Next, we’ll look at Shopify, which is another one of 2020’s top online marketplaces.

A complete ecommerce solution, Shopify allows you to start, grow, and manage your business — all from one platform.

How to sell on Shopify

Here’s an overview of how to sell online using Shopify:

• 1. Set up your Shopify account. Visit Shopify’s website to create your account and start your free 14-day trial.
• 2. Enter a domain address. By default, your domain will look like “examplestore.myshopify.com,” but you can purchase a custom domain or connect a domain you already own so it looks like “examplestore.com.”.
• 3. Select a Shopify theme. Choose from free or paid themes. Then, customize your theme to create a unique storefront..
• 4. Select a Shopify theme. Choose from free or paid themes. Then, customize your theme to create a unique storefront.
• 5. Install apps and integrations. Shopify offers a host of integrations to expand your business and help you sell more products.
• Optimize your site. To boost conversions, consider using SEO, email list building, and social media services from a company like Tech Sailor.

Cost of selling on Shopify

Shopify offers sellers a free 14-day trial, so you don’t need to enter a credit card when signing up on the platform.

When your free trial ends, you’ll need to select a pricing plan that matches your budget and business goals.

Choose from five plans:

	SELLER PLAN	MONTHLY COST
	Shopify Lite	$9/month
	Basic Shopify	$29/month
	Shopify	$79/month
	Advanced Shopify	$299/month
	Shopify Plus	Custom pricing

Typically, small and medium-sized companies opt for the Shopify or Advanced Shopify plans, so you can expect to pay $79-$299/month to sell on Shopify.

Large businesses can sign up for Shopify Plus, but you’ll need to contact the company for a custom quote.

you may also opt for the Shopify Lite plan that allows you to sell on Facebook and interact with customers on Facebook Messenger. With this $9/month plan, you’ll add products to a website or blog and accept credit card payments.

Shopify ad options

Like Amazon, Shopify gives sellers access to several custom advertising options.

Google Smart Shopping

One of the first platforms to integrate Google’s new Smart Shopping campaigns, Shopify allows Google to pull product information from sellers’ stores.

Google then creates ads automatically and shows them to relevant audiences in places like Google search, Gmail, YouTube, and Google Display Network.

The seamless integration uses Google’s Smart technology to analyze results and optimize campaigns automatically, so you can maximize your paid ad budget.

Facebook Carousel ads

In addition to ads on Google, Shopify sellers can also run Facebook Carousel ads right in Shopify.

These ads include up to five products or images to engage customers and boost awareness of your offerings.

You can also track your Facebook ad results in Shopify.

Shopify shipping options

Shopify Shipping gives sellers access to pre-negotiated shipping rates and labels with shipping carriers, based on your subscription plan.

In the U.S., sellers have access to USPS, UPS, and DHL Express.

Sellers in Canada have access to Canada Post.

Here’s an overview of the process:

1. Choose shipping carriers you’d like to enable at checkout.

2. Customers select their shipping service and speed at checkout.

3. Receive payment for orders and shipping costs.

4. Fulfill the order in Shopify and print the correct shipping label and packaging.

5. Drop off the package with the appropriate carrier or schedule a pickup.

Shopify Shipping offers a suite of tools to aid with the shipping process via your Shopify admin. For example, you can purchase and send return labels to customers from your Shopify admin.

U.S. sellers can also schedule package pickups.

If you purchase UPS or DHL Express labels via Shopify Shipping, you can schedule a pickup from your Shopify admin.

When using Shopify Shipping, remember that the cost of shipping labels gets calculated using the weight of the products and packaging. You can enter this information in your Shopify admin easily, as well as purchase and print your shipping labels.

Final shipping costs depend on the distance and how quickly customers want to receive the products.

Walmart Marketplace comes in second on our online marketplace ranking list.

In the U.S., 100 million people visit Walmart.com every month.

Selling on Walmart Marketplace expands your reach immediately, helping you sell more products.

How to sell on Walmart Marketplace

To get started selling on Walmart Marketplace, you’ll need to:

• 1. Fill out an application with information about your business and products.
• 2. Sign your contract. Sign the Retailer Agreement with a Walmart representative.
• 3. Complete your seller profile and connect a payment account.
• 4. Complete the onboarding process. Choose an integration method, add products, and test orders.
• 5. Go live. Walmart will conduct a final review before giving you the green light to start selling.

