There are lots of online store options now. Some free, some not-so-free. I like free, so I will be checking out a few of them over the next few months. Stay tuned for updates.
I do limited credit card transactions, so I'm using the PayPal Here and Square Card Reader apps for the few sales that require it. Etsy has a card reader for offline sales, but it's been on backorder for over 6 months, so who knows when I'll have one of those to test out.
SQUARE
Square has launched a free online store, well, not completely free since it's subject to their 2.75% transaction fee for all sales, but free enough as there are no listing fees or additional commissions on sales. Square checkout is the only way to pay, you cannot select alternate payment options such as Paypal; however, you can select items for pickup and your customers can pay by cash or check if you are offering a local option.
Setup is fairly simple, and categories are easy to establish. Categories are simple and it's a one page site with organization more like an outline form. Everything will organize primarily alphabetically under your self-designed categories.
Photos are easy to upload, and it seems straightforward enough. You can set taxable and nontaxable items, I've even uploaded some yard sale items just because.
Square also doesn't really allow for digital downloads. You can set up an item so that you can email or send a link to another site for downloading, but you can't do an "instant download", at least not yet.
You can customize your web address, and there are promotional links for each item that you post and a nice script to enter on your website. Here's the direct link: http://mkt.com/wiredcoast/
Web Analytics and SEO
Square has limited web analytics, and less SEO optimization. They do provide sales analytics, but there is no way to determine traffic.
Mobile App
You can list and edit items from the mobile app, same one you use for offline sales; however, when you list you can only upload one photo and you can't choose a category. Listing items is far better on the computer as the app isn't really designed for full-on store management. I've only tested the iPhone app as I don't have an iPad and there is no app for the kindle fire. Android user experiences may vary.
Social Media Integration
Listings provide links that you can use for Facebook and twitter promotions. You can also use these links to drive traffic from other social media sources such as pinterest or google+. There is no real Facebook integration; however, they do have a store widget that functions as a storefront, which can be added to your Facebook page using a static HTML page app or on your own page using the coding widget they provide.
Get Free Transactions
Square has a new promotional offer, sign up through a referral link and get the first $1,000 in transactions free. Much like Dropbox's free space for referrals, both parties will get the free transaction bonus, so if you want to try Square for your online or offline business, click here and get some free transactions.
ETSY
Etsy isn't completely free, but the fees to start are fairly minimal. There is a 20c per item listing fee that is for 4 months or until the item is sold, whichever comes first. Then there is a 3.5% commission on each sold item, which is in addition to your credit card transaction fee. Direct Checkout on Etsy is 3% + 25c. They can also use Paypal, which has it's own fee structure. There is no monthly or on-going fee other than renewing your listings. Once you have a lot of items, you will have to determine the cost-effectiveness of the fee system.
Opening a shop is super easy. Once you open the shop by listing a single item, you can then add to or manage existing listings through the app. Since most of my photos were on my phone, this worked great! Etsy has a powerful search engine and great web stats as part of their service. I've noticed significant web traffic that outpaced my own social media promotion. This is a great way to get your products noticed! Take a look here: http://wiredcoast.etsy.com/
Etsy allows for digital downloads, which is completely awesome! The 20c listing fee applies to the listing no matter whether you list it to sell one item or 1,000. The listing will need to be renewed when you sell out of the quantity you list or in 4 months, whichever is first. You will also incur an new 20c re-listing fee every time something sells (if you are selling multiples under a single listing). So, in essence, what you are saving by listing multiples under a single heading is the listing fee for unsold items. That's a help if things stay on your site for awhile before selling out.
Web Analytics and SEO
Etsy provides view stats for each item and the store in general, with additional information from traffic sources. They also provide a way to integrate into Google Analytics for more powerful stats.
Mobile App
Etsy has a new app for managing your store. For now you can't create a store with the app, but you can manage one. Looks like store creation in the app is a "coming soon" feature. With many people using phones and tablets for their primary internet experience, that will be a positive change in their app and burgeoning web presence. The app is fully featured and allows you to do some additional photo editing that for some reason can't be done on the computer (rotating images). A few minor quirks such as the inability to select a few search settings and shipping profiles for digital downloads on app-created drafts, but that's fairly minor and can be addressed at any time by editing the item when you get back to your computer.
Social Media Integration
There are free and paid apps to integrate your store with Facebook and plenty of social media promotion links. I'm using a free app, OrangeTwig, which I do love. The only drawback I have on this particular app is that it doesn't change your timeline to a storefront, you have to click on the store tab. Other than that it's nearly perfect.
Get Free Listings
Etsy also has a promotional offer to get free listings. Sign up with this link and get 40 free listings: http://etsy.me/1KzHh76
Conclusion
Square really does win on the fee option. If you are selling anywhere, there's no downside to having your store on square. And you can sell anything you want.
Downside is: No digital downloads. Lack of customization. No web analytics.
Etsy wins on exposure. They have a built in customer base, great analytics and a fully functioning mobile app for store management.
Downside is: Fees. Those fees do add up, so price your products accordingly.
Product Limitations. Etsy is a handmade marketplace, so your products need to be handmade, vintage, or craft supplies. That's it. If you're selling anything else, then you will need to search other e-commerce options.
Also, some people will not want to "Join" Etsy to complete a transaction, or they just might not like them (it happens). Pay attention to any potential trademark infringement issues as any reports will get you shut down while they investigate.
There are other venues that I've looked at, but for now these are my 2 favorites. Where do you like to shop?
