How to start up business

Flyonthewall

mehera wrote: »

If you run your own site have you included the SEO bill of probably thousands to get you visible online?!?

Set up a site and integrate it with Amazon and Ebay - both of which is effective and relatively simple.

Yes. I have plenty of free and very very cheap ways to promote my site, get it ranked well etc. I'd build my own website. I create sites all the time so no costs there aside from hosting and domain name.

fishybusiness

Lots of good advice going on, just one thing

People are happier to go to a shop than a house. Thousands of people go to the shops everyday without a second thought. However, you only have to read forums to seem how wary people are of collecting items and all the scams of buying and selling.

How do you know people are happier to go to shops? Tradition would certainly define it so, but then tradition also defined we didn't use the Internet for purchases, plus fuel costs and car parking costs were much lower than now.

The world is changing, and so are buying habits, hence the problems high street shops have in staying afloat. Online purchasing has grown massively, as has the infrastructure to support it. Whilst there are some downsides to online purchasing, they are gradually being ironed out, and people are happier to purchase online, often saving money and their own time.

Your ideas seems to partly revolve around the issues of worrying about picking things up from people's houses, or the distances people are not prepared to travel, balanced with how happy people are with using shops. In some circumstances I am sure you are correct, there are many cases I do think your premise is simply not a true reflection of peoples habits.

Perhaps a bit of market research would help?

Flyonthewall

fishybusiness wrote: »

Lots of good advice going on, just one thing

How do you know people are happier to go to shops? Tradition would certainly define it so, but then tradition also defined we didn't use the Internet for purchases, plus fuel costs and car parking costs were much lower than now.

The world is changing, and so are buying habits, hence the problems high street shops have in staying afloat. Online purchasing has grown massively, as has the infrastructure to support it. Whilst there are some downsides to online purchasing, they are gradually being ironed out, and people are happier to purchase online, often saving money and their own time.

Your ideas seems to partly revolve around the issues of worrying about picking things up from people's houses, or the distances people are not prepared to travel, balanced with how happy people are with using shops. In some circumstances I am sure you are correct, there are many cases I do think your premise is simply not a true reflection of peoples habits.

Perhaps a bit of market research would help?

Looking at collection only items on ebay, I see many go unsold even at 99p. Same items with postage and the same items in shops sell in the thousands and for more money.

Gumtree does alright, but then again so do all the scammers.

fishybusiness

Looking at collection only items on ebay, I see many go unsold even at 99p. Same items with postage and the same items in shops sell in the thousands and for more money.

Loads of items seem to go for less when collection only - my own opinion is that it could be for a few reasons.

1) no buyers interested enough locally to want to buy an item, even though as you point out those items are potentially worth more money.

2) the cost of driving to a 100 miles (for ex) away destination is prohibitive compared to the item value.

3) potential buyers time is at a premium, and those people (most imo) are always going to bid on an item that will be delivered to their door for the cost of a courier.

Of course that is my opinion only, and in the course of doing my own ebay and amazon selling it does seem to work that way.

Percy1983

Flyonthewall wrote: »

Looking at collection only items on ebay, I see many go unsold even at 99p. Same items with postage and the same items in shops sell in the thousands and for more money.

Gumtree does alright, but then again so do all the scammers.

If I have a collection only and don't want less than £20 I start it at... you guessed it.... £20

Sometimes there may online be one person that ones it, it which if £20 is reasonable they will big £20, if its 99p even better (for them of course).

The other option is buy it now of course.

Flyonthewall

Percy1983 wrote: »

If I have a collection only and don't want less than £20 I start it at... you guessed it.... £20

Sometimes there may online be one person that ones it, it which if £20 is reasonable they will big £20, if its 99p even better (for them of course).

The other option is buy it now of course.

I know, that wasn't my point. My point is, if there's an item for only 99p which is worth far more and people still don't want to collect it then clearly people aren't always too happy to collect.

motorguy

Flyonthewall wrote: »

Thanks. I doubt I'd be able to get a personal loan and there's no one I could partner with or who could loan me money.

