Seeking advice for simple direct ways to sell handmade items?

[VIRGO]

Hi Im hoping to get some advice from anyone and everyone!
I'm going to start selling handmade cards and paper gifts online. I have started building a website on Moonfruit and have also just installed StoreYa (which is free) to my Facebook page.
I'm not really sure what Im doing just muddling along at the moment.

Im wondering should I set my free moonfruit web page up as a 'meet and greet' kind of page with contact details - previous examples of work etc - and then add a link to facebook store (storeYa)

Or pay monthly for the moonfruit site and sell directly from there?

I have seen other crafters using a business web address and then adding a link to etsy or ebay etc, but wondered if it looks dodgy or unprofessional not actually selling on the website you initially direct prospective customers to?

I currently sell my goods in an antiques centre but would like to add a mini moo card to my items with one point of contact on the details rather than listing multipul points of sale like etsy - web shop and fb shop etc .

I feel like there are so many choices my head is spining. I rent a cabinet to sell my goods in the antique centre so I want to avoid commiting/wasting extra money and time to online options that may end up being a dead end.

If you have any words of wisdom please feel free to pass it on
Many thanks for your time!

[Tony Mac]

er, simply set up a website that lets you sell through it .... there are plenty of wordpress templates to buy that do this!

personally i wouldnt use facebook for anything! i definately wouldnt enter my bank account details into it! Facebook is riddled with viruses and is about as secure as a paper bag!

[Chekkout]

Sell on a new website that's free I've found: http://www.virgo21.com
It's totally free, and they have other options like classifieds too
Just open a paypal account and every sold item goes directly to your paypal account, It's like a bank account online and transfer it to your bank account local.

Check it out!

[Eric]

The best way to do it is to get a simple site with a domain name (virgocrafts.co.uk or whatever) and then use that as a "meet and greet" type page, which would then link to your Etsy page to have people buy from you. You can get a domain for under $10/year and hosting for under $5/month from places like godaddy.com or hostgator.com. Or if you don't want a domain you can setup a free site at
weebly.com or snappages.com.

I selling from an etsy page gives you credibility, because they handle the payment part, and people trust them. Plus, it gets your items listed on their site which can get you additional sales.

[HuckingFilarious]

Word of wisdom, forget it, you will never make any sales. Nobody will buy from an unknown person like you when they have so much choice to buy from well known businesses on the net like Moonpig.com.

If you are still determined to give it a go, do the cheapest option and test the waters before you lose lots of money on an expensive site. Go for the free MoonFruit webpage.

[Nicole S]

I own a "in home" boutique. When we first started we purchased a domain and paid for hosting at godaddy and honestly, I never even used it! All the money spent there would have been better invested in supplies.
I mainly operate Bubbly Boutique from facebook. I have considered using a free webpage to demo my products. This is useful in the event someone doesn't have a facebook page.
My business cards have my facebook addy & etsy addy. I am considering opening an ebay store but haven't completely decided. I figure the options are good for those who don't have a facebook account.

[Tim]

Sell your hand made items on VendGenie proven to earn 50% more only at Vendgenie.com Sign up today. Enjoy!