Storenvy platform combines online store builder, marketplace

Small merchants looking for a simple way to manage their e-commerce presence now have another markeplace option, Storenvy, which is now hosting close to 18,400 stores and counting (its goal is 500,000 online storefronts).

And for the timing being at least, it's free, unless you want your own URL, in which case you'll pay $5 per month. A fee of $2.99 per month applies for anyone who wants to add discount codes. Your business will need a PayPal account to serve as the payment processing mechanism.

Why is Storenvy worth a look among the oodles of e-commerce platforms vying for the attention of small businesses? 

For starters, it has some pretty compelling venture capitalists behind it, including Spark Capital, Kleiner Perkins and Charles River Ventures.  

The platform is focused on being super simple for small-business owners to use, said Storenvy CEO John Crawford. Sure, you will be relegated to certain templates, but does that really matter if you are trying simply to set up a catalog that is easy to navigate for your own customers?

Any merchant starting a store on Storenvy will find itself in the company of others. The platform is divided up into dozens of markets -- everything from apparel to sports and hobbies to eco-friendly products.

Like any well-designed e-commerce platform, the Storenvy system has been integrated with Facebook. So, if you are a merchant that has a Facebook commerce page, your products will be updated on your Facebook wall whenever they are updated with Storenvy. Here are some of the other features.

The platform doesn't touch the funds, that's all between the store and its customers. Your company will have to pay traditional PayPal processing fees.