Launching My FREE Online Store
Read time: 3 minutes, 53 seconds
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Are you planning to sell digital products online and looking for an affordable, but most of all, a FREE online store?
God gave me one.
If you want to know how and what, read on.
Buy Me a Coffee as a Donations Page
Have you heard of Buy Me a Coffee?
I had my Buy Me a Coffee page for a long time but I never really used it.
But most of the writers I read on Medium use it to receive donations and support from their fans.
So I decided to use mine.
Why do I need a donations page?
The Lord has been telling me to give ALL my digital products for FREE on my upcoming online store and just allow my readers to pay as inspired.
Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give. Matthew 10:8 NIV
Because of this, I was praying for a way I can have an online store that’s affordable,
so I thought, maybe Buy Me a Coffee could be a good way to do it.
At least, I can receive donations.
Buy Me a Coffee as an Online Store
Yesterday, I updated my Buy Me a Coffee page.
That’s when I saw they also have a shop for creators! For FREE!
It wasn’t there before when I first got my page.
They call it “Ëxtra”.
Here you can upload digital products, you can have paid membership, coaching, etc.
They just get a 5% cut for every transaction. Gumroad (which is one of those sites I considered, Payhip being the other one) gets 10%. Payhip, like Buy Me a Coffee, gets 5%.
So if you don’t have a sale, these online stores are essentially free.
What a blessing!
My First Digital Product on Buy Me a Coffee
So I uploaded my first digital product there.
It’s a 31-day Prayer Journal Ebook to help you unleash God’s Blessing daily.
Click the link just in case you want to see my Buy Me a Coffee page – oh and get my new book too – it’s FREE.
It is so easy to upload there. No muss no fuss about it.
Buy Me a Coffee Plus My Google Site Online Store
What I like best is that I was able to use my Buy Me a Coffee product page to sell on my own FREE Google site online shop.
Why do I need another online shop?
I also sell SpeakChrist Merch on Redbubble, Teepublic, Spreadshirt US and UK, as well as on Zazzle. And I want to link these stores to my own online store as well.
Having an online shop for FREE using Google site is another blessing the Lord gave me.
Because I used Shopify before to sell digital products and it cost me $49 a month! That’s for the monthly subscription and the plug-ins.
Now I have a FREE online shop, thank YOU, Lord!
But that’s a different story for another day.
The Lord actually showed me how to do it through trial and error.
So with Google site, I made an online store, but I still need a checkout page.
At first, I tried getting PayPal buttons but I’m not a techie girl, and they’re a headache to figure out.
I spent a whole day figuring it out. In the end, I just gave up.
I thought I’ll try Payhip. I saw a YouTube tutorial showing how to use Payhip with Google site.
But it’s another whole process of setting up,
By this time, I’m so mentally spent to try it.
Then I thought since my book is already on Buy Me a Coffee,
“Eh, why not just link my Buy Me a Coffee sales page to the BUY NOW button on my Google site product page?
So I did. On a whim.
And voila! Just like that, I got a product checkout page!
Here, check out my new Ebook product page.
I made it myself (Google site is quite easy like that) so please be kind and show me some love. hehe
That pop-up checkout page?
That’s thanks to Buy Me a Coffee.
Buy Me a Coffee for Creators
For all you creators out there,
if you want to try it aside from Gumroad, or Payhip,
or if you want to start an online store selling digital products, courses, and memberships,
and you’re looking for a FREE alternative site for Shopify, check it out.
Here’s my link if you want to start a Buy Me a Coffee page, it’s my affiliate link at no cost to you. 🙂
Your Takeaway
What’s the takeaway here?
Let the Lord lead you. He always does.
Oftentimes, it’s through trial and error. But God always sees us through.
This whole process of starting my online business again is an exercise of discernment,
of listening and following the Lord’s leadings and inspirations.
He’ll do the same for you.
He can use what you’re proficient at or help you gain wisdom in learning new skills, use your passion to fuel your work, and lead you to make a profit.
Now Your Turn
Is there something the Lord is calling you to do?
Just listen and obey. His ways are not our ways.
And it’s always for our benefit.
Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, “I am the Lord your God, who teaches you to profit, Who leads you in the way you should go. Isaiah 48:17 NASB
Update: I’ve recently transferred to Ko-fi because they have a choice for either the 5% donation fee for every transaction or just $6 per month subscription fee.
Let’s pray
Dearest Lord,
Help me to do what You want me to do. Teach me to profit and lead me always in the way I should go. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
This is it for now. Till next week.
To our health, wealth, and victory — GODSPEED!
P.S.
If you want to support me and share in my ministry of inspiration and encouragement in Christ, you can buy me a coffee here. 🙂 And get my FREE new ebook too!
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