Manual Option

• 1). Open a PayPal account if you do not have a merchant account from a bank. Necessary are the business name, Tax ID, bank name, routing number and account number. This will allow you to set up your shopping cart to send payments to that account.
  
  
• 2). Open a website hosting account if you do not have one already. A hosting account will allow you to upload your cart, or configure it, so consumers can buy products. Some hosts, such as GoDaddy, have an automatic way to install shopping carts and the database. If your service does not provide that, there are manual options.
  
  
• 3). Download your shopping cart choice, such as Zen Cart. Upload the cart onto your server. Generally, you will have to tell the server where to put it, such as johndoe.com/shop. Otherwise, it would become your main page.
  
  
• 4). Create a MySQL database. This involves a username and password. You also will need to grant permissions for the database. Look at the Zen Cart manual (for our example cart) to see which permissions are required. The simple way to do this is to check "ALL PRIVILEGES" instead of individual permissions.
  
  
• 5). Configure your shop with tax details, shipping, payment methods and designation on whether your customer will need authorization to access your store. Then input products, images and descriptions.
  
  
• 6). Customize your store with your logo and other pertinent information by selecting a template that suits the style of the store and your brand. When satisfied with the look, press "Publish" and your store will be live.
  
  

Automated Option

• 1). Choose a Web host which has automatic installation for your shop or has plugins, such as WordPress. This will cut down on the possibility of errors installing the store and attaching it to a database.
  
  
• 2). Select a plugin, such as WordPress e-Commerce. Go to your WordPress dashboard and select "Plugins." Choose "Install" and enter the name of the plugin. Pick the plugin and select "Install" and then "Activate."
  
  
• 3). Configure your store information including payment, shipping and taxes. This plugin offers a variety of payment options.
  
  
• 4). Add your products, descriptions and images. The panel to do this looks like you are creating a blog post. You will be filling in the blanks.
  
  
• 5). When satisfied, select "Publish" to go live. Advanced users may configure the site to make the store look anyway you like, but templates also are available.