Internet Business

[danielksy]

Anyone here has been doing e-commerce and already making money? mind to share your experience?

[dairy queen]

Anyone making money through ecommerce will not tell you how...There's enough competition as it is...

If you want to learn the basics go to Sitesell.com...This is only going to be a (very) tentative start though...ECommerce requires more time/resources/staying power than you might imagine...

[poorfarang]

Anyone making money through ecommerce will not tell you how...There's enough competition as it is...

Dont know what your talking about. I do eccommerce from Thailand. I sell art masterpieces that are purchased in France. All of my customers are USA based so I have a partner that take care of fulfilment after I make a sale.

[Heng]

There's the spirit! Now if you could also email the OP your business contacts and customer list as well we can close this thread already.

[~G~]

There's the spirit! Now if you could also email the OP your business contacts and customer list as well we can close this thread already.

Why email the OP? He should share it on this board and see how long it lasts...

[OlRedEyes]

Anyone here has been doing e-commerce and already making money? mind to share your experience?

Try webmasterworld.com you'll find it an invaluable resource.

[poorfarang]

The OP asked for us to share our experiences. He never asked us to share or secrets and trade contacts.

[dairy queen]

Plus:

www.abestweb.com

http://forums.digitalpoint.com

www.sitepoint.com

All the big ecommerce guys hit the US...this is the boggest market with Canda number two...UK is distant third...

[rainman]

hm. i do ...will share the secret for the right amount of cash

[BillyParadise]

Good recommendations above about sitepoint.com, digitalpoint.com, etc.

While the returns are potentially much higher, it's easier to buy a business than to build your own, and the good news is that it's really cheap to do. For about 1x NET, you can buy a website. You'll probably want to buy a few so that you diversify your risk. Buy enough of them and you're financially free.

So if you need 100k baht /mo to live well, it will cost you about 1.2mil baht (give or take). If you do it right, you hire someone to run the day-to-day for you, english speaking, reliable and well trained, for about 30k baht. So that will add 360k baht to your startup costs.

So for roughly 1.5mil baht, you've got a bunch of websites that generate 100k /mo to you. That's about 60k USD. World's cheapest retirement. I'll let you know in 18 months whether it's been successful for me or not.

BP

Edited May 12, 2006 by BillyParadise

[~G~]

I'll let you know in 18 months whether it's been successful for me or not.

so where did all those nice numbers above come from? from your crystal ball?

[LivinLOS]

Good recommendations above about sitepoint.com, digitalpoint.com, etc.

While the returns are potentially much higher, it's easier to buy a business than to build your own, and the good news is that it's really cheap to do. For about 1x NET, you can buy a website. You'll probably want to buy a few so that you diversify your risk. Buy enough of them and you're financially free.

So if you need 100k baht /mo to live well, it will cost you about 1.2mil baht (give or take). If you do it right, you hire someone to run the day-to-day for you, english speaking, reliable and well trained, for about 30k baht. So that will add 360k baht to your startup costs.

So for roughly 1.5mil baht, you've got a bunch of websites that generate 100k /mo to you. That's about 60k USD. World's cheapest retirement. I'll let you know in 18 months whether it's been successful for me or not.

BP

I have heard this many times (low multiple to purchase) but never seen anywhere on which such sites are advertised or marketed.. Any links or info to research ??

[Prakanong2005]

I have 1.5 million THB lying around not doing anything in a very low interest offshore account right now.

All things being equal I do not need to utilise it right now as long as my next job offer is OK in 2 weeks.

I would be most interested where I could invest this to return 100,000THB a month.

It would give the wife something to do rather than go shopping if we move to Singapore ;-))

Edited May 13, 2006 by Prakanong2005

[mocean]

...

I have heard this many times (low multiple to purchase) but never seen anywhere on which such sites are advertised or marketed.. Any links or info to research ??

On ebay there is a section where people sell websites. But don't trust all sellers, they will probably give very hight figures about their earnings. And I'm sure there are soms scams around there too.

[dairy queen]

Hmmm...This is almost certainly not great for the long term boys and girls...If these sites are good and well designed for SEO etc...Which in most cases will be a very big if...Their traffic will be coming from the search engines...Now here's the thing...The search engines algoritms can change overnight and you'll be left with a waste of bandwidth...If you don't understand how they got to where they were you'll never recover the traffic...Even if you do, you still may be pissing in the wind...

Internet marketing is my business, and has been for the last 3 years...I can tell you definitively that in most cases the websites you buy will be rubbish...Probably crap content adsense pimps...There are so many ways to cheat on traffic logs that if you see the logs they won't tell you a great deal...

My $0.02...

you got any URL's of good buys you've made BP? I'd be extremely interested to see what you got...

[rainman]

to make 100k (baht) in sales is not that difficult, but to make 100k after expenses is another thing.

[~G~]

IMHO 99% of web marketing is based on "the greater fool theory", finding more and more suckers that buy dreams of getting rich. You got all those sites selling "secret of success in web marketing" / "money-making sites or software" / "easy money working at home or from a beach" etc etc.