With respect

(a) you cant fund it yourself as you've no money
(b) you cant work out how to sell it online at a profit (even though others clearly have and are doing it successfully)
(c) you cant offer your item via a market stall as you say thats too expensive
(d) you cant store any items at all
(e) you cant raise any money yourself as you have no assets to sell
(f) you cant get money from a friend, which suggests noone else thinks its a good idea - or at least a good enough idea for them to put their money in
(g) you cant borrow money from a relative - which again suggests noone else thinks its a good idea
(h) you cant get a bank loan - because presumably the bank wont think its a good idea either

I dont know why we're all debating this - the biggest obstacle to you actually acheiving anything is you.

All our suggestions you're knocking back with 'i cant'.

Perhaps you need to adapt your attitude from 'can i?' to 'how can i?'

I know if i discovered the goose that laid the golden egg i'd be doing my damnedest to either find the money or convince someone else to lend me the money to make it happen. I'm just not sensing that level of conviction.

IF it truly is a viable business - then rather than sitting on your hands and saying 'i cant' you need to get over some of those hurdles above OR go and get yourself a regular job.

Percy1983

Flyonthewall wrote: »

I know, that wasn't my point. My point is, if there's an item for only 99p which is worth far more and people still don't want to collect it then clearly people aren't always too happy to collect.

The question is why they don't want to collect to which I can think of 3 reasons.

1, As you say they don't want to visit somebodies house.

2, Its too far away.

3, There is others willing to post the same items.

Your shop idea only covers 1 of the 3.

fishybusiness

IF it truly is a viable business - then rather than sitting on your hands and saying 'i cant' you need to get over some of those hurdles above OR go and get yourself a regular job.

Yup, just do it.

Flyonthewall

motorguy wrote: »

With respect

(a) you cant fund it yourself as you've no money
(b) you cant work out how to sell it online at a profit (even though others clearly have and are doing it successfully)
(c) you cant offer your item via a market stall as you say thats too expensive
(d) you cant store any items at all
(e) you cant raise any money yourself as you have no assets to sell
(f) you cant get money from a friend, which suggests noone else thinks its a good idea - or at least a good enough idea for them to put their money in
(g) you cant borrow money from a relative - which again suggests noone else thinks its a good idea
(h) you cant get a bank loan - because presumably the bank wont think its a good idea either

I dont know why we're all debating this - the biggest obstacle to you actually acheiving anything is you.

All our suggestions you're knocking back with 'i cant'.

Perhaps you need to adapt your attitude from 'can i?' to 'how can i?'

I know if i discovered the goose that laid the golden egg i'd be doing my damnedest to either find the money or convince someone else to lend me the money to make it happen. I'm just not sensing that level of conviction.

IF it truly is a viable business - then rather than sitting on your hands and saying 'i cant' you need to get over some of those hurdles above OR go and get yourself a regular job.

(a) I know. That's why I asked the question in hope of some grants out there
(b) I'm not going through that again. If they're big businesses, they sell in bulk, cheaper postage, works for them.
(c) I said I believe market stalls cost quite a bit, but it's worth considering
(d) I wouldn't have to store elsewhere with a shop which was my original hope
(e) Again, that's why I was hoping for grants
(f) No, they just have no money or have things they wish to save up for themselves
(g) No, it suggests they don't have money to spare either which they don't
(h) I can't get a bank loan because I have nothing to offer in terms of property. Banks like a guarantee such as a house.

I dont know why we're all debating this - the biggest obstacle to you actually acheiving anything is you.

I don't know why we're debating this either.

I got the answer to the question I wanted and the rest I'm researching, already had in mind or know about. It doesn't matter to me whether people think it'll work or I shouldn't get a shop or whatever else because that's up to me to work out and not a single person knows exactly what I have in mind anyway.