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Christmas money making idea..

kio_2
kio_2 Posts: 6 Forumite
edited 14 September 2010 at 11:04PM in Boost your income
First of all, i just registered on the forum's, So Hello to everyone! My name is Euan, and i recently left school after completing my Scottish Higher's.

I found the website through another forum link, but i can also remember it from featuring on Gmtv etc.

So, After leaving school, i spent a few month's casually looking for office based job's, However i only recieved one interview for a sales job which turned out to be a commision wage based job (glad i did'nt get it when i found that out!) So after eventually signing onto the Jobseeker's Allowence and applying for any job i felt experienced enough for, i resigned myself to the fact that the job market is heavily saturated and i should'nt expect much until the Seasonal Job's start advertising.

So instead of sitting around the house, i have started researching into alot of money making idea's which i could do over the christmas season. One idea i think will work well.. However, Some Opinion's would be appreciated!

Christmas Gift Bags for Dogs!

I have found a UK wholesaler who run's a minimum order amount of £50 and stock's a range of dog accessories, treat's and toys. So after researching into the shop's and running comparison's i think there is an oppertunity to make a bit of money out of this.

im looking to sell the gift bags for £10 each or 2 for £18, i am only going to be selling them locally by advertising in the local Library, Pet training club and Newsagent windows..

I havent decided on what i am going to include yet, but it would look something like this:-

Dog Christmas Gift Bag

1x Santa Dog Christmas Gift Bag
1x Reflective Dog Collar
1x 3-metre Retractable Dog Lead
1x Double Sided Grooming Brush
1x Small Paw Print Pet Blanket
1x Ball Thrower and Ball
2x Paw Print Tennis Balls
1x Tug Rope with Ball
1x pack 400g Dog Biscuits
1x 10 pack mini rawhide bones
2x Rawhide Shoe's

Each bag cost's around £5-£5.50 for me to buy, and im probally only going to make up 24 of them (Bags come in packs of 12).

I had a talk with two of the local Newsagent's and it is £0.50 per week for an A5 Advert in the window at one, and Free at the other newsagent as i have known them since is was little.

I am also thinking about offering to donate £1 of each sale to the local Dog Kennel's as an incentive for dog owners to purchase my gift bags. :)

Would you buy one? do you think i should go ahead with this?

And idea's or Constructive criticism is welcome! :)
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Comments

  • I bought dog stockings from poundland last year , they looked like the kids ones u know the ones where you would get a twix malteasers mars bar etc ...I think you have missed the boat on this one .
  • I think its a good idea. Not sure how tax would work, whether you would have to declare it being a small income. As for a sales incentive idea, the charity donation is good. If I had a dog I would definitely buy one
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  • Hermia
    Hermia Posts: 4,473 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    kio wrote: »
    im looking to sell the gift bags for £10 each or 2 for £18

    That is quite expensive bearing in mind that many supermarkets sell pet stockings quite cheaply and will often have them as part of their 3for2/BOGOF/whatever special offer. You need to make sure your stocking is different from what is available on the high street. The charity donation would help, but I think it also needs to look different. The stockings in the shops are quite tacky so maybe make a classier one for the more middle-class dog owners!
    kio wrote: »
    i am only going to be selling them locally by advertising in the local Library

    I work in a public library and many libraries are not allowed to advertise commerical services so that may not be allowed. I think you need to target more doggy places. Maybe speak to some vets surgeries, rescue centres (you could let them have the donation from each one sold) etc.
  • If your only selling ([EMAIL="24@4.50"]24@4.50[/EMAIL]) profit thats £84 pound profit, -( advertising / tax). Wouldnt get out of bed for it lol
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  • magic57
    magic57 Posts: 736 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 500 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    I think you have a great idea. We all love our pets!

    I suggest though that you do a smaller gift bag too for those who don't want to spend quite so much.

    Sadly I no longer have my beautiful dog. I never bought dog stockings from Poundland or similar places as I didn't think much of the quality and my pooch was very special.
    What sort of area are you in. Is it quite a well off area? You might find people are prepared to pay more for a good quality stocking.
    The reflective dog collar is a great idea. We had one and I never walked my dog after dark without it.
    The charity donation idea is lovely.

    Good luck I hope it works for you!
  • magic57
    magic57 Posts: 736 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 500 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    Have you thought about dog walking too.

    There is a thread here somewhere I think. I believe you have to have insurance but you sound like an animal lover so may be worth looking in to.
  • kio_2
    kio_2 Posts: 6 Forumite
    edited 16 September 2010 at 6:34PM
    Sorry about the delay, have'nt been able to get online over the past couple of days.

    The type of "dog Stocking's" the supermarket's offer are more based around treat's and cheap squeaky toys, usually in a plastic stalking shaped packaging. The image i am going for is a Gift Bag full of Quality product's you can actually use for you pet's.

    After doing some more research, my final gift bag design is made up of:

    • Christmas Gift Bag
    • Reflective Dog Collar
    • 3 metre Retractable Lead
    • Wood Handle, Double sided Grooming Brush
    • Ball Thrower with Ball
    • Tug Rope with Ball
    • 10 pack mini rawhide bones
    • packet of Lamb and Rice Biscuits
    • 2 Rawhide shoes

    i can get 24 of these for around £5.21 each, i do not know how VAT would work on this, im only be going to selling them locally and it would probally be cash on delivery, i will do more research into what i would have to do though.

    As for advertising, it will just be posting an A5 advert in local newsagent's (£0.50 per week), community centre (pet training classes), library (they have a charity advert's board so perhaps i can ask any find out).

    i'll try to get some picture's of the items which will be going into it to give you an idea of what is included.

    magic57 wrote: »
    Have you thought about dog walking too.

    There is a thread here somewhere I think. I believe you have to have insurance but you sound like an animal lover so may be worth looking in to.

    Dog walking doesnt really interest me to be honest, and looking into it, i would most likely need insurance, pet First aid training and a driving license.. Thing's i do not have yet :)

    edit: as anew user i cannot post links :(
  • You could do bags for differant sizes of dog ie small med or large as the lead etc wont be suitable for all sizes. maybe you could do bags for other animals ie cats rabbits etc.Good luck with it
  • Hi Euan

    I think your idea is good -don't give up.

    Some thoughts

    You would need one for cats too
    Maybe scale down the amount of items - keep 2-3 higher end products then fill up with several smaller cheaper ones and you'll keep your costs down without comprimising on quality
    Target families who love their pets -get into your local school fayres, church fayres and village fairs, dog clubs and vets - maybe get one of your friends to help you and then you can get to a few events on the same day?


    Good luck and don't give up on the job front.

    What about a college or uni course in sales or marketing? Keep checking S1 jobs and get to know the employment agencies. Ask people you know for some work experience.

    Hope things work out with your idea financeflop x:j
  • Im thinking about making some Cat Gift Bags, probally for £5 each..

    These would contain:

    10-20 small Furry catnip mice
    Reflective Cat Collar
    1 pack of "cat pet treat"


    Just sourcing products, Right now i can get 500 Furry catnip mice for £40.


    And keep the suggesting's coming, now i am thinking about splitting the item's up and creating £5 bag's with 3-4 items in each of them instead of the £10 bags with everything in them..
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