Forum Moderators: phranque
The best place to find statistics on industry sales would be the US Dept of Commerce.
As to a website being profitable, it's more involved than just the industry itself being profitable.
Many people have made lots of money doing ridiculous things on the web, and some excellent ventures fell flat on their face.
Opening your store on the web has its advantages over a regular store, but it also has disadvantages as well.
On the web you don't need to pay rent or take outside space, but you do need to pay rent on a server.
On the web you ar exposed to millions of potential customers 24/7, but it's hard for those millions to find you among the billions of current websites. In a storefront, at least you have people driving by your store all day long.
The web is not a panacea or a place to expect quick riches. Just like any business, you need a good business sense and the technical know-how to make it work.
Good luck with it! As a long time fam of gymnema I'm all for alternative treatments.
Onya
Woz
>>1.)what products are you selling and how many others are selling the same thing, so doing research about your product online.
Animated, that is precisely the concern right now - i need some ideas as to what i can sell from an alternative medicine site. btw, i am a programmer myself, so development costs are not a problem, but yes, i do have a low budget.
>>adypin, are you looking to generate reveue by selling products yourself, or through affiliate/advertising avenues?
Woz, i need feedback from peers in this line as to what is the best option of the two - selling products or affiliate/ad avenues.
in this case i think its better to first get the products you like to sell, then make the site and for a low budget use paypal.
etechsupport said: I think still most of the people prefer to buy prescribed medicine after consulting their doctors or pharmacy.
Granted, those customers who die due to a lack of (legitimate) medical care are unlikely to continue on as customers, but most of the remaining customers will stick with "wholistic" "medicine" for life. And since there is almost no testing, research, or quality control involved in the development or production of alternative "medicines", the profit margins can be huge.
Good luck!
Eliz.
P.S. to adypin: You may want to consult with a lawyer about liability language. I had a dear neighbor who was diagnosed with something very treatable, but she decided to go the naturopathic alternative-medicine route. She died fairly quickly. You'll likely want to protect yourself from the lawsuits resulting from this sort of thing.
etechsupport said: Seems not logical what you said to me. Is not that? most of people intend for a prescribed medicine though it is an alternative medicines.
"Alternative" "medicine" is not prescribed by medical doctors; it's sold in health-food shops, massage parlours, aromatherapy outlets, online, etc. No prescriptions or medical doctors are involved.
And it seems perfectly logical that a person would die after not having been treated for something fatal.
Please reply with clarification. Thank you.
Eliz.
Animated said: most herbal supplements have a disclaimer according to the law and FDA
Eliz.
However my point is just that one should take alternative medicine after consultation to their doctors that is the reason I have suggested the original poster "to get recommendation of your products from some of the renowned physician and tag it with your testimonials",as alternative medicine are based on untested, unscientific method hence it might be risky to some one.
If you take online best sellers "VIAGRA" most of the people dont know that it must never be used by men who are taking medicines that contain nitrates of any kind, at any time. This includes nitroglycerin. If you take VIAGRA with any nitrate medicine your blood pressure could suddenly drop to an unsafe or life threatening level.
However,I agree with you as you suggested him to consult a lawyer.
etechsupport said: [P]lenty of Ayurvedic / Homoeopathic / RMP Doctors...prescribe alternative medicine.
Popularity and fashionability won't likely be regarded as legitimate defenses in court.
Eliz.
