1. Decide what you will sell
Start from what you can source or make reliably: your own craft, a supplier you trust, or a niche you know well. Launch with 10–20 products and let real orders tell you what to scale.
How to start an online store
From choosing products to your first order: the five steps, everything you need, the real costs, and whether to sell on your own store or a marketplace.
Türkçe okumak için e-ticaret nasıl yapılır rehberi
Five steps to launch
2. Choose your ecommerce platform
A hosted platform gives you storefront, cart, checkout, inventory and an admin panel in one subscription. Self-hosting open source means servers, updates and security are your job.
On Mefticaret a store goes live in minutes: pick a theme, add products, connect payments, open for sales.
3. Set up domain and storefront
Register a short, memorable domain. Add your logo, colours and a clear brand story. Give every product 3–5 photos, an honest description and accurate stock — descriptions are also how search engines find you.
4. Connect payments and shipping
Card payments need a payment provider with 3D Secure; bank transfer and cash on delivery widen your reach in many markets. On shipping, negotiate a carrier rate and automate tracking numbers and returns.
5. Get your first customers and measure
Organic traffic takes months. Your first buyers come from social channels, messaging apps, your own network and marketplaces. Then watch cart abandonment, top viewed products and conversion rate, and improve from data.
What does it cost?
Domain name
$10–25 / year
A free platform subdomain works until you are ready.
Platform
From $0 / month
Hosted plans add a fixed fee plus a lower commission as you grow.
Payment fees
1–3% per sale
Charged by the payment provider on each transaction.
Shipping
Per parcel
Charge the buyer, absorb it, or offer free shipping above a threshold.
Marketing
Your budget
Organic social costs nothing but time; ads come later.
Own store or marketplace?
Your own online store
- You own the brand, the domain and the customer data
- Fixed platform cost instead of a high per-sale commission
- Your product pages get indexed and build organic traffic
- Full control over discounts, email and upsells
- You bring the first visitors yourself
- Trust has to be earned early on
Selling on a marketplace
- Built-in traffic, faster first sale
- Payments and logistics handled for you
- High commission per sale
- Customer data stays with the marketplace
- Price wars and rule changes
Frequently asked questions
- Do I need technical skills to start an online store?
- No. On a hosted ecommerce platform you add products, themes, payments and shipping from an admin panel without writing code. Self-hosting an open-source store does require technical skills or a developer.
- What do I need to start an online store?
- Products and starting stock, an ecommerce platform, a domain, a payment method, a shipping carrier, product photos, and a first marketing channel. You also need tax registration appropriate to your country.
- How much does an online store cost?
- You can start at zero platform cost on a free plan. Recurring costs are the domain, payment fees per sale and shipping; advertising is optional.
- Own store or marketplace — which is better?
- Both, in sequence. Marketplaces give instant traffic but take commission and keep the customer relationship; your own store keeps margin, data and brand. Many sellers start on a marketplace and grow their own store alongside it.
Open your store today
Start on the free plan, add your first product and take orders the same day.