If you make or sell products — a boutique, a bakery, a candle maker, a corner store — getting online usually means a choice between building your own website (slow, and nobody finds it) or listing on a giant marketplace (instant reach, but they take a cut of everything and own your customer). There’s a simpler middle path. Here’s how to sell your products online locally without giving away your margin.
1. Set up your storefront
Sign up on the web — no app needed, no app-store cut — and add your shop name, your Maryland address, and your contact details. In a few minutes you’ve got a real storefront you control, not a stall inside someone else’s marketplace.
2. Add your products
List each product with photos, a price, and any options or variants (size, colour, flavour). A clear photo on every item makes a real difference — products with good photos sell noticeably more. Tag them well so they show up in the right searches.
3. Choose how customers get their order
Optra runs no courier fleet, so there are no third-party delivery fees between you and your customer. You offer:
- Pickup — customers order ahead and collect. Zero delivery cost.
- Your own delivery — you handle local delivery on your terms.
You stay in control of fulfilment, and the margin stays with you.
4. Get verified
A quick identity and business check earns the verified-seller badge. Buyers trust verified shops, and reviews on Optra only come from confirmed purchases — so no bots, no gamed ratings, just a reputation you actually earned.
5. Go live and get found
Add a cover photo and your hours, then flip the switch. Your shop is now discoverable to buyers in your own city who are ready to spend — not shoppers on the other side of the country who’ll never visit again.
6. Get paid automatically
Every sale is paid up front by the customer and settles to your bank account on a schedule. Payments are escrow-backed, so buyers order with confidence and you get reliable settlement. Track every order and payout from your phone.
What it costs
A flat monthly subscription plus a low commission per sale — with no app-store fee and no courier charges, because you fulfil orders yourself. You know your costs up front, instead of watching a big marketplace skim a slice off every single order.
Start selling
You don’t have to choose between reach and keeping your margin. See how Optra works for shops →