Cost of selling on Walmart Marketplace

While Walmart does not charge monthly fees, sellers can expect to pay referral fees ranging from 6-20% for various product categories on this online selling platform.

For example, if you sell apparel on Walmart Marketplace, you can expect to pay a 15% referral fee.

Before you start selling on Walmart.com, you’ll have a chance to review the Product Categories and their referral fees in your Walmart Marketplace Retailer agreement.

Walmart Marketplace ad options

Select Marketplace sellers have access to the Walmart Sponsored Products program.

This program, which requires a $1000 minimum monthly ad spend, allows sellers to create native ads that appear in search results, as well as item, category, and product pages.

Walmart's Sponsored Products program allows you to increase the visibility of your products without paying directly for views. Similar to pay-per-click (PPC) ads, you only pay when customers click on your ad. Walmart’s internal relevancy engines help determine the best time and place to make that happen.

While sellers can oversee their ad strategies in-house, Walmart offers ad management services for campaigns with budgets over $25,000.

Participation in Walmart’s Sponsored Products program requires approval and onboarding from the Walmart Media Group.

To start advertising on this selling platform, you’ll need to:

1. Provide basic company details to confirm eligibility.

2. Receive confirmation of successful onboarding.

3. Log in to advertising.walmart.com to start advertising.

Walmart Marketplace shipping options

Walmart Marketplace offers five shipping methods, including:

• Value
• Standard
• Expedited
• Next Day
• Freight

Sellers select the carriers, shipping price, and shipping method when setting up their profile in Seller Central.

The online marketplace requires sellers to ship orders in non-branded packaging, and you can’t include materials from any company other than Walmart.

With Walmart Marketplace, sellers have access to the platform’s TwoDay Delivery option, which is a great incentive for buyers.

For more information, check out Walmart Marketplace’s shipping guidelines.

Target+ is next up on our online marketplace ranking list.

A relatively new online marketplace, Target+ allows third-party sellers to sell on Target.com.

The platform expands Target.com’s product offerings in categories like home furnishings, toys, electronics, and sporting goods.

How to sell on Target+

Unlike other online marketplace platforms, Target+ is invite-only.

To become a Target supplier, you must uphold the company’s values, which include:

• 1. Diversity
• 2. Sustainability
• 3. Education
• 4. And others

If you want to boost your visibility with the Supplier Diversity team, you’ll need to fill out the Supplier Registration form.

You can also connect with a merchandising or sourcing team member. If selected, you will receive an email invite from a Target team member to set up an account on the Partners Online portal.

Then, Target will validate your company’s information during its approval and onboarding process.

You’ll also need to provide a list of brands you own or license from the trademark owner.

Cost of selling on Target+

Target has not published information regarding Target+ commissions and fees.

However, Target has stated that Target+ sellers are responsible for shipping and other costs.

Target+ ad options

Target’s advertising platform, Roundel (previously Target Media Network), allows companies to reach Target shoppers with custom advertisements.

Going beyond display ads, Roundel clients can advertise brands — even brands not sold in Target stores — on Target’s website and external channels like Pinterest, PopSugar, and NBCUniversal.

Currently, Roundel is used by businesses in financial services, automotive, travel, and more. Its clients include heavy hitters like Coca-Cola, Disney, Pepsi, and Mastercard.

That said, advertising with Roundel may not be the best fit for small and medium-sized businesses. Fortunately, Tech Sailor specializes in helping SMBs expand their presence on online marketplaces like Target+.

heck out our Target+ management and optimization services to learn more.

Target+ shipping options

While Target+ sellers are responsible for shipping products, Target processes online and in-store returns.

Questioning if Target+ selling could work for your business?

Here are some pros and cons of selling products online via Target+.

Another top online marketplace in 2020, eBay allows consumers to buy and sell everything, from cars to electronics, sporting goods, and more. This powerhouse platform rakes in $35 billion in domestic sales each year — and it’s a household name across the globe.

How to sell on eBay

To start selling your products online with eBay:

• Create your account. Sign up for an eBay account to start selling.
• Navigate to “Sell.” Click “Sell” at the top of any eBay page or go to Sell your item.
• List products. Create and publish your product listings.
• Confirm your details and start selling. During this step, you can also add an automatic payment method for eBay fees.

