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but i'm a poor #*$! though. i can't afford buying wholesale, at least not yet. so i'm thinking maybe i should start by reselling. assuming i've found a nice niche, would this be a good idea? can i make a living from it? what are the pros and cons?
i don't know much about the art of reselling. but what i wanna do is to create a webshop better looking and easier to use than the other webshops in my niche, and then contact all of those webshops and see if i can resell their products for a certain commission. and then ofcourse requesting high resolution photographs of their products so i can brand them better.
i'd really appreciate some advice.
i'm just a poor young buck with dreams.
thanks,
kyrre
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to save your precious time, i've made this post signature free :D
i don't know much about the art of reselling. but what i wanna do is to create a webshop better looking and easier to use than the other webshops in my niche
Welcome aboard kyrre, but your comment there is a little contradictory. How can you make a better webshop than those in your niche if you don't know much about it?
The key to success on the web is like anything else, writing, teaching, trade: do what you know. I suggest you work a little more on preparation so you do know about your topic, it will generate more interest and is more likely to succeed.
Welcome aboard kyrre, but your comment there is a little contradictory. How can you make a better webshop than those in your niche if you don't know much about it?
thank you for your reply man!
well, i know how to design webshops and make them look good and all. actually i've worked for one for quite some time. but this webshop bought wholesale. what i don't know much about are alternatives to buying wholesale -- like reselling on behalf of other retailers, so i don't have to buy, ship, handle etc.
what are the rules? what's the best software to handle this kind of thing? anybody with experience?
if it turns out this way of doing business earns me ten times less than buying wholesale i might reconsider.
thanks,
kyrre
i wanna do is to create a webshop better looking and easier to use
Often search engines hate gorgeous, highly graphic sites. Most sites nowadays are similar in ease of use. Many successful commerce sites aren't especially attractive or a snap to use. eg. Amazon
That approach will get you no where.
well, i know how to design webshops and make them look good and all
It's not the presentation that sells the stuff. It's . . . well . . . the stuff, and how easy it is to buy it. The importance of visual design can be argued endlessly, but when it gets down to it, it's the content that keeps your customers and compells them to buy. This is why I said, learn your product, make yourself an expert on it, and you will succeed.
Their prime focus has always been on buying products cheaply and getting them on the shelves efficiently.
Note too that they don't buy from other retailers. :)
This is an extremely good idea for newbies. You do not have to carry any stock for a start. The only downside is that you pay more for the products. Another problem is that the dropshipper may put his instead of your shop's name on the parcel (you have to be careful about this). Arguments may also arise when the parcel is lost, or the customer returns the product.
I only use one dropshipper for our shop but would really have preferred to have all our products dropshipped. You should search for the terms "dropship" or "dropshipping" in Google. There are a number of good directories of dropshippers available.
yeah you're right, but not only do search engines hate overly fancy or cluttered sites, people do too (even if their conscious minds aren't aware of it). thank you for your concern! but i've put all that fancy crap behind me, nowadays being more focused on designs that work -- simple, information- and function-oriented, that sort of stuff. bluefly, nordstrom, amazon, all beautiful sites! god bless jakob nielsen too!
derekwong28:
thanks a lot man, dropshipping is exactly what i'm trying to do! yeah, it sounds like a safe method to start out with. less work too.
about them putting their shop names on the parcels, do you think shops will agree not to put any contact information there? the name of their shop itself is ok i guess, i can just be honest about that on the product pages (i.e. from Shop or something), as well as sending them some of my own bumper stickers for them to slap on all orders coming from me.
may i take a look at your shop btw?
thanks man,
kyrre
I find a supplier that allows me to buy in small amounts the Jewellery trade is a perfect example, I post on my website saying that we post orders twice a week.
In general I have the money before I buy the item and ship it.
It takes a lot of work to find someone whose reliable with sending out their orders to you, but it can be done.
Failing that get a credit card and find a supplier who takes them, or build a site and get a part time job and use that money just for buying stock with.
If you have those ducks in row then go for it!
I cannot post urls here and will pm you.
but i'm a poor #*$! though. i can't afford buying wholesale, at least not yet. so i'm thinking maybe i should start by reselling. assuming i've found a nice niche, would this be a good idea? can i make a living from it? what are the pros and cons?i don't know much about the art of reselling. but what i wanna do is to create a webshop better looking and easier to use than the other webshops in my niche, and then contact all of those webshops and see if i can resell their products for a certain commission.
it really sounds like you'd be much better off doing affiliate marketing rather than ecommerce. it's pretty much what you just described. i'd head over to that forum and see if affiliate marketing doesn't give you an itch. seems a lot of people have it these days. :) good luck