Why those guys selling their golden eggs laying chickens? remains a mystery to me...

[sting01]

My 2 cents :

1) I do website, but it's outsourcing, and I do NOT work for local. So please all what I will say as the words from a respectable tech, not as plain advert, because even if someone if offering me 5 times what I earn + a WP, I will refuse (lol).

2) the main reasons to have a presence on internet are 2 :

a) open an e-shop and do business, the risk are similar to those you have to open a real shop and trying to sell tom yum noodle; it can work well, it can also fail. Here you will have direct earnings.

try to generate enought side-earnings to provide you a living. That is what a poster presented with buy 100 websites , and earn 100 000 bht per month. The side earning will be generate by PPC programs as Addsense or CJ (commission jonction), or similar.

3) downfalls :

Well both system have (alas) , but they are not the same :

a) In case of direct earning, the problem is not really how much visitors you have, but how much orders you get. Here we are in Thailand, and the fact to be not able to use paypal directly (money must go to a bank account in USA, so it disqualify people as I who are french) will hurt certainly when starting. The starting moment is important, because when yo ualreaady have a pool of returning customers , you are happy and well in your shoes. You will be able to try several strategy to improve, but as the money enter regulary, you can take the time to choose wisely a strategy. Very similar to real shops.

with side earnings, the amount of visitor is crucial. So you must have or a SEO well made, and must be working for both google and MSN without forgetting askjeeves or other secondary search engines. Also, even if you are rated well, you must hit a large public. LEt say a great website + a wonderfull SEO for a site related to the growing of burgundy snails in lower hungria during the 30 wars years (even if primordial since 20 years due the quasi disparition of burgundy snails in burgundy) will certainly attrack only a limitate number of visitors , even if you are number one for the related words, and they will not come back every day, nor click on all the add you can have. The best exemple is Thaivisa, who was close to be nothing 5 years ago and that is now a big one, miostly due the fact George invested a lot of time to get add that pay, and then get visitors (some thousands perdays). So yes I do know people here in thailand or in France or in Europe who have their living by the side earning money ... They have numerous websites, all are SEO top level, with very cibled and attractive content ( look also ajarn.com, I do not know if Phil still teach, but I bet if he do so it must be because he love to teach, not because he need money). So that is also a work, it take time energy as any other work. Because here also people have to come back to you . People love to be amongst their peirs, and nothing better than a forum dedicaced to something share by many, the concept is close to the Tele evangelism ....

There is a miffle way, used by some adult site (the one who use Michael as photograph , as I do not want to precise the name of the site). They do the followings :

they create for each and any models a small website (1 or 2 pages) named :maibangkok.net, pompattaya.th ..... und so weiter .... Those small sites are only composed by an intro from the model (hello, I am nan , I am happy to share those pic from my friend of XXXXXXXX with you) + several outdated picts (not good enought to be in the main site). Those site have all addsense + broad link to the main site (the main site have a very different name of any other small sites). Then the small sites are send as link to the numerous free galleries/ranking sites reserved to adult websites. So they get horny visitors , who get more horny, some so much horny they click on the add thinking they will got more naked pictures, or who clikc on the link to the main sites .... It's a winning situation for the sites owners. BEcause more visitors coming from outside mean also better rating/ranking in google (it's not only the amount but also where they come from who is taken in count).

I do not think the adult website survive with the subscrition, but because this system who attract new lookers (visitors) and also generate side earnings.

So my advice would be to clearly defines what you are looking for ; ecommerce? So get OSCommerce, it's free, easy to install and maintain, then you just have to burn a candle in a church or a temple. On the other hand, if you want to get side earning mney, there is a broad reflection to have , and also be aware money never come easily, mean you will have to work also (adult website = heavy work with photoshop ... I know some of the tops models on the net, and in real they do not look really like they are on the picture , acnae can happend sometimes , white night also let traces under the eyes).

[dairy queen]

~G~ 99% of web marketing...successful web merketing...is selling cheap branded products...It's very simple...

I've got 3 clients who i manage their affiliate programs...I know a lot about who makes out in affiliate marketing as i have seen the back end stats for lots of merchants...Always, it's the cheap branded products...These get rich quick guys don't make much...They're scrabblibg around like everyone else...Trust me...

[~G~]

~G~ 99% of web marketing...successful web merketing...is selling cheap branded products...It's very simple...

I've got 3 clients who i manage their affiliate programs...I know a lot about who makes out in affiliate marketing as i have seen the back end stats for lots of merchants...Always, it's the cheap branded products...These get rich quick guys don't make much...They're scrabblibg around like everyone else...Trust me...

I assume you mean digital products?

[Phil Conners]

If you think internet commerce is easy money you're dreaming. The competition is bone hard and margins getting smaller and smaller.

Yes, you can do it from Thailand, that's the only advantage, but as that is becoming more and more common it just shaves more off the margin.

