Can you sell products on a .net website? (2024)

Last updated on September 24th, 2024 at 09:55 am

Can you sell products on a .net website?

With the popularity of .com sites for ecommerce, some may wonder if you can actually sell products and services on a .net website. The short answer is yes, you definitely can.

.net domains have traditionally been used for things like personal sites or community sites rather than commercial purposes, but there are no technical restrictions on using them for e-commerce.

Lots of options exist today for setting up an online store on a .net domain.

While .com sites are still more common, here are some key points showing that .net works just as well for ecommerce:

Popular ecommerce platforms like Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, etc. allow you to use a .net domain. Their tools and features work the same regardless of the suffix.
Payment processors like Stripe, PayPal, Square, etc. enable you to accept payments on a .net site.
For secure checkout, you can get valid HTTPS SSL certificates issued for .net domains.
With good SEO practices you can rank a .net store well in search engines.

Platform	Payment Processor	SSL Cert	SEO
Shopify	Stripe	Yes	Optimization possible
WooCommerce	PayPal	Yes	Optimization possible
BigCommerce	Square	Yes	Optimization possible

So while .com sites are still prevalent for ecommerce, you can definitely build a successful online store on a .net domain.

The platform, payments, security and marketing can all be handled smoothly regardless of the domain suffix.

Is Online Selling Legal in the Philippines?

Yes, online selling is legal and thriving in the Philippines.

Many successful ecommerce businesses have been launched in the country across a range of product categories.

Popular local marketplaces include Lazada, Shopee and Zalora among others.

The Philippine E-Commerce Act (Republic Act No. 8792) provides the legal framework for online transactions and electronic documents in the country.

This law recognizes the validity of contracts formed and signatures made electronically.

Foreign owned companies can operate ecommerce stores serving the Philippines by registering with the Philippine SEC to do business in the country and meeting taxation as well as other regulatory requirements.

Types of Websites for Selling Online

For your ecommerce website itself, you have a few options to consider:

An ecommerce platform like Shopify or Magento gives you a ready-made online store with all the functionality built-in for catalog management, shopping cart, checkout process, payments and more.

These platforms make it easy to get an ecommerce site up quickly but offer less flexibility for extensive customization.

A custom online store developed using .NET, Java, PHP or other web development frameworks gives you full control over the site features and design.

You can tailor the customer experience exactly to your preferences.

However, developing a custom ecommerce site requires more technical expertise and effort compared to using an off-the-shelf platform.

Online marketplaces like Lazada and Shopee allow you to quickly list your products for sale without needing to build you own site.

These come with a large base of existing customers but offer less control over your brand presence.

Website builders like Wix and Weebly also enable creating simple online stores with templates, drag-and-drop interfaces and integrated payment processing.

These are easy to set up but limit options for customization.

E-commerce Platforms Work Well With .net Domains

Popular ecommerce platforms like Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, etc. are designed to work seamlessly with .net domains.

Their core tools and features function the same regardless of whether you choose a .com or .net domain for your online store.

For example:

Shopify enables you to easily connect a .net domain to your store. Their domain setup guides walk you through pointing your registrar to their servers. Once connected, all of Shopify’s ecommerce features from product listings to checkout work smoothly.
WooCommerce, the popular WordPress ecommerce plugin, also has no issues running on a .net domain. You can install and activate WooCommerce on any WordPress site, .com or .net. The store setup is identical.
BigCommerce offers built-in support for 60+ domain extensions including .net. You can run your BigCommerce store on any valid domain.

The bottom line is the leading ecommerce platforms are domain agnostic – they provide the same rich feature set and convenient setup process regardless of whether you choose a .com, .net or other domain suffix.

Payment Processors Enable .net Transactions.

Top payment gateways and merchant services like Stripe, PayPal, Square, Authorize.Net, Braintree etc. all support accepting payments on .net domains out of the box.

The domain does not impact your ability to securely process credit cards, PayPal, and other online payment methods.

For example:

Stripe has no restrictions on the domains you can use with their payment processing. You can take payments on your .net site using Stripe’s full suite of products.
PayPal checkout integrates seamlessly with .net stores. Customers can conveniently pay with their PayPal account on sites built with platforms like WooCommerce + .net domains.
Square enables online stores to process transactions securely regardless of using a .com or .net domain. The domain does not affect usage of Square’s payment API.

