---

---

Hosted Free Online Stores             

Tips for Free Online Stores
[or go straight to the list of stores]

Hosted free stores are a simple way to start an online store.  As a basic they will enable you to:
·Display your goods or services and prices
·Run a customers’ ecommerce shopping basket
·Collect payment
·Maintain financial security and demonstrate this to your customers
·Receive and fill orders
·Let customers contact you
·Manage sales and accounts

The online stores below are free to set up and run, and you get a fully hosted store, so they’re particularly easy to set up.  They’re great for small and home based business start ups, but may be less attractive to established or larger businesses (See what paid store plans can offer you).

With a hosted online store you get things like simple design, easy set up and full ecommerce, together with advice and support thrown in.  Some sites offer shipping of your orders as part of the deal.  In addition, the sites act as a sort of shopping mall, attracting more customers than one store alone.  They have a ‘community’ feel to them, so you’re never short of advice. 

The down side is that you are tied to their site’s style of store, and sometimes the range of goods you can sell is restricted.  You have less freedom to develop your own brand.  This may or may not limit you in your type of business.

Most have additional paid options if you want more features for your online store or, in some cases, if you want to use real world publishing or similar.  Since they’re free, take some time to play with them and see which suits your needs best.  Visit other stores on the site to get ideas and see how they look to shoppers.

Get some excellent advice about opening online stores from Business Link - a government sponsored organization that advises businesses.  It’s a UK site but the general advice applies everywhere.
<http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/bdotg/action/layer?topicId=1074021940>


Hosted free online stores

Ebay store - Sorry, it’s not free, but I couldn't leave it out.

The granddaddy of online store providers, of course.  You can sell most things, it’s easy to set up, you get full ebay support, and have the confidence of knowing that your shop is hosted on the biggest marketing site.  Down sides are that there is no free entry level or trial, just an inexpensive option with fewer features, and if you want international sales you’ll have to have a shop in each country.  Find ebay USA or ebay UK here.  For other countries, scroll to the bottom of one of those pages and click your country.  You have to register, if you don't already use ebay, and then find ‘open a shop’.

Amazon store
Amazon offer an ‘affiliate’ online store:  you market Amazon products and they pay you a percentage of the price.  Amazon is, of course, much more than just books and CDs these days.  The advantage of selling Amazon products this way is that you can offer to your customers a range of products especially selected by you to meet their needs.  It’s free, and easy to set up. Create an Amazon store.

Etsy store - crafts and more
The site specializes in selling your own handmade goods, supplies for crafts or vintage goods.  ‘Handmade’ is interpreted quite liberally, but you have to abide by the spirit of the thing.  You get your own store and there’s a good community.  You can join Etsy ‘teams’ to work together to promote your products.  It’s free to set up your store.  Create an Etsy store.

Lulu store - use your own designs
Publish words, art, photographs, music and sell almost anything - books, CDs, videos.  Produce stuff for your own consumption or to sell from your online store.  Lulu handles the shipping.  It’s free to get started, but you pay for ‘publishing packs’.  Their Lulu blog and forum have recently shut down, but there is still information available.  Free start up.  Create a Lulu store.

More stores ....

Online store software - a store on your own website

Cafepress store - use your own artwork
Upload your artwork and choose what item you want to put it on: T-shirts, mugs, etc.  You can also publish books and CDs.  Get your own online store and Cafepress handles the money and the shipping.  Free store or upgrade to Premium at a monthly cost (15 days free trial).  Create a Cafepress store.

Zazzle store - another place to use your artwork
Similar to Cafepress but fewer products available.  It’s free.  Create your own products - T-shirts, mugs, cards, posters and so on - using their design tools.  Open your own online store (gallery) and Zazzle handles the shipping.  Create a Zazzle store. 


Yokaboo store - a place to sell nice things!
Yokaboo gives you your own store to display accessories, clothes, music, art and design, jewelry or ‘other nice things’.  The free online store plan allows you just six products, but you can upgrade to a monthly paid plan to display more products and get more features.  Create a Yokaboo store.

eCrater store - shop by categories
eCrater is both a free online store builder and an online marketplace. Sellers create their own free online store and sell their own products. Buyers browse general categories of thousands of products in a way similar to eBay.  Create an eCrater store.

Payloadz store - specialise in e-products
A free online store specifically for selling e-products.  Handles store front, download and payment through PayPal.  Free plan or optional paid premier account.  Create a Payloadz store.

Shopcreator - a free option
<http://www.shopcreator.com/index.html>
Their Transact product offers a free online store.  You are charged a percentage of turnover for hosting.  Create a Shopcreator store.

Createastore - free if you're not worth $millions!
<http://www.createastore.com/>
You qualify for a free store provided you have fewer than 100 employees (!) and revenues of less than $2,000,000 (!!) plus a few other conditions.

Back to top
Online store software - crete a store on your own website