This is a fairly old post, but I will answer it for anyone else looking for a quick rundown on the requirements of starting an online store: 1) Get a web hosting service that offers a shopping cart system (or try yahoo or another shopping cart service). Establish your domain name and hosting account. 2) Hire a web designer to create a basic web store template (yahoo and some of the other services give you templates you can work from as an alternative) 3) Establish a merchant account or just get a business PayPal account 4) Take pictures of your products and save them into a folder to upload to your shopping cart software along with your prices and descriptions (these will take some time to write--you might want to hire a writer) 5) Integrate your merchant account with your shopping cart software and upload the files to your web server as instructed by the service (it will probably be automatic if you use your web hosting service's shopping cart) 6) Publish your online store, including the html files that make up your homepage, contact page, etc and start selling! Start promoting your online store with online ads, spreading the word to family/friends and by developing a newsletter. SEO is important too, so read up on what it is and how to integrate it into your website to draw traffic. You may or may not need to register this type of business with your state. If you need to accept sales tax from orderers, then yes you definitely need to apply for a sales tax ID from your state. If you plan to incorporate this online business, then again yes you need to register with your state. Finally, if you plan to get a business bank account to deposit funds you definitely need to register your business. I'm sure I've missed a thing or two in this list of things to do, but all of the rest of the details tend to fall into place as you go along. I would still create a business plan as well to help guide your store and understand your marketing plan. Hope this helps. ---This post was edited to remove a commercial link. Read our discussion policies for more Community best practices.

Please add only new thoughts to this thread. You can agree with a previous post by giving it 'kudos'.

I think that's a good idea. The thing is you have to have a business that you really like to do or anything that suits your interest.

Congratulations about starting up online store.. on marketing side, I can shed some light.. few things to which I personally believe to keep track on   1. Build base stronger, means when you are creating website for online store.. pinpoint anything that comes in mind, e.g. google categorization, page flow that will help crawl search engines.. product description, good images.. reviews etc 2. the above point is on page consideration, when doing offpage marketing.. submit some articles, high authority sites, press releases and major social networks, to be successful in social media, create bond with your network.. try hubpages and facebook fan pages   these are the initial tips on the front of marketing.. please let me know if you have any queries so i can elaborate in case you need more help   regards

Like others have written, we could help you more if you gave more details about your situation. Generally, to start an online retail store all you need is a business license (also known as a doing business as) and an employer identification number (EIN). With these items you can proceed to get a business bank account and get wholesale prices from suppliers/distributors for the products you wish to sell.

Couple of things you can do to increase your knowledge: Go and work for an online business. Try SCORE - find a counselor who has experience in the industry you want to enter. Find a SBDC - that is what they are there for. You question is very broad - Do you have a product or service already in mind to sell? Do you have a website set up? Do you know anything about your potential customers - who they are - where they shop online - where they get their information - why they buy what you want to sell? This will help with your marketing.

You also want to remember to market your online business using offline channels too! Especially if its local. You can get affordable bus bench ads, or do flyers on windshields, or hire some kids to hold up signs at an intersection (hope the URL is memorable), or use your computer for advertising on the backside of the screen and use a laptop skin to promote your business whenever you're out with it. Those little classified ads prove to pay for themselves repeatedly. Depending on your business, an affiliate program can be a great tool. Also try marketing with http://www.zazzle.com custom tshirts too! There are hundreds of ways! Message Edited by stevenr on 05-20-2009 10:18 PM Message Edited by NicoleD on 06-16-2009 05:35 PM

Hey Laura. I really recommend a forum called Self Starters weekly tips. You can find it here The forum is about just what you are talking about. They have helped me greatly! At least check them out! Message Edited by ChristineL on 10-30-2009 10:05 AM

Hi, Laura, There are few rules and regs. The internet is still the wild and wooly west, as far as the business world is concerned. But there are good practices. Hundreds of them. And even more techniques to learn. After being on the web for nearly 10 years now, I am still learning nearly every single day. One of my associates likened creating a web business to getting a university degree, and that is the honest to goodness truth. It is a wonderful, exciting (and lucrative) adventure -- one that I wouldn't trade for anything. So fasten your seat belt. You are in for an exciting ride! MaryAnnBusiness Plan MasterThe Business Plan for a Tough Economy ---This post was edited to remove a commercial link. Read our discussion policies for more Community best practices.

The post stating that there are no rules and regs really caught my eye, because the FTC and the Committe on Commerce, Science and Transporation have both been taking a closer look at eCommerce - not just the out and out scammers, but also major retailers (although, surprisingly they are using some pretty deceptive marketing practices). Here's the Senate Committee Press Release Message Edited by paulms on 11-20-2009 04:15 PM