Cost of selling on eBay

Individual eBay sellers can expect to pay several fees, including insertion and final value fees.

Insertion fee

Each month, eBay sellers get up to 50 zero insertion fee listings — or more if you have an eBay Store (more on that later).

After you’ve exceeded the allowance, you’re charged insertion fees, which include:

• Fee charged per listing and category
• Fee charged for the original listing and each time you relist your item
• Fee charged per listing if you create duplicate auction-style listings for identical items
• Fee charged only once per listing for listings with multiple items

Final value fee

Sellers are also charged a final value fee when an item sells.

This fee gets calculated as a percentage of the total sales amount, including any shipping and handling charges.

The amount eBay charges depends on the following factors:

• Item price
• Item format
• Item category
• Additional listing upgrades
• Seller conduct and performance

eBay Stores

Sellers also have the option to open an eBay Store to receive discounted fees and more free listings each month. Store owners have access to additional tools to manage and promote their businesses too.

To get started, you’ll need an eBay seller account with an automatic payment method on file.

If you want to open an eBay Store:

• 1. Go to Account in My eBay.
• 2. Select “Subscriptions.”
• 3. Select “Chose a Store.”
• 4. Find the Store type you’d like to subscribe to and choose “Select and review.”
• 5. Select the subscription term (yearly or monthly) and enter a name for your Store.
• 6. Select Submit order to purchase the Store subscription.

Store subscription plans from eBay start at $4.95/month (with a 1-yr plan) to $2999.95/month (with a 1-yr plan).

When opening an eBay store, you can choose from the following plans:

	STORE TYPE	MONTHLY RENEWAL COST	ANNUAL RENEWAL COST
	Starter	$7.95	$4.95
	Basic	$27.95	$21.95
	Premium	$74.95	$59.95
	Anchor	$349.95	$299.95
	Enterprise	NA	$2999.95

Take a look at eBay’s Store subscription fees to compare options and choose the one that’s right for your business.

eBay ad options

Like other online marketplaces, eBay allows sellers to meet specific objectives with ads.

These goals include:

Drive brand awareness

Build brand awareness for your company with these eBay ads:

1. Home Page Takeover: Purchase valuable placement on eBay’s home page.

Super Nova Takeover: Own high-impact, above-the-fold placements across eBay’s top pages for an entire day.

eBay Audience Platform – Display and Video solutions: Expand your reach across premium partner sites and use eBay’s shopper data to optimize campaigns.

Drive consideration

Get shoppers to start thinking about your brand and products with these eBay ads:

Category Homepage Takeover: Promote brand consideration as shoppers browse products on eBay.

My eBay Billboard: Personally engage consumers with online billboard ads.

Checkout Success Page: Reach highly-engaged customers who are ready to buy.

Etsy is next on our list of the top online marketplaces in 2020.

An online marketplace for handmade, vintage, and craft supply goods, Etsy is an excellent option for sellers catering to those niches. With 39.4 million active buyers on the platform, you can quickly and easily expand your reach and sell more products online with Etsy.

How to sell on Etsy

To open an Etsy shop, follow these steps:

• 1. Sign up to sell. Be sure to check Etsy’s Seller Policy to make sure your products meet the requirements.
• 2. Set your preferences. Select your shop’s language, country, and currency.
• 3. Enter your shop name. Choose a shop name that reflects your business and brand.
• 4. Stock your shop. Start listing products you want to sell.
• 5. Choose your payment method. Etsy sellers can receive payment via:
  • Etsy payments
  • PayPal
  • Check or money orders
• 6. Add a credit card. Depending on your country, you may have to enter a credit card to open your shop.
• 7. Customize your shop by:
  • Adding a bio
  • Setting policies
  • Creating shipping profiles
  • Writing an about section
  • Using Etsy’s social media tool
  • And more

Once your shop is open, you can start selling your products!

Cost of selling on Etsy

Wondering how much it costs to sell on an online selling platform like Etsy?

