Resources

Tools I Recommend

There are many things you will need to sign up for to get your store up off the ground and running.  I’ve compiled a list here of websites and services that you can use for your shop needs.

Disclosure:  Please note that some of the links below are affiliate links, and at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you decide to make a purchase.  Please don’t make a purchase on any of these products unless you believe it will help you achieve success.

Amazon Research

  • Jungle Scout: Offers a web app with an awesome product database.  You can search for new product ideas and see popular sellers on Amazon.  Jungle Scout also offers a chrome plugin that is great for investigating further in product categories.  You can find out data about products while on the Amazon website, which helps determine demand and competition.

 

  • Terapeak:  Research product and sales data on Ebay.  This is helpful to see the demand for certain products across selling channels.  Also, you can see if you can liquidate your product on Ebay if Amazon does not work out.

 

  • Unicorn Smasher:  This is a free chrome plugin for analyzing pages on Amazon.  It is similar to Jungle Scout’s plugin, and helps to use to get another perspective on the data.

 

Stores and Hosting

  • Shopify: If you want to skip almost all of the setup headaches, then Shopify is probably your best bet.  You can sign up and create a store in nearly 5 minutes.  Of course you still need to set up payment gateways, create your products, etc, but you won’t need to do any programming.
  • Bluehost: If you are looking to get your feet wet, then Bluehost is the choice for you.  Hosting starts very low per month, and it is relatively easy to set up.

If you are more committed, however, then I recommend:

  • Wpengine: It is where this site is hosted, and the support and performance is superb.  You basically won’t have to worry about anything other than building your website.

 

WordPress Tools

If you’re not using shopify, then I recommend using wordpress to build your online store.  With bluehost you have to install it (just a few clicks) and with wpengine it comes loaded ready to go.  Once loaded, there are a few plugins and themes you can use that I list here.

  • Woocommerce: Woo Commerce is a free plugin to use to set up a store.
  • Easy Digital Downloads: Allows you to sell digital files easily and for free.Both of those plugins have several add-ons for purchase.