Considering if Building MySQL Database is the Right Choice for Me

[Ryan Newton]

Hello!

I am an eBay seller who is looking to open a website for my business, and automate certain parts of my workflow. I'm not looking for something extravagant, but straightforward and effective, and I'm considering if building a MySQL database might be the best place to start.

My current process involves using a spreadsheet to generate a CSV file which gets uploaded to eBay. In this sheet I input things such as item name and condition, and my sheet compiles these into eBay data, HTML for the listings, and img links.

The spreadsheet is cumbersome, it doesn't sync with the inventory on my website, and I've been considering it as a temporary solution until I can create a more flexible database system. I don't want to spend forever on this, but if it's something that could be tackled in a few months then I'd be willing to put in the effort.

So I suppose my ideal setup would involve the entire store inventory being hosted on the web, and updates to the inventory would be made by logging in. Then, I suppose there would be a sort of control panel, where I could take items in and out of the store. If this could synchronize with eBay and automate listing there as well, that would be great. Over time I can add more features like accounting, but I would like to begin by making the simplest option which works for me.

Thank you very much!