I'm hoping to set up a simple online store to sell some collectibles and random items that could be useful to others. I've been selling on eBay, but their fees have gotten really high since I've been away from selling for a few years. I'm looking for something that requires minimal effort on my part, so ideally I want to display a product image, a brief description, and a purchase button. I'm not expecting a massive influx of customers or anything like that.
It's also been a while since I've set up anything like this, so I could use some reassurance or pointers if I'm missing crucial aspects of the setup. Here are my initial thoughts:
- Use Porkbun for my domain name and hosting.
- Consider using Astro to build out a few pages (home, product listing, product description).
- For payment processing, I'm looking at Stripe Link or Stripe Checkout, or possibly PayPal.
- I'm not overly concerned about shipping yet, as these will mostly be small items where I can handle postage separately.
To post items for sale, I want to be able to:
- Create a product description using a markdown file.
- Generate a payment link to include as the "buy" button in my markdown page.
- Upload this markdown file when I add new items.
Additionally, I'm considering a few other points:
- Email notifications or purchase confirmations.
- Security measures.
- Seller protection from fraud.
- Perhaps a method to handle product inquiries, maybe through a comment thread.
I appreciate any suggestions or if anyone sees any major flaws with this setup so I can avoid going down the wrong path. Thanks!
3 Answers
This is a great plan for a side hustle! Stripe Checkout takes care of a lot of the backend details like confirmations and security, so you're not starting from scratch. The main thing is that you're managing inventory with markdown files, and that might become a hassle over time—especially if things sell quickly! You might want to think about using a simple CMS that can track stock for you. As for seller protection, both Stripe and PayPal typically cover that aspect, so you should be alright. Also, just a heads-up, your customers aren't expecting a forum to ask questions. Just having your email on the site for inquiries is more than sufficient!
I've done something similar with Drupal many years ago, and it turned out to be way more than I needed. The idea of using markdown for product pages sounds perfect for keeping things simple and efficient for you. Also, I hear you about WYSIWYG editors—they can be a pain!
You could explore WordPress too! It has templates that could fit your needs, allowing you to set everything up without the hassle of major dependencies. But be careful not to get overwhelmed by all the extras it offers.
Thanks! I appreciate that. I just want to avoid dealing with all the extra CMS stuff unless it's necessary.
True! I wasn't sure how to handle repeated questions. I guess as long as I keep the details clear, I should be okay, right?