to the dedicated Facebook Marketplace section and log in with your registered account. The function that allows you to add products is called Showcase, by clicking on it you can then connect it to a specific page for the sale of goods and services. For more info read also how to sell on Facebook Marketplace .
If your commercial approach is closer to a youth platform, then you might think about opting for building an online store with Instagram . In order for you to be able to sell on this social network, you will need at least 5-10 thousand followers and make the transition from a personal profile to one suitable for sales, i.e. the company profile . As much as Facebook, there is a showcase in which to offer your items, with direct purchases by users as in a traditional online store.
- Weebly
The best alternative, if you want to create an online store quickly and easily, is Weebly . Among the strengths of this platform you will find a disarming ease of use and pre-set contact forms. Also interesting is the already integrated SEO optimization that allows you to plan the marketing strategy in the best possible way.
Weebly has 3 subscription plans: Pro for €15 a month, Business for €28 a month and Business Plus for €35 a month.
- Jimdo
Another resource to create your online store is Jimdo , this allows you to add only 5 pages in the free version. This software is also very simple to use and has the contact form, shame about the presence of advertising and the 5-page limit in the free version, but it will be more than up to par. If you don’t have any special needs, it might surprise you with its graphic quality and much more user-friendly menu settings.
With Jimdo you don’t have to pay any fees, you can apply various payment methods (including PayPal), connect to Instagram and Facebook, option to collect in person and possibility to create discounts and promotions. For the online shop, you can take advantage of 3 different subscription plans: Vip for 30 euros a month, Business for 15 euros a month and finally Basic for 10 euros a month.
Conclusions
The advantages offered through an online showcase are many and can be summarized in comfort and convenience. Once the place where to meet the buyers has been decided, it is necessary to choose what to sell. It is possible not only to think of selling self-made products whose value is manufacturing, but also to buy goods and then resell them using the famous practice of dropshipping .
Through dropshipping, you become a reseller of a distributor or wholesaler, who makes their catalog available to you. The retailer sells the goods in the distributor’s warehouse and collects the payment. At this point, the retailer contacts the wholesaler and in turn orders the product, paying with part of the income received from the end customer. The wholesaler undertakes to deliver the goods to the customer, as if it were the retailer himself who sent it. In short. the seller offers goods present in the warehouse of another.
