Chapter 19. Ten E-Commerce Marketplaces Worth Exploring
Options for auctioning your creative work
Marketplaces that let you buy and sell affordably
Places where you can buy or sell for free
Not so long ago, starting an online business primarily meant creating a Web site or selling on a marketplace such as eBay. The landscape has shifted slightly as I update the sixth edition of this book. Yes, Web sites are still important. But the notion of what constitutes a "Web site" has expanded to include a blog, a storefront on eBay, or a site hosted by any of a number of intriguing niche marketplaces.
A single Web site isn't enough. The newest entrepreneurs are focusing on branding themselves and gaining as much exposure as possible through cost-effective marketing methods. One of those is search engine optimization (SEO), the practice of optimizing a Web presence to improve your placement in search results.
By signing up with a niche marketplace, you can set up a storefront, communicate with customers, accept payments, and socialize with other sellers who deal in the same kinds of merchandise you do. You might have to pay a modest hosting fee — or you might not because many of the sites are totally free to their members. This chapter collects ten small, innovative, full-featured marketplaces that are giving the big e-commerce hosts a run for their money and presenting themselves as attractive alternatives. Consider opening storefronts in one or more venues to increase your visibility and, with ...
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