Everyone has heard the seemingly too-good-too-be-true stories of online sales and the riches that befall those who are lucky enough to invest in such opportunities online. However, the truth of the matter, when it comes to online stores, the items that are sold and the resulting profits for those who own the store, is often more realistic than one might initially believe. Such online store sales might not make you a millionaire, but they can definitely help provide you with some additional and much needed funds, especially in these trying economic times where everyone is looking for a way to make some money to get through the recession. The best news is that not all such ventures require startup capital in order to fund the projects.

Owning an online store and an online space will, of course, cost individuals some limited money, up front and over time. This is also primarily the case for those who opt to enlist help when it comes to designing and operating their online stores. However, when it comes to the items that are being sold at these online stores, there are many projects and options which come cheaply or are even free of charge. These are digital items. Digital items are those which can be stored online and purchased by interested clients who will then download the items for sale. This eliminates any need to ship the items or for the seller to even have anything to do with the product after it is purchased and downloaded by the buyers.

There are a number of digital items available to sell online. Some of the most popular include personally created music, pictures and artwork, as well as eBooks and instruction manuals. Obviously some of these items do not require any investment on the part of the individual aside from their time and energy. If I create a piece of art, I can upload it or save it to my computer and then offer it for sale on my online website. It only cost me my time and energy to create the artwork. In other cases, there are items available for reselling. Many of these items are popular topic eBooks, which are electronic books which can be sold and read online and on the computer. A store owner may purchase these items for a one-time cost. Then, they can take this item and re-sell it on their own website, over and over, without ‘running out’ of the purchasable item. Again, the store owner is only required to make a limited investment for this item, which they can market and sell on their own website to make a profit.

These types of opportunities require very little investment on the part of the store owner. They also represent a unique prospect for individuals hoping to earn supplemental or primary income as a result of working at home. Such ventures prove that owning an online business does not have to be costly and expensive and almost anyone can take advantage of such an experience.