can u help ? i want to sell items from my website but how?

[squidgey]

hi everyone

i have recently made a website www.bizarrebargains.co.uk
and i would like to advertise some items on it of my own  like a mini online store and allow people to pay via paypal cheque etc.
are there any free solutions to my needs?

and how does it work?

i can just include a pay with paypal button but it doesnt look very professional .
any ideas welcome
please note i am using a basic free website provider and i am a beginner at website building.

thanks
lisa

[Mattk]

maybe put some items on ebay with your webbie link ?

[stevie21]

Just to be a fussy webdesign pedant (you do mention "looking professional"), the brown colour of the links isn't too gorgeous, especially when you "mouse over" them and the background changes too.
Just above "navigation" at the top left, there's also a relatively invisible link that points to:
http://www.freewebs.com/bizarrebargains/

Is the text bold or just large? It'd look better if it was a little smaller and not bold.

[squidgey]

thanks for your comments i hadnt even noticed that invisible link i must see how to remove it.

o dear this website building is more difficult than i thought.

any other tips most welcome

[squidgey]

i have changed the template

could you please give me your opinion on the look

thanks

[stevie21]

It does look better but (only my opinion) it's the done thing to have the navigation/links on the left hand side.
Usually the space at the right is for some kind of shopping basket if you have one.

[donotpassgo]

If you were to get webspace with someone who supports databases and server side scripting there are a number of off the shelf packages that you can install that offer an  e-commerce environment. At the end of the day unless you are planning to hit it big you are better off using ebay. However in the past I have written a site that was integrated with ccnow and worldpay.

[mattfox]

www.oscommerce.com is a good piece of free online shop creation software!

You have to make sure your web host supports things like SQL, but OScommerce allows you to make a small store or big shop!

I'd also recommend getting out the ol' pen and paper before you go further with your site - you need to have a plan to work from instead of building it up as you go ... it will be easier in the long run!!!

[squidgey]

thanks everyone for your answers

i have taken mattfox's advice got out my pen and paper and i have decided to look for an alternative web host

i now know i definately want some kind of way of displaying my goods and allowing people to purchase them online.

I do need help making my site (some type of site builder provided) ...but i am finding as im going im learning more and more so i must be able to have full control when im alot more confident.

i haven't alot of money for this venture but rather going down the free webhost route and change much later - i feel i should just pay for it right now before i go any further .

could anyone suggest  anything perhaps that they have tried and are pleased with

i really can't afford any more than �5 a month ( and that would be a struggle if i didnt sell anything )

any suggestions welcome :0)

[mattfox]

Rather than paying for hosting each month, you could find a host that charges yearly... Although it's a larger amount to pay in one go, it's only once a year and then you can forget about it until it's time to renew!!

I use http://ukwebsolutionsdirect.co.uk - They offer packages from �24.66 inc VAT / year (that's �2.05/month)

They also use cPanel which allows you to control your site with an easy-to-use control panel and Fantastico DeLuxe which installs a variety of CMS (Content Management Systems) for you automatically. CMSs are great if you want a site up and running in short time!! I used Xoops for this site - www.matthewfox.co.uk . You could use this for your main site (which would use 1 database) and then a sub-domain for your shop (e.g. shop.yourdomain.com or yourdomain.com/shop). The good thing with using a CMS for your site is that you don't need to go through as much pen and paper planning as that is mostly taken care of through themes that you download and use!