How to Start an Online Store: A Beginner’s Guide (2026)

Most people start by asking which platform to use. The better first question is: what exactly are you selling, and to whom? The answer shapes everything from pricing to shipping, and even which rules matter most to you.

• Type of product: Mass-produced, made to order, perishable (cakes, fresh flowers) or digital? Custom and perishable products need very different delivery and returns processes.
• Target customer: Your own city, your whole country, or abroad? A local florist competes on same-day delivery; a boutique shipping nationwide competes on delivery time and shipping cost.
• Consumers or businesses: Selling to consumers and selling to companies differ in invoicing, contracts and consumer protection rules.
• Catalog size: A showcase of ten products is managed very differently from hundreds of variants. Starting with a small, well-presented catalog is usually the healthiest path.

Write all this down on one page. Look at how competitors sell, where their prices sit, and what your customers ask you most often. That small bit of homework makes every later decision easier.

There are two main ways to sell online: open a shop on a large marketplace, or build your own ecommerce website on your own domain. Both have real strengths and weaknesses, and many businesses end up using both.

Selling on a marketplace

• There is existing traffic, so the first sale usually comes faster.
• Payments, shipping integrations and returns are largely set up by the platform.
• On the other hand, you pay fees on sales, the platform sets the rules, and your direct relationship with customers is limited. Your product sits on the same page as your competitors’.

Selling on your own store

• Brand, design, pricing and customer communication are entirely yours.
• Happy customers remember you and come back to you directly.
• But you have to bring visitors yourself, through search, social media and existing customers, and payments, legal pages and shipping are your responsibility.

The right choice depends on your product, budget and time. A sensible approach for many small businesses is to treat their own site as home base and use marketplaces as an extra channel. That way you can send followers and marketplace buyers to one trustworthy address. If you are weighing platforms, our guide on website builder vs custom development may help.

Rules for selling online vary from country to country, but the same topics come up almost everywhere. Use this as a checklist to discuss with a local accountant or lawyer before your first order.

• Business and tax registration: If you sell regularly, you will usually need to register a business and for tax. Many small sellers start as a sole trader and move to a company structure as they grow.
• Invoicing: Find out what kind of invoice or receipt you must issue and whether it has to be electronic.
• Consumer rights: Many countries require clear pre-purchase information (who you are, total price including taxes, delivery and returns) and give consumers a right to cancel or return online purchases within a set period, with exceptions such as custom-made or perishable goods.
• Privacy: When you collect names, addresses and phone numbers, you need a privacy notice, and in many places consent for non-essential cookies and marketing emails. Our guide on privacy-friendly contact forms covers the basics.

If you sell in Turkey

In Turkey, sellers typically need tax registration (often starting as a sole proprietorship), may need to issue e-Archive or e-Invoices depending on their situation, and e-commerce service providers must register with the Ministry of Trade’s ETBİS system. Distance selling rules require a pre-information form and a distance sales contract, and consumers generally have a 14-day right of withdrawal, with exceptions such as personalized or perishable goods. Personal data falls under KVKK, Turkey’s data protection law, and commercial SMS or email marketing has its own consent rules.

To accept cards on your own site, you generally have two options:

• A merchant account from your bank: You contract directly with a bank. Requirements vary, and banks usually expect a registered business and a site with its legal pages in place.
• A payment service provider: Licensed providers let you accept cards from many banks through a single integration. Onboarding is often quicker; fees and payout times vary by provider.

Whichever you choose, make sure card payments use strong customer authentication such as 3D Secure, where the cardholder confirms the payment with their bank. Never store card details yourself; leave that to the payment provider. When comparing offers, put fees, installment options, payout times and refund handling side by side. Bank transfer or cash on delivery can be useful extra options at the start.

The first questions in a customer’s mind are usually “When will it arrive?” and “What if I don’t like it?” A clear shipping and returns policy answers both and makes buying easier.

• Shipping cost: Flat rate, free above a certain amount, or included in the price? Decide, and say the same thing everywhere on the site.
• Processing and delivery time: Give a realistic estimate, such as “ships within 1–2 business days”, and stick to it.
• Delivery area: If you only deliver to certain areas, say so before checkout. For flowers and cakes, same-day local delivery is a strong selling point.
• Returns and exchanges: Explain in simple steps how to request a return, who pays for return shipping, and when and how refunds are made.
• Damaged items: Tell customers what to do if a parcel arrives damaged.

Online, customers cannot touch the product, so the product page has to speak for it. A good product page has:

• Good photos: Natural light, a clean background, several angles and ideally the product in use. Consistent framing across products makes the whole store look professional.
• A clear title: Not “Item 1” but “Handmade silver hoop earrings, 2 cm”, using the words people actually search for.
• Specs: Size, material, color, size chart, servings, ingredients, care instructions, whatever matters for your product.
• Stock and lead time: Is it in stock or made to order, and when will it ship?
• Total price: Show the price including taxes and the shipping cost up front. Surprise fees at checkout can put off even a customer who was ready to buy.

Someone ordering from you for the first time wants to trust your site before they pay. These details help:

• Visible contact details: phone, email, WhatsApp and a physical address.
• An About section that says who you are, your business name and your story.
• Easy-to-find returns policy, terms of sale, privacy notice and cookie policy in the footer.
• Real customer reviews and real product photos. Fake reviews damage trust and your reputation.
• The padlock in the address bar, meaning SSL, and ideally your own domain.

You can set up most of this today, even before you have a payment system. For a broader look at what every business site needs, see what a business website should include.

• You know what you sell, to whom, and through which channels.
• Business and tax registration and invoicing are sorted with your accountant.
• Any official registrations required where you sell are done.
• Pre-purchase information, terms of sale, returns policy, privacy notice and cookie policy are ready and easy to find.
• Payment methods are set; card payments use 3D Secure.
• Shipping cost, delivery time and delivery area are clear and consistent everywhere.
• Every product has photos, a clear title, specs, stock status and a total price.
• Contact details are visible and the site looks right on a phone.
• A friend has placed a test order and you have run the whole process end to end.

Getting a business registration, a payment provider and all the legal pages ready at once can feel overwhelming. The good news is that you do not need all of it to start reaching customers. Many small businesses begin with a catalog site and take orders by WhatsApp or phone. Even then, you are still selling at a distance, so most of the legal points above still apply; check with your accountant.

With BirSitem you can build that catalog site today. The Products / listings block shows your products as cards with a photo, title, description and price, and floating WhatsApp and call buttons let visitors reach you with one tap. Contact form messages land in your dashboard and your inbox. You can browse all blocks in the documentation. Pick a template close to your business:

• Boutique and Shop template: elegant fonts and a product showcase
• Florist and Gifts template: product showcase, same-day delivery and WhatsApp orders
• Bakery template: products and custom orders

For cart and card payments, our Store plan with a built-in online store and payments is coming soon. If you launch your catalog now and start building an audience, you will have a ready site and customers who know you when it arrives. See current plans on the pricing section, and if you want to understand the cost side, read our guide to website costs.

When you are ready, try the editor without signing up or create a free account; your first storefront can be ready in an afternoon.