You wake up one morning, excited about a big sale on wolverines at your local store. You quickly log on to Amazon and buy a wolverine hat, just as the sale ends. A few days later, you get a notification from Amazon that there’s been a mistake with your order. You click on the notification and discover it’s because they’ve canceled your account, as they’ve disabled the email address that you used to make the purchase. You were only able to make the purchase because they had honored a third-party contract without you knowing it.

This scenario could describe many a nightmare scenario when it comes to online marketing and selling. There are so many risks involved that you want to be aware of and protected against. Here’s a quick guide to help you avoid falling victim to these unscrupulous practices.

Be Realistic About Sales

If you want to do any online marketing and selling, you need to be realistic about your expectations. Just because you have an awesome product that millions of people are searching for, it doesn’t mean that you’ll be able to sell it to them. There are many factors that go into this, including advertising costs, shipping fees, and the competition. When you are setting your price, make sure that you think of all of these costs and factor them in. Don’t expect to flip your product in a few hours or days. It will take time to build a reputation for yourself as an honest merchant and to gain the confidence of your customers. Consider all of this before you make any hasty decisions.

Use A Trusted Third Party For Shipment

If you’re going to be doing any online marketing or selling, you need to use a trusted third party for shipping. This can be either a carrier or an online marketplace. If you go with a carrier, make sure that you go through them directly. Don’t use a third party marketplace for shipping, especially if you’re going to be paying them. The reason being is that if something happens and they go out of business, you’ll have a difficult time getting your money back. In the end, it’s always better to deal with a trusted party.

Use An Established Shipping Company

If you want to do any online marketing or selling, it’s important to use an established shipping company. This will protect you from going through all of the hassles of shipping and finding out that the company is going out of business or that the package was stolen. Do some research on the company and make sure that they’re reputable. Also, make sure that they have a good reputation among other customers. When in doubt, ask for references.

Use A Platform That’s Good For Online Marketing

There are many platforms that you can use for online marketing, however, not all of them are made equal. Some platforms are simply better than others when it comes to delivering quality leads to you. Do some research and make sure that the platform you choose is good for online marketing. If you’re looking for a platform that handles all of the marketing and shipping for you, then consider a dedicated shopping cart. Other platforms, such as HubSpot, do a good job of getting you connected with potential customers but can be difficult to manage and optimize. Ensure that you’re choosing a platform that’s good for online marketing and that’s going to put you in touch with potential customers.

Use Free Antivirus Software And Maintenance

Free antivirus software is important for your website and the software that you use to send out your emails. Make sure that you get quality software that’s going to protect your customers’ computers from getting infected by malware. In addition, make sure that you are constantly updated with the latest software so that you don’t have to worry about being vulnerable. Another important factor to consider is how easy it is to use the software and whether or not it’s going to be updated regularly.

Don’t Neglect The Legalities

It’s very important to know what legalities pertain to your product, service, or business model before you dive in. Even if you are operating within the law, you still need to be aware of the risks that you’re taking. The first thing you should do is register your business with the state and federal government. In addition to this, you should also register your domain name with your local domain registry. It’s also a good idea to get a copyright on your work. Lastly, read up on trademarks and make sure that you don’t infringe on any existing trademarks. If you’re asked to stop doing something that you believe to be infringing on a trademark, then do so. However, it is not advisable to publicly oppose the trademark owner. Instead, find a way to comply without risking your business.

Be Realistic About Your Time To Make Money

If you’re looking for a fast way to make money, then consider doing online marketing and selling for someone else. There are many ways that you can make money online without having to go through all of the trouble of establishing your own business. You can use a tool like ClickFunnels to create a landing page for products that you’ve marketed. You’ll then need to get people to click on that link or button to get to that page. Once they’re on that page, they can make a purchase or sign up for a free trial of your product or service. Consider all of this before you get started.