Etsy sellers can expect to pay several fees, including:

	FEE	COST
	Listing fee	$0.20 per listing.
	Auto-renew fee	$0.20 per auto-renewed listing. Etsy listings expire after four months.
	Multi-quantity fee	$0.20 per each additional quantity when selling multiple quantities of a listing in one transaction.
	Private listing fee	$0.20 per private listing.
	Shipping label fee	Depends on selections when purchasing shipping labels.
	Shipping transaction fee	5% of an item’s listed shipping costs.
	Transaction fee	5% of total item costs (plus shipping and gift wrap) in the designated listing currency.
	Square manual fee	$0.20 per transaction when you sell items in-person using Square, and they are not synced from your Etsy shop inventory.

Check out Etsy’s complete list of selling fees to learn more.

Etsy ad options

Etsy allows sellers to advertise products on the Etsy site, including in its search results, and on Google.

Follow these steps to get started with Etsy ads:

• Navigate to Etsy’s Shop Manager.
• Click “Marketing.”
• Click “Advertising.”
• Set your daily budget (the maximum amount you’re willing to spend on advertising per day). Etsy’s default minimum daily budget is $1. Your maximum daily budget will depend on your average spend, current payment status, and payment history.
• Click “Start advertising.”

By default, starting an ad campaign on Etsy advertises all your listings automatically.

If you want to update which listings you advertise, follow these steps:

• From Advertising, click “Change advertised listings.”
• Check only the listings you want to advertise.
• Click “Save changes.”

On Etsy, you get charged when your ad gets clicked. Etsy calculates your total cost-per-click (CPC) each day and adds it to your payment account.

Etsy shipping options

Etsy makes shipping easy and affordable for sellers with shipping labels, calculated shipping, and shipment tracking.

Like Shopify, Etsy offers shipping labels that allow you to sell directly from your shops via:

USPS

FedEx

Canada Post

Even better, you can save up to 30% on shipping with Etsy Shipping Labels.

When you purchase a shipping label, Etsy marks the item shipped automatically. Just print the label, package, and send the item.

To start shipping on Etsy:

Create shipping profiles to add shipping costs to items automatically.

Add tracking options to put customers at ease.

For more info about how to get started, check out Etsy’s shipping page.

Not sure if you should sell on Etsy or your website?

Here are some pros and cons of selling products online with Etsy.

Additional Etsy resources

For more info on Etsy selling and marketing, check out these resources from Tech Sailor.

How to Start Selling Online in an Hour or Less

6 Great Websites to Start Selling Your Artwork

One of the fastest-growing U.S. online marketplaces is Sears Marketplace. This marketplace allows SMBs to sell products on Sears.com and in kiosks in Sears stores.

With millions of Sears.com members, you can access a broad audience of ready-to-buy shoppers.

How to sell on Sears

To start selling on Sears.com, you’ll need to:

• Fill out your Sears Marketplace application with information about your business and products.
• Verify your address. To sell on Sears Marketplace, you will need a U.S.-based business address.
• Verify business details. You’ll also need to ensure you have an EIN or SSN registered to a U.S.-based address.

Sears does not guarantee return contact for forms. They will not prioritize incomplete forms either.

In addition to selling on Sears, you can also apply for the Fulfilled by Sears (FBS) program.

An enterprise-level fulfillment and logistics solution, FBS allows you to sell anywhere (on or off Sears.com) and lets Sears pick, pack, and ship your items. The best part? There’s no minimum volume or long-term commitments.

Sears boasts one of the most sophisticated networks of warehouses, distribution centers, and online fulfillment processes in the country — and the FBS program is designed to fit the needs of any business, from SMBs to enterprises.

How FBS works

Here’s an overview of the FBS process:

• Send your products to a designated Sears fulfillment center.
• Sears stores your items in a secure warehouse.
• Customers order your products.
• Sears picks, packs, and ships the items.

For added convenience, Sears also offers customer service for FBS products.

Cost of selling on Sears

Sears.com sellers get charged a $39.99 monthly program fee, as well as commission for each item sold.

Commission fees depend on product categories and range from 8-20%. For instance, if you sell clothing, expect to pay a 15% commission fee for each product sold.

If you opt for FBS, you’ll have access to a pay-as-you-go model with no long-term commitments. This means you’ll only pay for what you store and ship.

Check out the shipping section below to learn more about FBS options and pricing.

