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Rank: Horsham Forum Kingpin
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| A colleague of mine attended an event in Brighton yesterday evening. In it the presenters extolled the virtues of setting up a web site and making your fortune by selling anything from candles to catalytic convertors The next step is to attend a day long training event at Sandown for a cost of £20 whereby you will be offered a set up web site for £1900 although it will be discounted if you sign up on the day. If you are not happy after 6 months you can walk away and the web site will still be yours (!) The event yesterday spoke of many success stories but I think it sounds a lot of money for registering a domain and unpacking a bit of shop software onto it. Whilst not wishing to diminish the work of fellow web designers who provide a true bespoke service, especially those who post here, I remain sceptical about the whole thing Has anyone else got any experience of such 'deals'
www.hiddenhorsham.co.uk 
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The first thing to consider is that a website is just that "a website". It is not a business. A £20 one day course is not going to teach a complete novice everything they need to know about successfully running an online business. To trade on the internet, just as on the high street, you first need a viable business. It sounds obvious but a website is not a 'magic bullet'. You still need a market for your products. A website can help you reach a wide audience but this audience will also have access to many competing websites. Established competitors are likely to have a larger buying power and hence lower prices than a start up. I have known people that have tried to buy products wholesale and have found they could actually buy them cheaper retail from the likes of Amazon etc. If you then factor in the costs of payment processing, shipping and a profit margin the business is clearly not viable. Assuming you colleague has a viable business he would still need a good understanding of all of the following to succeed: Payment processors (including transaction fees), merchant accounts, SSL (secure servers), E-commerce Regulations, SEO (search engine optimisation and marketing) and much more. The internet is now a very competitive market place. The first thing I would do if I were your colleague is ask to see some RECENT examples of "success stories". Then 'Google' for the products that these "success stories" sell. If these sites do not appear on the first few pages then I would be very sceptical of any claims of "instant success"
--------------------www.visithorsham.co.uk | www.virtualhorsham.co.uk
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I echo the previous comments and I'd like to add that you will need to work hard to make any website a success. It can be done but it's not simply a case of creating a website and sitting back and counting the money. A website is part of your business. Granted, it might be the main selling point for your business, but like any other business, hard work will be needed.
I would also ask for specific examples of the success stories that are mentioned. I would go further and contact the success stories for their comments.
As for price, I would say that £1900 is moderate for an ecommerce website but the price depends heavily on the shop functionality that is provided - and the amount of product information (if any) that is included. However, for a small business selling a small number of products, I'm sure I could beat that price [sorry for the sales pitch!]....
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| Yes, I also echo what's been said here. Nowadays there are so many e-traders the net is saturated with purely online businesses. Having said that, it is a good way to start off and test the waters as the initial outlay would be alot less than opening a physical shop. It's also a good way to augment your existing business. In my opinion £1900 is expensive for an online shop (email me if you want to know what I would charge ) but you do need to consider payment options and if you'd need SSL etc. You'd also need to consider the marketing side of things. If the business is viable, then it has a much better chance of being profitable as a web shop. I do quite a lot of work for start-ups so if anyone wants any free advice about getting a website up and running, portfolio style or e-commerce, then feel free to get in touch.
Meg
White Ochre Design
www.whiteochre.co.uk
Creative, Quality, Affordable Web & Graphic Design
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Family days out and children's activities in Sussex
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