My Venture Into E.Commerce.

The following is about my attempt to set up an e.commerce business. I decided to write this short article so that other people who are thinking about an online store will be aware of some of the difficulties that can be encountered. I decided to research the possibility of starting up a store so I listened to lots of videos on YouTube from people, some claiming to have become multi-millionaires selling online as well as other people who just offered suggestions. I am not easily swayed by hype, but I listened to some of the overly enthusiastic rags to riches stories and their suggestions on how everyone else could do the same. Most of the time I found these people very annoying and could not listen to their videos right through. They had slick hairstyles and were photographed with swanky cars, but anyone can create an image. I am sure that there are some who have become very successful but I did not have this expectation. I just wanted a bit of extra money coming into my bank account.

I took the plunge and sat down to create a store, after choosing my platform. I listened to as many instructional videos as possible to see how I could set up a great-looking store. It took me nearly all the free trial period to finally get it completed. I called the support line a few times to check some details and always found that the people I spoke to were extremely helpful.

I had been checking out the best items to sell, and rather than having lots of different types of items, I decided to specialize in one range of products.

I looked into the suppliers to find the ones who had very good reviews, and I researched products to see how they ranked.

After spending hours designing my shop, I was excited when I finished it and saw how professional it looked. I am not an expert by any means when it comes to designing a website or an online shop. I had to keep looking up the meaning of certain terms and computer jargon, but I struggled on and I learned a lot during the process. When I rang the support desk one day, the agent said to me, “ I hope you don’t mind if I comment that your shopfront looks very professional and attractive.” Of course, I was very flattered by his compliment.

Once I was satisfied, I decided it was time to list some items.

It is important to have a Facebook business account to promote your online shop. I set up a business page with Facebook watching their video as I progressed so that I set it up correctly. I followed all their tips and suggestions so that I would get the best results from my Facebook.

I managed to design an inviting page that matched my online shop and I linked the two together.

I was ready to go, so I carefully chose my items to list. This was easy enough. I took a lot of time to write great descriptions with colourful, attractive photos. I provided lots of information for my potential customers so that they would feel confident buying my products.

After the trial period, the first payment came out of my account. I realized it would take time to get any sales so I spent some time every day working on my online shop. I had it linked to my Facebook page but then I received a message from Facebook that my Commerce account did not meet eligibility requirements.

I spent hours wading through everything to see if I could find the problem. There were little icons and I read the explanations associated with them which made no sense at all. I was at a loss. I asked for a review and received a cryptic reply telling me to check out various links. I honestly could not find anything wrong and I had supplied all the information they required in great detail. I decided to contact Facebook to speak to someone that might be able to help. I was becoming very frustrated and spending way too many hours wading through all the information.

After much searching, I could not find a support number for Facebook business. I tried all kinds of avenues to get in touch. I even wrote a message on their feedback page but it was all in vain. Then in desperation, I decided to check out Youtube to see if there were any solutions there. It was obvious that there were many people who had found themselves in the same position. There were so many comments from people who just like me were in a very frustrating situation. One person had a great video with suggestions on how to overcome the problem and lo and behold he had a link for a contact with Facebook Concierge. This was the first time I had come across a number.

Finally, I managed to get on a chat with an agent from Facebook who was very polite and helpful, telling me that he completely understood my predicament and promised to get it sorted out. That was music to my ears. He put me on hold for what seemed an interminable length of time. When he came back to me he said there was no problem with my account, even though I had received little icons in red and yellow indicating there was a problem. I had tried to decipher the explanations of these icons but it was all just “babbel” to me. The outcome of the call was that I did not have enough likes and interaction for my account to be considered trustworthy, even though it was linked with my personal Facebook page. I told him it was difficult to get likes when my shop was invisible on Facebook. He made some suggestions that involved spending money on FB ads and other methods that all involved handing over my money to them.

Normally, I would have been prepared to pay for ads but I could not see any benefit if my shop was invisible on Facebook. I read many stories about people spending very large amounts on advertising only to end up losing money as their online business failed.

I decided to really promote my online shop through Google. I also wrote blogs every few days to post on my Shopify store. I posted on my business Facebook page every day, promoting my products and having special offers to entice customers.

Unfortunately, even though I could post on my business page, the actual store remained invisible to customers. Customers were unable to make a purchase on my Facebook page, so I had to encourage them to go to my Shopify store. I offered free shipping and lots of other incentives.

After three months and numerous calls to Facebook, I decided that this was going nowhere. I had already paid the monthly fees for my online store and I was not getting anything for my efforts.

After some thought, I decided to pull the plug on the whole deal. Maybe if I had spent money on Facebook ads, I might have progressed but maybe not. I did not want to waste my money.

I felt that there were so many obstacles in my way, and I know that other people have had the same experience. I closed the online shop and I closed my Facebook business account. FB requested feedback, so I had the opportunity to tell them about my negative experience and disappointment.

I find it almost incredulous, that an organization like FB, makes everything so hard for people who just want to run a business. These people are going to spend money on ads. They would have made money from me if they had not been so insistent that I have at least 300 likes on my business page before they would allow my shop to be visible. It was like banging my head against the wall. I was also astonished when I found out how difficult it was to get in contact with them.

That was my experience and I am sure many people have had great success with their online shops. I just want to make people aware that if you are thinking about setting up an online business, be aware that you can encounter difficulties with Facebook.

I did spend a lot of time trying to make my online store successful and in the end, I failed but I do not consider it to be a waste of time as I have learned how to build an online store and I have become a lot more knowledgeable about many things. I was not prepared, however, to let money run through my fingers to line the pockets of big corporations.