Sears ad options

Sears also lets sellers create compelling ads to reach Sears.com shoppers.

With 15 million unique visitors each month, Sears.com is valuable territory for businesses looking to boost brand awareness and purchases.

Advertising on Sears gives you numerous options, including:

Display ads: Connect with your target audience with display ads on department pages. You can also create display ads on Sears’ home page — it attracts one million pages views each day!

Featured product ads: Highlight specific products with ads in visible locations based on shopper searches and navigation.

Brand showcases: Create multi-channel experiences that earn you qualified web traffic with brand showcases, which feature a hero image, promotional banner text, and more.

Check out the Advertise with Sears page for a full overview of ad options and pricing.

Sears shipping options

If you choose to ship your products, you can manage your shipping via the seller portal.

However, many sellers opt to use FBS to receive discounted shipping rates. As noted, FBS is a pay-as-you-go solution, which makes it perfect for SMBs looking to streamline the fulfillment process.

For a complete breakdown of FBS prices, check out the “Pricing” tab on Sears’ FBS page.

Curious about whether Sears is the right option for selling and shipping your products? Check out the pros and cons of this top online marketplace of 2020.

Facebook Marketplace — commonly used to buy and sell items like furniture, clothes, and even cars — features 800 million monthly users in 70 countries.

Though the platform is popular among individual sellers, Facebook has started to roll out Marketplace for Business — a feature for SMB sellers.

Marketplace for Business allows you to:

• Show inventory for retail items, home rentals, vehicles, and event tickets
• Advertise your store or products on Marketplace, even if you don’t sell directly on the platform
• Display new or refurbished items from your Facebook Page shop on Marketplace for free and allow customers to buy without leaving Facebook

How to sell on Facebook Marketplace for Business

To list ecommerce inventory on Marketplace for Business, you’ll need to work with one of the following listing partners:

• 1. BigCommerce
• 2. ChannelAdvisor
• 3. CommerceHub
• 4. Feedonomics
• 5. Quipt
• 6. ShipStation
• 7. Shopify
• 8. Zentail

How to sell on Sears

To start selling on Sears.com, you’ll need to:

• Fill out your Sears Marketplace application with information about your business and products.
• Verify your address. To sell on Sears Marketplace, you will need a U.S.-based business address.
• Verify business details. You’ll also need to ensure you have an EIN or SSN registered to a U.S.-based address.

Sears does not guarantee return contact for forms. They will not prioritize incomplete forms either.

In addition to selling on Sears, you can also apply for the Fulfilled by Sears (FBS) program.

An enterprise-level fulfillment and logistics solution, FBS allows you to sell anywhere (on or off Sears.com) and lets Sears pick, pack, and ship your items. The best part? There’s no minimum volume or long-term commitments.

Sears boasts one of the most sophisticated networks of warehouses, distribution centers, and online fulfillment processes in the country — and the FBS program is designed to fit the needs of any business, from SMBs to enterprises.

How FBS works

Here’s an overview of the FBS process:

• Send your products to a designated Sears fulfillment center.
• Sears stores your items in a secure warehouse.
• Customers order your products.
• Sears picks, packs, and ships the items.

For added convenience, Sears also offers customer service for FBS products.

Sears ad options

Sears also lets sellers create compelling ads to reach Sears.com shoppers.

With 15 million unique visitors each month, Sears.com is valuable territory for businesses looking to boost brand awareness and purchases.

Advertising on Sears gives you numerous options, including:

Display ads: Connect with your target audience with display ads on department pages. You can also create display ads on Sears’ home page — it attracts one million pages views each day!

Featured product ads: Highlight specific products with ads in visible locations based on shopper searches and navigation.

Brand showcases: Create multi-channel experiences that earn you qualified web traffic with brand showcases, which feature a hero image, promotional banner text, and more.

Check out the Advertise with Sears page for a full overview of ad options and pricing.

Sears shipping options

If you choose to ship your products, you can manage your shipping via the seller portal.

However, many sellers opt to use FBS to receive discounted shipping rates. As noted, FBS is a pay-as-you-go solution, which makes it perfect for SMBs looking to streamline the fulfillment process.

For a complete breakdown of FBS prices, check out the “Pricing” tab on Sears’ FBS page.

