Sport related website - ideas and help please

redrabbit29

Hello,

I have bought quite a good domain name (won't disclose yet as it's got nothing on there yet!).

I have some ideas about what to use it for:

- Forum for sports questions (there are too many of those though)
- A site indexing all the other sport sites (a bit lame and not really needed)
- A site with details of personal trainers, etc.... around the country

But I was thinking I could make a wee bit of money selling sport products on there. E.g. Protein shake bottles, gloves, running socks, bottles, etc...

Could you tell me - is there anyway to sell these items without actually stocking them - I can't afford to buy all of this and store them?

Thanks,
RR

Flyonthewall

Hi. You could become an Amazon affiliate. You can then simply link people to Amazon products and if they click your link and buy anything on the site you get a percentage of the money.

There might also be some sports shops which have a similar option, but the best way to see is to go to their sites.

You could also try dropshipping. That way you don't have any items, but you are relying on the dropship company to send them out.

paddyrg

See if you can find a uk based drop shipper, less problematic than drop shipping from China with the loooong delivery times and variable quality. Or as fotw says an Amazon/eBay affiliate might bring in a few quid, maybe even enough to be worth creating some good copy for your site.

Have you dealt with domains before? Some that may seem like winners to the untrained eye are lemons in practice. As you've bought it already, no harm in posting it here to get opinions and suggestions

shmeeko69

Hi redrabbit29,

I have my a few of my own sports and betting websites and have my own e-book with a couple of them and I also have affiliate related products with Amazon and Clickbank.

If you want try and monetise your site then, think along these lines - own product which you can sell via a merchant and/or become and affiliate and sell related products.

Best of luck with your endeavours.

redrabbit29

Thanks everyone. Replyin on phone at the minute as still at work, but will give a more detailed reply later.

The domain I bought is WalkRunLift.co.uk

In into powerlifting and bodybuilding. However also enjoy just trying to stay fit and healthy, yoga, healthy good, etc..

paddyrg

Hiya, from a domain viewpoint, is nothing amazing, three words which can be muddled into any order, and most of the 2 word equivalents are still unused (liftrun, etc) as both .co.uk and .com. It is not awful, but it's not doing a lot for me.

I'd probably host a bog you update frequently with in depth and honest reviews of products with affiliate links. Don't be afraid to review negatively if there is a cheaper alternative you can also link. Eg big brand weights kit vs any old bag of rocks.

I can't see this being much of a moneyspinner ultimately though.

EPL

redrabbit29 wrote: »

Thanks everyone. Replyin on phone at the minute as still at work, but will give a more detailed reply later.

The domain I bought is WalkRunLift.co.uk

In into powerlifting and bodybuilding. However also enjoy just trying to stay fit and healthy, yoga, healthy good, etc..

From the domain name, I would personally for a full ecommerce store package which integrates with ebay and amazon. Go down the route of dropshipping. Things like walking boots, coats, running shoes and weightlifting gloves etc - possibly a camping section with tents and things to compliment the walking products

If you decide to dropship just be careful of all these scam websites that will come up if you just seach 'dropshipping' into google.

Google for wholesalers of products and them contact them by phone directly to see if they offer a dropshipping service. Margins will be much greater than going through a middle man that you have to pay.

redrabbit29

EPL wrote: »

From the domain name, I would personally for a full ecommerce store package which integrates with ebay and amazon. Go down the route of dropshipping. Things like walking boots, coats, running shoes and weightlifting gloves etc - possibly a camping section with tents and things to compliment the walking products

If you decide to dropship just be careful of all these scam websites that will come up if you just seach 'dropshipping' into google.

Google for wholesalers of products and them contact them by phone directly to see if they offer a dropshipping service. Margins will be much greater than going through a middle man that you have to pay.

Hi EPL,

Thanks for your advice. I found these websites that seem to be genuine:

1) http://www.esources.co.uk
2) http://www.worldwidebrands.com
3) http://www.wholesaledeals.co.uk/
4) http://www.hienotedirectory.com

Also, am I right in thinking that I find a wholesaler that sells a range of items, then contact them? I deal only with that person, and I just select whatever items from their range I want to advertise on my site for sale?

I was a little confused as the sites I've pasted above, all the prices and things are missing, and it says you have to pay to see them, and get contact details.

Thanks again

redrabbit29

paddyrg wrote: »

Hiya, from a domain viewpoint, is nothing amazing, three words which can be muddled into any order, and most of the 2 word equivalents are still unused (liftrun, etc) as both .co.uk and .com. It is not awful, but it's not doing a lot for me.

I'd probably host a bog you update frequently with in depth and honest reviews of products with affiliate links. Don't be afraid to review negatively if there is a cheaper alternative you can also link. Eg big brand weights kit vs any old bag of rocks.

I can't see this being much of a moneyspinner ultimately though.

Thanks for your honesty.

I thought about a blog but it's so popular, everyone is reviewing and talking about fitness, it's a bit samey.

I'll keep thinking

paddyrg

redrabbit29 wrote: »

Thanks for your honesty.

I thought about a blog but it's so popular, everyone is reviewing and talking about fitness, it's a bit samey.

I'll keep thinking

Is it a topic you're actually interested in personally? If it is, your own blog angle oughtn't be too big a deal. If not, this might be more of a chore than its worth