eBay business

JBailey_2

Firstly, I apologise if I have posted this somewhere that it shouldn't be, feel free to move if necessary or tell me off!
I need some advice please and would like it in plain, simple terms. I currently work full time and I want to also do a little working from home in order to boost my income. Nothing too complicated, just a little bit of t-shirt printing (my own designs) and selling on eBay. That's it. Just me and nobody else involved. Obviously I want to keep it all legal and above board. I need to know whether it will make me money, or if by the time I lay out for this and that (NI contributions, insurance for having a business at home, etc.) I have all of the equipment that I need so there is no layout for machinery, only new tshirts to print on and the vinyl which will be heat pressed on to them. So... What do I need to consider? Thank you in advance for any responses.

soolin

I've moved this to the eBay boards it seems a more appropriate forum.

My answer to your question would really depend on how much experience you have with eBay. If you have a private account already for instance it would probably be worth upgrading that to the business one to take advantage of the feedback (assuming it is all good of course) . The differences between a business and private account are basically costs, no more regular free listings on a business for instance . As a business you will also need to display your geographic address and have a robust returns policy.

Again it depends on your feedback and sales history, but new sellers are limited with both the number of listings and total amount listed for, so assuming you are doing a MVL listing with size and pattern variations you may find you have to limit yourself to just a popular couple of sizes and patterns to start with.

ballisticbrian

I need to know whether it will make me money

That really is your job to work out - it's the whole point of what a business is. To work this out, you need to know what your competitors are selling similar products for, what yours costs are, work out your postage and raw materials first and don't forget the most important cost of all - your time. (if you can't see your time as money you probably shouldn't be in business at all).

forgotmyname

How much does each one cost? How much are they selling for on ebay?

Mate started a similar thing and couldnt get a foot in the door, He ended up flogging all the gear and onto the next idea.

Worked out the total cost, buying the goods and consumables. Electricity and time involved. Postage and packing materials. Then some profit. Dont forget to add in 20 - 30% losses for items not received or ebay buyers that just mess you around. You are likely to get them. The blacks not black enough, the black looked purple on their monitor, or the ones that just didnt like it or found a cheaper one etc etc....Dont forget if they claim its not as described you pay for returns also.

Can you compete with the £2.99 and £3.99 ones already on ebay? Unless you have a source for orders off ebay i would find something else.

ebay search
custom t shirt printing 32,000 items
custom tshirt printing 42,000 items

I didnt see how many sellers there were..

mrcol1000

While you should bear in mind the above advice, you should also remember that you are in a great position. You already have the equipment and a full time job which I assume supports you financially. Therefore you can afford to risk buying a small lot of t-shirt and vinyls and give selling on Ebay a go. If it works then buy more, if not then maybe rethink it.

Also there may be 32000 other listings but if you can find a niche or add value that no-one else or few people are doing then you can make money that way. I would play around on Ebay searches and find out what designs there are not many off.

If your designs are unique and desireable then it really doesn't matter how many other people are selling on Ebay. If you do go ahead then just make sure you start small to test the market.

RFW

If you get in touch with your local council and/or library there will be a local business start-up scheme that will either be a workshop or two or one-to-one help with all aspects.

JBailey_2

Thank you all for your replies. I will definitely speak to the local library to find out about business start up advice
Let me explain a little more about my situation. Yes, I do work full time and so this is just a little extra and in no way will I be looking at making a living out of it. I did used to do this type of selling on eBay a few years ago. I found a little gap in the eBay T-shirt market with a couple of designs of my own and they did sell, especially at Christmas time. The design was customisable and I sold each shirt at £17.99 (including postage). I had quite a limited range and so didn't bother with an eBay shop. I only ever had one faulty product and that was when I used a different type of vinyl, but other than that, the shirts were a huge success.
What I'm concerned about now is doing it all above board, ie I don't want anyone knocking on my door because I haven't paid tax, etc. Would I be classed as running a business from home therefore need business insurances? Would I have to do self assessment, tax returns, etc. etc. What would I need to take into account to make it 100% legal? I think that by the time I took all of this into account, it may not be worth it.

robatwork

Will you be a business seller? Yes
Will you have to pay tax on your income from this? Yes
Will you have to register for VAT? No (not unless you sell a LOT of shirts)

Make sure you keep all your paperwork together so you can fill in a self assessment form to declare income.

Only your insurance company can tell you if you need extra insurance for this - I imagine with a machine that uses intense heat for transfers then you might.