#1 The first decision you’ll make is which plan to choose. There are three: Starter, Standard, and Professional. Each comes with a $50 set-up fee, a monthly fee, and a list of features to help you start, build and manage your store.

#2 Choose your domain name. A domain name will ideally represent the products you’re selling. For example, if you’re selling gift baskets then ideally “baskets” or “gift baskets” will be in your domain name. You’ll want to brainstorm a list of possibilities, do a bit of keyword research, and then check and see if your favorite picks are available. Always opt for a .com whenever possible.

#3 Once you’ve chosen your plan and registered with Yahoo, it’s time to design your store. There are three options for this. You can use their wizard to walk you through the process, you can customize your own using your own website-building software, or you can outsource it to a professional. There’s actually another option and that’s to purchase a Yahoo store template. You can use it as is, customize it yourself or hire a professional to fine-tune it to meet your needs.

#4 Add your products. This is where you’ll start adding photos and descriptions. Quality photos are essential and accurate and detailed descriptions will help sell your products. You can use Yahoo’s wizard to walk you through the process or you can upload the items yourself.

#5 Establish how people are going to pay you. Yahoo will walk you through setting up an account with PayPal or another merchant service so you can accept credit cards. Depending on the type of merchant plan you have with Yahoo, they’ll take 1.5% to 1% of your sales.

#6 The next decision and step is to establish your shipping and fulfillment policies and procedures. Again, and this is why Yahoo is so user friendly, they’ll walk you through the process. You’ll want to establish shipping rates and carriers. You’ll also want to set up your sales tax rates using the Yahoo wizard.

#7 Launch. When you’re ready to go, there’s an “Open for business” button you can push to start selling. But you’re not done yet…

#8 In addition to managing your business, you’ll want to market it. Tell people about your business, create an advertising and marketing strategy and start networking. Drive traffic and customers to your store so you can make a profit.

Yahoo stores are extremely user friendly and many long-time internet entrepreneurs still use the store’s tools and set-up to start new businesses. If you’re interested in becoming an online retailer, check it out.

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