Curious about whether Sears is the right option for selling and shipping your products? Check out the pros and cons of this top online marketplace of 2020.

Now that we’ve looked at the top third-party marketplaces, it’s time to consider creating and selling on your own site.

For many businesses, creating and selling on their own ecommerce websites yields the best return. Since 74% of small business websites don’t have ecommerce functionalities, there’s a significant opportunity for you to move into the online selling space using your site.

How to sell on your website

To start selling products online via your site, you’ll first need to create or update your website.

Follow these steps to get started selling on your site:

• 1. Select your website host.
• 2. Register your domain name.
• 3. Design your ecommerce site.
• 4. Get your SSL certificate to secure your site.
• 5. Set up a merchant account to start accepting online payments.
• 6. Establish your pricing and start listing products.
• 7. Create a plan for managing your inventory and shipping products.
• 8. Promote your site with digital marketing services.

Designing and launching your ecommerce store is a daunting task, but Tech Sailor can guide you through every step of the process. Contact us today to speak with an expert and start selling from your custom online storefront.

Cost of selling on your website

Selling on your own site requires an upfront investment, but for many SMBs, it’s the best long-term option.

When creating your site, you’ll encounter several fees, including:

Website design, development, and maintenance

On average, you can expect to pay $12,000 - $150,000 to design and launch a custom ecommerce site. You’ll also need to invest in routine maintenance, which can range from $35 - $5000 per month.

Ultimately, the total cost of selling on your site depends on several factors. For a custom estimate, check out our website cost calculator.

CALCULATE MY SITE COST

Ecommerce SEO

If you want to drive long-term results with your ecommerce store, we also recommend investing in an SEO strategy.

Tech Sailor offers ecommerce SEO services. In the last five years, we’ve generated over $1.5 billion in revenue for clients and driven more than 4.6 million leads for their businesses.

At Tech Sailor, we understand the importance of creating websites that not only look great, but also function well and rank at the top of search results.

When you choose us as your ecommerce partner, you can rest assured we’ll earn you the best possible results — and you’ll enjoy more site traffic, leads, and online revenue.

CREATE MY CUSTOM ECOMMERCE SITE

Ad options for your website

When selling on your own website, you can choose to run paid ads on platforms like Google Ads, as well as social media sites, to boost traffic to your website.

PPC ads appear at the top of search results — above organic listings. And they can help your SMB boost brand awareness, leads, and revenue.

Advertising on social media expands your reach and connects your business with a qualified audience — people most likely to purchase from your online site.

If you’re launching a new site, PPC ads can help you gain qualified leads immediately, while you work to establish your organic site rankings with SEO.

To get the best possible ROI from your paid ad campaigns, we recommend consulting a PPC expert.

At Tech Sailor, our PPC specialists will take a deep dive into your goals and budget. We’ll also create a custom-tailored strategy to help you create and manage result-driving ads.

DRIVE RESULTS WITH PAID ADS

Shipping options for your website

When selling on your own site versus an online selling site, you’re responsible for fulfilling and shipping all orders.

Here are some things to consider:

• Shipping rates and methods: You can choose to pass the full cost of shipping on to customers or offer free, flat-rate shipping to absorb some of the shipping fees.
• Product size and weights: Recording product weights will help you establish accurate shipping prices, so you can provide value to customers, while still earning the best return.
• Packaging: SMBs can order packaging from USPS, UPS, or DHL — or you may choose to invest in branded packaging for your ecommerce business.

Keep in mind, you’ll also need to create a return policy and provide customer service to shoppers.

Investing in an SEO plan can boost traffic to your site, so people can find and contact you. Results don’t happen overnight though, so if you want a lot of eyes on your products quickly, you may consider selling on an online marketplace.

• You need to work harder to earn consumer trust: Depending on your business, you may also lack the reputation or social proof necessary to inspire purchases. A household name like Amazon doesn’t back your website, so you’ll need to work hard to instill trust in shoppers and keep them coming back to your ecommerce store.

Additional resources for selling on your own site

For more info on creating your ecommerce site, check out these resources from Tech Sailor.

• Award-Winning Web Design Services
• Ecommerce Web Design That Drives Results
• Our 12 Pro-Grade Web Development Solutions
• Ecommerce SEO Services
• How Much Should a Website Cost?