When looking in my mail bag this week, I found this question.

I’m trying to set up a book store page on my blog. I can’t seem to grasp the big picture – what all do I need? A shopping cart – a way to pay – a way to download e-books? Are they all separate pieces, or is there one thing that combines them all? –  Phyllis

Phyllis,

Thank you for sending in that question. Can’t tell you how deeply I relate to that. I still remember my first experience with e-commerce. Utter confusion. Where do all these pieces go? Here’s what you should know.

A shopping cart or digital delivery system is not necessary. You can start selling and allowing people to download just using PayPal alone. I sold my very first ebook using a simple PayPal button. There are some flaws to the basic system, but it works and it get you up and running fast.

Because you are selling digital goods, what you need is not really a shopping cart although the term “shopping cart” is a bit of a misnomer today. Most shopping carts are not ideal for digital goods which you are selling. What you should look for is a digital product delivery system.

There are some systems that can do both. These systems – like Amember – give you the ultimate flexibility and ties everything together in a nice, neat package. Amember will let people pay, deliver the book securely, and even lets you recruit affiliates. Here’s more on why I use aMember.