This one is for people who sell on ebay/etsy, etc. AND their own sites:

Do you simply link to the ebay/etsy/whatever product page from your own site, or do you have other options to buy? That is, if I want to buy something and I'm on your site, do you offer a paypal button, or just link to ebay/etsy, or do you have your own shopping cart system, or order form? Or several of the above options?

I'm currently redesigning my site, and find that I don't get a lot of marketing through Etsy (my preferred forum, ebay never really worked for me), but a lot through my own site. I'm wondering if that extra step of getting people to buy through Etsy is a waste of time, and instead I should just have a paypal button on my site. Does having this extra checkout step make it less likely that people will buy? Or does the buying process not matter in terms of converting clicks into sales?

(Don't suggest a shopping cart system, been there, done that. I need something simple that doesn't require me keeping or tracking anybody's info)

Shawn helped me with mine.................. since the only payment I accept I use PayPal..........I use paypal check out. Shawn help me set things up using PayPal merchant tools.
If I have something listed on Ebay I just add the link............... since I don't sell that much on EBay anymore ( fees are to high and it just as not worth it to me) I rarely do that. I think more folks are more comfortable using PayPal than commerce type shopping carts. I prefer something simple!

BD

I agree, the Paypal thing is probably the best way to go. My main problem is in dealing with shipping cost calculations though - I haven't spent a lot of time yet investigating whether or not it's possible to do actual calculations, or whether I need to set one or two shipping costs.

I know from previous research that most online buyers prefer multiple options for payments, rather than being forced into one: Aussies are relatively unused to Paypal (even though they prefer credit card options), and I was thinking that having a downloadable order form might be a good idea for those who prefer other payment methods.

My current idea is that I continue using a link to Etsy, but for any new products also add a paypal button. This way I can compare which method works the best.

I had a problem with that and still have not worked out all the details. For now Shawn just added the shipping in with the price..........since I'm just using priority boxes. For now it is just for US shipping. Inquiries outside the US must contact me so I can send them a PayPal invoice.
My Problem is no matter how much I add notes that the check out is for US customers and that I must calculate Shipping for International customers and send a invoice they still use the check out. another problem is that when I use shipping services with international PayPal I can't get the customs forms to do right, so I usually just back out and go to the post office. It takes a week or so to get your money back! if you mess up.
I'm glad you brought this topic up................ I am curious to see what others say. Many people use the online form and that is a good tool in addition to other services.

This is half of the problem: people tend not to bother reading any policies or anything, they just want to make the purchase and not worry about the rest. It's why I'm reluctant to use anything but the Etsy process, since that stuff is taken care of already. (Even though shipping costs are not calculated dynamically at Etsy, which is annoying. On the other hand, shipping outside Australia is pretty much the same amount whether it's to the US or Europe. It means I usually have a flat rate; one for Aus, one for everywhere else)

I haven't even thought about using Paypal's shipping info...

My biggest concern at the moment is that I don't know how many people are backing out of buying my puppets (via my site) because they're not interested in taking the extra step with using Etsy. On the other hand, I suspect a high percentage just leave because they're not interested in shadow puppets, but rather finger/glove/muppet products. I'm hoping the new redesign will make things much more enticing, but I worry that if I also don't get the buying process right, the redesign will be worthless in terms of conversion.

On a side note, this article is a good read:
http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/10/08/15-common-mistakes-in-e-commerce-design-and-how-to-avoid-them/

It's one of the reasons why I'm rethinking the buying process. It would be different if I was making good sales through a sellers' forum like ebay/etsy, because then it wouldn't matter. The website above notes that the less steps on an ecommerce site (between viewing and checking out), the better.

Paypal does allow you to set up different shipping methods and can calculate things but you have to take the extra step to weigh every item and include it in your product set up.  Compared to most shopping cart systems, this is easier to do on Paypal although it still takes some time.

I convinced Billy to include the price of shipping with the cost of because he was doing specific kits that really did not change it including the price really simplifies things.  The nice thing about PayPal is that you don't have to have an account to buy through them.  You can just enter credit card info and skip signing up if you want. Too many steps give the buyer the chance to think about their purchase and thus they may end up backing out.

Well, weighing stuff is no problem. I have to do that anyway to calculate shipping on Etsy. I'm not sure about including the price of shipping with the product price, as shipping overseas is considerably more expensive than shipping within Aus. It marks up the price twice as much for Aussie buyers.

The nice thing about PayPal is that you don't have to have an account to buy through them.  You can just enter credit card info and skip signing up if you want. Too many steps give the buyer the chance to think about their purchase and thus they may end up backing out.

Yes, I agree. This is why I'm thinking of dropping the link to Etsy. With a paypal button it's 'click - enter info - payment made'. Etsy is 'click - add to cart - checkout - sign up - enter info - payment made'. Even though I have made sales through Etsy, I don't believe it's *because* of Etsy (that is, marketing through them), but because people were patient enough to use their system. But it's hard to know without having direct feedback both from buyers and non-buyers.

I have no advice but I appreciate this thread.  I am wanting to start selling as well, and this part of selling on the web is exactly what I'm most anxious about (figuring shipping costs, check out etc.).  I want to make it as easy as possible for the buyer and for me.  So thanks for this thread.

No problems Angel. This stuff is tricky for anyone, and though I've been through a lot of this process before, it's always good to rethink it and see what works and what doesn't. I really recommend browsing through Smashing Magazine (the link I provided above), as there are lots of excellent articles that talk about how to create a good ecommerce business.

Julie from out of the box puppets found this website that helps you find HS customs code to ship your product. thought this might be worth mentioning. I am guessing these codes are the same Worldwide. I'm glad Na started this thread to. This could be a very informative conversation. I enjoyed the article from the magazine it had some good points and made a lot of sense to me.

http://uscensus.prod.3ceonline.com/#/p=0