Caveat Academy course · Grades 9 to 12 and adult learners

E-Commerce: building and running an online store

Learn the business behind the buy button: whether each sale really makes money, why seven in ten carts are abandoned, what a card payment costs, the federal rules every seller must follow, what an ad customer is worth over a lifetime, how dimensional weight changes a shipping bill and how to replace fake urgency with honest selling. Six modules at your own pace, ending with a launch plan of your own.

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$19one-time · every device you sign in on
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Included with the Caveat Academy pass and Whole-school licenses. Or get it in the Career and trades courses, $79 for 18 items.

6 modules · 18 lessonsabout 12 hours$19

Six modules, eighteen lessons

Each module ends with a practice set that tracks mastery, an explain-it-back prompt, a short written response and a module exam. The final opens when every module is proficient; passing it earns a certificate with a verification code.

  1. Module 1: What e-commerce is and how it makes money

    Classify e-commerce models, compare business models and compute gross margin, contribution per order and break-even.

    • E-commerce, then and now
    • Ways to make money online
    • Unit economics: will each sale make money?
    about 2.1 h

  2. Module 2: Building the store

    Compare places to sell by fees and control, design product pages that answer buyers' questions and compute conversion and its effect on revenue.

    • Choosing where to sell
    • Product pages that sell
    • Checkout and conversion
    about 2.1 h

  3. Module 3: Payments, security and the rules

    Explain how card payments flow and what they cost, apply security basics and follow general U.S. consumer protection, privacy, email and sales tax rules.

    • How online payments work
    • Security and privacy
    • Consumer protection and running a legal business
    about 2.1 h

  4. Module 4: Finding and keeping customers

    Choose marketing channels for a product and compute click-through rate, customer acquisition cost, return on ad spend and customer lifetime value.

    • Marketing channels
    • Measuring marketing
    • Keeping customers: retention and lifetime value
    about 2.1 h

  5. Module 5: Operations: inventory, shipping and service

    Plan fulfillment with reorder points, compute dimensional weight, choose a shipping strategy and handle returns and service problems.

    • Inventory and fulfillment
    • Shipping and returns
    • Customer service
    about 2.1 h

  6. Module 6: Analytics, ethics and your launch plan

    Use the revenue equation and funnels to choose improvements, replace manipulative practices with honest ones and write a launch plan.

    • Reading the numbers
    • Ethics and sustainability in online selling
    • Your launch plan and careers in e-commerce
    about 2.1 h

Try it before you start

This is how every lesson works: step through a worked example at your own pace, then answer a check and get the reason right away. Nothing here is saved; the course keeps your progress.

Module 2 · Checkout and conversion

Worked example: estimating the effect of a checkout fix

  1. A store gets 5,000 visitors a month, converts 1.5 percent and has an average order of $40.

A lesson check from each module

The checks need JavaScript turned on. The course itself works the same way.

What you get

Vocations · Job Skills$19 · included with the Academy pass and Whole-school licenses

What you finish with
A working understanding of online business and a launch plan you could act on: you can classify e-commerce and business models, compute gross margin, contribution and break-even, compare marketplaces with your own store by fees and control, write product pages that answer buyers' questions, compute conversion and what a checkout fix is worth, explain how a card payment flows and what it costs, apply security basics and general U.S. rules on shipping, reviews, endorsements, email, children's privacy and sales tax, choose marketing channels and compute click-through rate, CAC, ROAS and customer lifetime value, set reorder points, compute dimensional weight, handle returns and service and use the revenue equation to choose improvements honestly. Passing the final earns a Caveat certificate of completion.
Who it is for
High school students who want to start selling online or work in online retail, adults starting a side business or moving into e-commerce work, students in business and entrepreneurship programs who want the numbers behind online stores and families who want a practical business course. No store, product or money is needed; students under 18 should involve a parent or guardian before opening real accounts.
Format
An online self-paced course: 6 modules and 18 lessons with worked examples you reveal step by step, 144 practice and exam items (multiple choice, numeric, fill-in and ordering), an explain-it-back prompt and a rubric-checked short response in every module, module exams with one retake, a 24-question final and a certificate with a verification code. About 12 hours in all; works on a phone or a computer.
Access
$19 one-time, yours on every device you sign in on; the course opens once you are signed in with it. Included with the Caveat Academy pass and Whole-school licenses. Also in the Career and trades courses ($79) and the Vocations Suite pass ($99), and 1 more bundle. Progress is saved in this browser on this device, and the certificate page lets you download your record.
Where it lives
The Job Skills space in Caveat Vocations.
Support
Access, a receipt, a refund or a correction to the course: team@caveatacademic.com.

How it works

  1. Open the course and start Module 1. Each lesson takes about 25 to 35 minutes; two or three a week finishes the course in about a semester.
  2. Answer the checks as you read. Every answer shows the reason, and a miss links you back to the lesson that covers it.
  3. Finish each module with its practice set and exam. Proficient on every module opens the final; 70 percent passes it.
  4. Print or download your certificate and record from the certificate page.

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Sources and accuracy

The lessons are original writing by Caveat Academic Services. Facts were checked against these free, open references, which are also good places to read further.

  1. U.S. Census Bureau, Quarterly Retail E-Commerce Sales reports: census.gov
  2. Federal Trade Commission, business guidance on the Mail, Internet, or Telephone Order Merchandise Rule, endorsements, consumer reviews and CAN-SPAM: ftc.gov
  3. Federal Trade Commission, Green Guides for environmental marketing claims: ftc.gov
  4. PCI Security Standards Council, the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard: pcisecuritystandards.org
  5. U.S. Small Business Administration, guides to registering, licensing and running a small business: sba.gov

E-Commerce is a self-paced course from Caveat Academic Services. It does not replace a school business course, awards no credit and is not legal, tax or financial advice. The rules described are general U.S. federal rules; states add their own. Example prices, fees and results are examples only. Platform and payment service age limits apply to real accounts. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.