Popular Home Based Business Choices

CLICKBANK - eBooks & Software

There exists an online organization called 'Clickbank'. It is essentially an Affiliate Network as mentioned in the first section of this page 'Affiliate Marketing'. However, there is a difference which sets this specific Network apart from the likes of Commission Junction, ClixGalore etc. Clickbank specialize ONLY in 'downloadable' products such as ebooks and software. This is all they deal with. The other big difference is that virtually anyone who has such a product can sell through this facility for an initial fee of $49-95. Clickbank have approximately 11,000 downloadable products available for sale on their website, which consist mainly of ebooks but software items are increasing. There are thousands of ebooks in different categories, which can be purchase from as little as $3-00 (the lowest price for which they will sell).

Basically, the author of an ebook or software program creates a web page about their product. They apply to Clickbank for a 'Sellers' account and after completing a form and following directions on how to create their links and submitting a 'Thank you' page (which is the page that Clickbank customers will be directed to in order to download the item when they purchase), they pay a $49-95 sellers fee, which is a 'one-off' initial fee. The items listed in the Clickbank catalogue are listed in each category in the order of their popularity, in terms of sales, both through the sellers link and through Affiliates who direct the buyer to the sellers page.

This is the beauty of Clickbank. Not only is it an avenue through which authors of all kinds can sell their ebooks and software programs but thousands of Affiliates have websites and have created online shops through which they sell these items for commission by directing buyers to the sellers website. Clickbank takes care of all the coding, tracking and accounting on behalf of the sellers and affiliates. The seller can nominate the amount of commission to be paid to affiliates on his/her item anywhere from 10% to 70% - obviously Affiliates find the higher commissions more attractive, but ebooks which sell faster at lower prices are as popular also.

So, basically, you can either create a Home Based Business around either writing your own ebook/s (be they non-fiction, tutorials, guides or novels) or software program/s (or anything which can be downloaded) or by creating a website or 'ebook shop' through which you can direct buyers to sellers pages and receive affiliate commissions - OR BOTH. The only real hurdle in this particular is getting genuine traffic to your website, that is people who are really interested in buying such products. This means, of course, Search Engine Optimization (preparing and adjusting your website to increase chances of getting into the top results for specific searches).

You can join Clickbank as an Affiliate by clicking on this image    

Corey Rudl's Internet Marketing Center would have to be the most popular and enduring of the larger 'Home Based Business' choices. It is a complete Affiliate oriented marketing center, which promotes a number of Information and Software products for those involved in Home Internet business.

If there was an Internet version of the old bloke who decided to make his money selling shovels during the gold rush (instead of looking for gold), Cory Rudl would have to be it. Corey has come up with, as I said, a number of products, which serve to assist those who have decided to make their living on the Intenet. He has modelled his products on his own personal style of marketing, which has seen him sell over 40 million dollars worth of product.

Although Cory himself was tragically killed in a motor racing accident in June 2005, The Internet Marketing Center is continuing 'full blast' with the support of his wife and new CEO Derek Ghel (who was Coreys right-hand man for 8 years. To find out more about The Internet Marketing Center or to register as an affiliate, click the banner below.

Online Pharmacy

One of the most popular Internet home based business opportunities is the Online Pharmacy. Many people have been able to make commissions enough to either replace their existing income or add substantially to it. Some, although few, have been able to make even larger amounts of money through the Online Pharmacy. It is a very competitive area of home based business as there are literally thousands of Pharmacy Affiliates (that's what the people who operate these businesses are called). However, don't let that discourage you too much because there are millions of customers now buying their medications through such Pharmacies and the numbers are growing every day.

The main aspect which makes this particular business opportunity so popular, apart from the level of public interest (due to exorbitant drug prices) is the fact that most customers will be  'repeat' customers because medications are often an ongoing requirement and if someone finds a good supplier with a reasonable price, they will continue to buy through that source. These pharmacy Affiliate programs generally assign a client, who originally connects through your website, to you personally, so you will receive repeat commissions whenever they re-purchase - often for life!

The best opportunity I have been involved with is 'YourRXShop'. They have only a limited number of drug products but they are, by far, the most popular and most lucrative to sell online. Some Pharmacies have websites that are over 200 pages in size (which you need to download and host) to accommodate all the different products, most of which will never sell.

YourRxShop allow you to download a free website (currently a choice of 4 different designs), to which you can attach your own logo and either host yourself or freely through them. You can name your Pharmacy website and have control over all aspects of Search Engine Optimization, which is an important aspect of any website. They also have excellent statistics and order processing facilities. Definitely the pick of very many Pharmacies who have Affiliates doing the majority of their selling for them. You can check them out and sign up by clicking the logo below.

Ebay Store

As you may or may not know. eBay is the worlds largest online Auction site. A number of people have started their Home Based Business by opening an 'eBay Store'. This does however involve the buying of and storage of stock or whatever items you decide to sell on the eBay site. It is simple to become a member and also to sell. It's a simple matter of opening an account and from there the instructions and tutorials are very easy to follow. There is a reasonable 'registration fee' for ebay stores of $9-95 for a 'beginners' store (which lacks most of the facilities that make the online store easier to manage) or $49-95 for the more serious Home Based Business person who wants to get serious and grow their ebay store.

For those who have an idea to start an eBay Store and base their Home Based Business on the auctioning of items through the eBay website, I would strongly suggest that you spend a few weeks taking part in some auctions, both buying and selling (there's no need to spend any great deal of money). Before going to the point of buying items specifically for auction, it would be wise to establish whether you understand the process completely and also establish for yourself what sort of items you should concentrate on and take the time to investigate all the aspects of your planned Home Based Business through eBay. There are many people who have made a 'premature' decision to sell a certain class of item on eBay, only to find that either, it doesn't sell well or the area is well covered and competition is fierce.

It's possible to make a good living in this way, however there is an outlay to be considered an there are costs which need to be met along the way. There is no better way to understand the process and to get an idea of what you will be in for, than to take part, in a limited way, even by simply selling a few items that you have at home and don't need or want anymore. Beyond this, I advise you to study the tutorials at the eBay website (they are very informative and honestly presented). This can be a means to get started in a Home Based Business but it is very heavily represented and contested in most countries and areas, so you will have to be selective about what you are going to sell and how much you commit yourself to investing in stock, images, logos and promotional campaigns etc.

Click on this banner to go to the ebay site and select 'ebay Stores'      

This is how easy it all is: