Starting An Online Shop? Stores Open For This Absurd Reason

Have you ever thought about starting an online shop?

Certainly you’ve heard stores about people selling their goods online and actually making money.

I’ve thought about it too; but not for the reason you may think.

Many people have encouraged me to sell reproductions of my watercolor paintings and graphic illustrations using an online vendor. I realize such advice is not the strongest reason to open an online shop; but such advice has made me curious.

Selling Artwork Online

Surprisingly, a little research proved to me curiosity is one reason people start online shops. New sellers often wonder whether they can be successful by simply opening an online store. With a little tenacity, potential sellers are driven by motivation and lots of curiosity, which compels them to fully explore the possibilities. These new sellers usually outweigh any risk they could encounter to determine if selling online is worth their efforts.

If research is correct, it’s curiosity that’s leading me down this digital quest. I’ve read about others who’ve tried selling online and remarkably they seem to be doing well. I’m skeptical, but I’m starting to think why not? Maybe it’ll be a good decision.

I’ll share all my goals and challenges with you, and see if this exploration is worth my journey.

Setting Objectives and Goals

I’ll start by setting clear intentions.

• Objective: Create an online shop that ties into my website
  To address my objective, I need to research a vendor who’s marketplace offers various merchandise. The idea is to provide my artwork to the vendor and select specific merchandise to be sold on my website. The vendor will handle procurement. Ideally my art shop should be a part of my existing website. Therefore, the vendor I chose should offer an easy way for me to link their merchandise to my website.
  
• Goal: Research vendors with a focus on quality.
  Quality is important to me. I’ll start exploring vendors and see where this journey takes me.

For the next steps in this journey, read my article Launching Your Own Online Shop.