Do something easy like buying a bar ...

[OlRedEyes]

Hmmm...This is almost certainly not great for the long term boys and girls...If these sites are good and well designed for SEO etc...Which in most cases will be a very big if...Their traffic will be coming from the search engines...Now here's the thing...The search engines algoritms can change overnight and you'll be left with a waste of bandwidth...If you don't understand how they got to where they were you'll never recover the traffic...Even if you do, you still may be pissing in the wind...

Internet marketing is my business, and has been for the last 3 years...I can tell you definitively that in most cases the websites you buy will be rubbish...Probably crap content adsense pimps...There are so many ways to cheat on traffic logs that if you see the logs they won't tell you a great deal...

My $0.02...

you got any URL's of good buys you've made BP? I'd be extremely interested to see what you got...

Agreed. Also, black hat techniques may be bringing in current SE traffic, which could suddenly stop when the site is banned.

I'd say that any site should be assesed on potential profit from PPC, for instance, else you may just be sitting with nothing overnight.

Most of the sites I've seen for sale are worth no more than a few hours work slapping them together, and the registration of the domain. Schoolboy stuff.

[KhunMarco]

If you think internet commerce is easy money you're dreaming. The competition is bone hard and margins getting smaller and smaller.

Yes, you can do it from Thailand, that's the only advantage, but as that is becoming more and more common it just shaves more off the margin.

Do something easy like buying a bar ...

Ya, no money on the net, forget about it, don't even think about it...

[stanley999]

Anyone here has been doing e-commerce and already making money? mind to share your experience?

Hi Daniel,

I have been in the internet business but would not consider myself making big money already. I join the the company who sold me a unique domain name, hosting service, 10 email acount and I can also make money on referral. They even have a very good tracking tols and superb system.

If you like to, you can check in the website my.ws/hockchuan

View the flash presentation to get a rough idea.

ust for your reference if you really wnat to know.

Stanley

[dairy queen]

OlRedEyes...Bang on...

~G~ No not digital products...Most guys selling digital products like software and E-books don't do that well actually...Clickbank is where you'll see all the guys selling ebooks and most of them make far less than you'd imagine...It's not the gravy train some would have you believe...

One of my clients sells magazines...He makes a fortune...Great product to sell on the net if you're hooked up with the publishers...After seeing the remit prices i'll never buy a magazine from a newsstand again...Branded products for cheap like i said are the way forward...

[jackr]

If you're interested in building sites, spending a few weeks going through Webmaster World, a site someone else mentioned, is a must. Best source on the web.

A natty user-generated content site, not unlike this one, although not necessarily a forum (low CTR), is the way to go for achieving high traffic.

[phuketsiam]

One way to get traffic is with PPC ads, you can set up multiple sites as an affiliate (no day to day sales to process) and if you can find cheap keywords to get the right traffic you can make a profit on each site, while thats ticking over work on content and SEO to get free traffic, use an open source cms to get you started at low cost, and no programming knowledge is required, not as easy as I make it sound, but it can and does work.

[jackr]

One way to get traffic is with PPC ads, you can set up multiple sites as an affiliate (no day to day sales to process) and if you can find cheap keywords to get the right traffic you can make a profit on each site, while thats ticking over work on content and SEO to get free traffic, use an open source cms to get you started at low cost, and no programming knowledge is required, not as easy as I make it sound, but it can and does work.

Agreed

[Khun Jean]

I work on a few websites.

They are around one simple principle.

Companies that need each other, to share work, advice, personel, etc..

They pay a monthly fee to get access to these "communities".

2 years minimum contract.

Another website is for a hardware device that can be controlled and monitored.

Make some money on selling the hardware and make some money on the subscription.

These websites evolved from a 'normal' business, with advertisements, sales people, support. After a few years the products are now sold through the web, but still needs salespeople to make enough new customers.

I am a techie, my partners are commercial. I can go wherever there is internet, they have to stay.

Another thing is to develop something for a specific company. Offer it for a low price to be able to get information on how these kind of companies work, analyse it, find improvements in their daily workflow. Build it, learn from it.

Then offer it to other companies with only a new layout/design but working on the same principals.

This has to make their lives easier, not more complicated! Sound obvious, but it happens a lot.

Look around in your circle of family and friends. Maybe someone is a dentist, or manages a hotel. Use these contacts to get information and try to get a change to make something for them. You will learn a lot, which can be used again in the future. Meanwhile you will build a portfolio, that will make it easier to get new clients. It will be hard work of course. But at the end it will pay of.

I have a lot of experience with applications (20+ years) but only a short period of experience with websites (5+ years).

I made the move exclusively to websites because it will give me freedom. Now after those five years working and planning i am free to live wherever, but i still have to work long hours sometimes, and do a good number of hours for regular work maintaining and expanding current websites.

The payoff will be later maybe in another 5 years. With enough subscribers the company will be for sale. Then someone else can continue and roll it out in different countries and different segments. Hopefully it will make enough to retire.