If you’re reading this, I assume you’re looking for ways to make extra cash. As the world becomes more digital, people are finding ways to supplement their income through online means.
Perhaps you’ve tried your hand at online marketing and found it to be an adequate way to earn a living. Perhaps you’ve tried selling your photos on stock photography websites and made a small side income. Or, you’ve started a blog and are making enough money to cover your monthly expenses. If any of these sound like you, then this article is for you.
Alibaba: Where To Begin
If you’re looking to make money online, you’ll want to establish yourself on the web’s most reputable marketplace, Alibaba.com.
Alibaba is a Chinese e-commerce giant that was originally established in 1999. The company runs various websites and mobile apps that let users buy and sell all sorts of products (the company is valued at over $16 billion). The sites promote Chinese products but also accept international orders and are accessible from anywhere in the world. With warehouses across the globe, it’s an ideal place for small businesses to thrive.
Alibaba is a bit of a behemoth in the world of e-commerce, so it’s important to establish yourself and have your products showcased on a reputable platform like theirs. If you don’t yet have a product to sell on their site, you can use their platform to find a manufacturer that will sell you a kit to build your own product. In most cases, you’ll need to register as an entrepreneur with the company before you can get started.
Setting Up Shop
Once you’ve established yourself on their platform, it’s time to start creating products and getting them manufactured. Fortunately, Alibaba has you covered with regard to the latter. For instance, if you’re looking to create a product that needs to be manufactured in China, the company will undertake the task of finding an acceptable manufacturing partner in China (with which they have a partnership).
This way, you can rest assured that your product will be made correctly and in a timely manner (which is especially important when it comes to products that you sell online, given that they don’t have much oversight as far as quality control goes).
How To Make Money On Alibaba
Once you have a product and are searching for ways to make money from it, your first port of call should be Alibaba’s own affiliate program. This is where you’ll find many of the product-based, affiliate-marketing opportunities on their platform. Whether you’re an experienced or a first-time affiliate marketer, you’ll find something ideal for your situation.
For example, say you’ve created a cooking blog that focuses on healthy living and wellness. You may want to consider promoting their weight loss products (such as protein powders, meal preppers, or vegan cooking kits) by setting up a blog post with a product link alongside an affiliate banner. When a reader clicks on the link and lands on the manufacturer’s site, you’ll earn a small commission.
As mentioned above, Alibaba is a massive company. Besides their e-commerce sites, they also run job platforms, online shopping malls, video content websites, social media platforms, and more. This being said, many of their affiliate marketing opportunities are located on their e-commerce sites. In some instances, you’ll need to set up an affiliate account with them before you can begin earning. However, if you’re looking for an opportunity that doesn’t require an account, they have many other affiliate marketing sites across their umbrella that you can opt into.
Shopify: A Platform For Everyone
If you’re looking to create an online store that you can manage yourself (or at least have some degree of oversight with regard to its operations), consider Shopify. Similar to eBay and Amazon, Shopify was launched in the early 2000s and built on the popularity of social media platforms at the time (such as Facebook and Twitter).
From the get-go, they’ve tried to provide a one-stop-shop for small businesses that want to create an online store. In most cases, you’ll need to register for an account with them to get started (and verify that you are an actual person), but they will not charge you for the service. Instead, they’ll offer you various subscription plans that allow you to use their tools and services at no cost.
What sets Shopify apart from other platforms is their extensive array of free tools and resources that you can access. These tools and resources are quite literally a gift from the company (and can’t be found anywhere else). For instance, if you’re looking to set up a store to sell artwork, you can check out their art website to discover a host of stock images that you can use for your store.
Shopify Plus: The Best of Both Worlds
You may be wondering if there’s a best of both worlds when it comes to setting up shop online. After all, you don’t want to rely solely on one source of income, and you also want to have a platform that you can depend on.
If this sounds like you, consider Shopify Plus. This is a combination of Shopify’s free tier and enterprise pricing. As the name suggests, Shopify Plus gives you access to all the resources of Shopify at a discounted rate (similar to how Amazon Prime gives you free shipping and various other perks).
While it won’t necessarily make you a full-time affiliate marketer, Shopify Plus will give you a jump-start in operating a successful online store. Plus, you can use the platform to build your own products (or those of others) and sell them online. If you’re looking for a platform that will allow you to do this, Shopify Plus is a great choice.
Where To Next?
If you’ve made it this far, congratulations! You’re now aware of the various methods you can use to make money online. From Alibaba to Shopify, we’ve covered the basics of how to make money online. Now, it’s time to discover new places that can help you make extra cash.