So all the major player in the payment processing space allow .net transactions. The domain suffix is not a limiting factor for integrating the most popular payment gateways.

SSL Certificates Available for .net Sites

To create a secure, trusted shopping experience, ecommerce sites require valid HTTPS SSL certificates.

The good news is that public certification authorities like Let’s Encrypt, Comodo, Digicert, etc. can all issue SSL certificates for .net domains.

This allows .net sites to enable HTTPS and SSL just like .com domains do.

Your customers will see the padlock icon and “Secure” label in their browser, instilling trust.

Platforms like Shopify and BigCommerce make it easy to provision SSL certificates during the store setup flow.

For self-hosted sites, you can obtain SSL certs from any reputable CA to activate HTTPS security on your .net domain.

So security is not a concern when choosing .net for ecommerce – the process for obtaining and installing SSL certificates is domain agnostic.

SEO Optimization Is Possible on .net Stores

Two common SEO concerns around using .net for ecommerce are:

Do search engines treat .net differently than .com?
Is it harder to rank a .net store?

The good news is that Google, Bing and other search engines index and rank .com and .net domains almost identically.

While minute trust signals may slightly favor .com, the differences are negligible.

With proper on-page optimization, site speed improvements, quality backlinks and effective content marketing, you can absolutely achieve high search engine rankings with a .net store.

The domain alone does not prevent you from ranking well.

For example, examples like Microsoft.net and Apple.net rank very competitively for commercial queries.

With the right SEO plan, a .net ecommerce site can go toe-to-toe with .com competitors. Search visibility does not need to be a concern.

Summary

In summary, the leading ecommerce platforms, payment processors, SSL certificate authorities and search engines all treat .net domains on par with .com from a technical standpoint.

There are no major hurdles to operating a professional, secure, findable ecommerce business on a .net domain. With the right tools, strategy and marketing, .net retailers can sell products online just as successfully as .com stores.

So while .com sites are still more prevalent, sellers should not feel limited by the suffixes. You can build a thriving ecommerce business on a .net domain to sell your products or services online.

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Examples of Successful E-commerce Sites Using .net

While .com online stores are still more prevalent today, there are great examples of popular ecommerce businesses operating successfully on .net domains.

Here are a few case studies showing that .net can absolutely be used for commercial websites:

Microsoft

One of the largest technology companies in the world, Microsoft, uses Microsoft.net as one of their primary domains.

While they also own Microsoft.com, the .net domain serves as a hub for information about Microsoft products, apps, services and more.

It shows that even at enterprise scale, .net domains can work well for branded commercial sites.

Apple

Apple.net is an independent consumer electronics ecommerce store that sells Apple products and accessories online.

With a clean, professional design and seamless shopping experience, they demonstrate that a .net domain does not inhibit building a reputable online brand.

Even using the .net version of a major .com name, they’ve succeeded in establishing themselves in ecommerce.

Askets

Askets.net is a sustainable fashion brand based in Germany that sells their minimalist, ethical clothing online.

With social media marketing and strong SEO, Askets has leveraged their .net domain effectively to rank well and build an audience in a competitive space. Their success highlights that ecommerce sites can thrive on .net in specific niches.

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While not typical ecommerce, it is a popular commercial site monetized via advertising.

Active since 1999, it shows how .net domains can sustain viable commercial web properties that users repeatedly return to. The .net suffix has not inhibited them from becoming an authoritative source.

The bottom line is these .net sites and others demonstrate that ecommerce can absolutely thrive on a domain other than .com.

With the right business model and execution, .net retailers can successfully sell products online.

Where to buy products to sell online Philippines?

You have several options when sourcing products to sell online in the Philippines:

Local suppliers – Find Philippines-based manufacturers, brands and distributors to buy inventory from. They may offer volume discounts.
Importing – Import goods from China and other countries to resell. Use Alibaba, GlobalSources etc to find suppliers.
Wholesalers – Purchase bulk quantities of products at wholesale rates to maximize profit margins.
Dropshipping – Sell products shipped directly from the manufacturer so you don’t hold inventory. Lower upfront costs.
Online marketplaces like Shopee and Lazada also facilitate bulk buying for resellers.
Local markets – Buy products locally from Divisoria Market, Greenhills Shopping Center and other markets in bulk at low cost.
Online auctions – Bid on and win auctions on sites like eBay to acquire inventory to resell.
Factory overruns – Buy overproduction and excess stock directly from factories at greatly reduced prices.

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