thinking of setting up an ebiz.

kathy_b_2

I'm thinking of setting up a business selling an established beauty product online.
I know where I can get the stuff from... (America) Cheaper sale price and USA favourable exchange rate makes it possible to buy the product, have it sent, pack it and post it for less than RRP in the UK.


Also my second idea is that my dad has just retired and is very handy. I'd like him to make heated towel rails for me to sell online nothing massive just a handful a month. give the customer a lead time of say three weeks. Enough time to buy the material, manufacture the product, receive and clear cheque and send product.

My question is .. Looks easy What have I not thought of????
I'll be honest this is my first port of call as far as research goes. I find this site very inspiring and if anyone is going to encourage me to do this it's you lot.
I'm a mum to two kids under two so time is quite scarce.

go4it

Beauty products is a difficult area. Importing from the US you will incur charges when the product enters UK customs.

What if your customers want a refund or they get sent the wrong product, how will you factor in extra costs like that. At the moment, if someone wants a beauty product cheap they will go to Tesco or Boots. How are people goingt to come to you?

Heated towel rails sounds good, but again household stuff is something that Ikea and co have dominated. Your product has to be unique. Make some and test the water, place an ad in your local press. Start local and build it up. Get in contact with property developers and try and get them to buy some for their houses. Give them a discount to encourage repeat business.

With business now everyone is doing it! You need to stand out. What do you know more about than anyone else. There is no point starting a business selling books if you don't know the industry. If you are a success people will look at you and go 'that is Mrs X, she's very good with....'.

Good luck with setting something up. Log onto some start up internet forums like the Shell Livewire one, loads of people on there like you who want to start their own business.

martindow

I would be cautious with electrical stuff. I think anything electrical needs to be certified (the little CE log they always have) and it's possibly illegal to sell without that. With so many people so to litigious I would imagine it would be wise for your dad to have insurance. This would have to be factored into your prices. Good luck and I hope it works out well - it is just sensible to find out everything before you start!

inmypocketnottheirs

kathy_b wrote:

I'm thinking of setting up a business selling an established beauty product online.
I know where I can get the stuff from... (America) Cheaper sale price and USA favourable exchange rate makes it possible to buy the product, have it sent, pack it and post it for less than RRP in the UK.


Also my second idea is that my dad has just retired and is very handy. I'd like him to make heated towel rails for me to sell online nothing massive just a handful a month. give the customer a lead time of say three weeks. Enough time to buy the material, manufacture the product, receive and clear cheque and send product.

My question is .. Looks easy What have I not thought of????
I'll be honest this is my first port of call as far as research goes. I find this site very inspiring and if anyone is going to encourage me to do this it's you lot.
I'm a mum to two kids under two so time is quite scarce.

You would also need to factor import duty, if applicable, and if there are any claims on the packaging these may need to be approved. See https://www.mhra.gov.uk.

HTH

Astaroth

As others have said.... it is increasingly easy to setup an online store and therefore it is increasingly difficult to stand out from the noise. Gone are the days that simplying knowing how to setup a site means you can make a steady income and have a "fire and forget" type site. Dont under estimate the amount of work it will take to have a reliable income from a webstore.

It is highly unlikely that you can compete on price for almost any product. There will always be a larger organisation that is a more powerful buyer and so can drive down the prices. You therefore need to find what your unique selling point is going to be and how you can market it.... this can be an unusual product/ brand, bespoke design, expert knowledge etc etc.

It may be worth going down to your local business link (or at least looking at their website) who give free advice to small/ startup companies and can advise on the basics as well as the other considerations you will need like liability insurance, tax etc

kathy_b_2

Thanks nicola
Lovely to have some encouragement from someone who is doing it for real