Setting up an online business, who has done this?

[sam7]

I certainly agree with advertising on local facebook pages, good luck

[Snowball24]

Thanks we have our first enquiry on Etsy today, its a larger item so I will need to check courier costs for it, also get the insurance sorted?

[Snowball24]

Originally Posted by hilz22

Hope it goes well your new venture. I remember you posting about tennis elbow with your husband before covid. Did that heal?

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Unfortunately still very bad, so thats being investigated as well as his ankle, he's not in a good way physically hence trying to do this business as he can work in his workshop from home,

[hilz22]

Originally Posted by Snowball24

Unfortunately still very bad, so thats being investigated as well as his ankle, he's not in a good way physically hence trying to do this business as he can work in his workshop from home,

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Aww thats terrible! Fingers crossed your new venture takes off xx

[MinniMouse]

Originally Posted by Snowball24

Thanks we have our first enquiry on Etsy today, its a larger item so I will need to check courier costs for it, also get the insurance sorted?

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You can get prices for delivery online using palletways. You maybe need to check out if it’s the same price when delivering to the highlands etc.

[nothingless]

I also run an online business, and the one piece of advice I didn't see mentioned yet, is invest in your own brand! Pick a name for your business, register the domain name, and 100% set up your own online store/presence for it. I'd recommend Shopify or BigCommerce if you're not too tech savvy. The reason for this, is that you never want to rely solely on market places like Etsy. Etsy can shut your shop down for ANY reason at ANY time, and this does happen! Usually for newer sellers it's either a few bad reviews, or another seller/competitor filing copyright complaints ("his birdhouse looks too much like mine, he's ripped me off!"). So always make sure you have a backup in your own webshop. Plus, on market places, you need to pay them a cut of the sale. On your own webshop, it's only the payment processing fees. If someone, for example, contacts you on Etsy asking for a large/expensive custom order, you can divert them to your own site to handle the custom order and not have to pay Etsy their cut. As your brand goes, you could then include business cards with sold items that mention your website, and a repeat customer may find you there. The goal should be, in the long run, to not *need* Etsy/other market places as much. I hope I've explained that OK?

Additionally, I would NOT recommend selling your type of items on Amazon. Amazon requires you to accept returns, and usually for YOU to pay for the return postage. If you sold a £25 birdhouse that cost £12 to post, you need to give the customer a £37 refund, PLUS run the high risk of having to pay the £12 return postage too on top of that. You could then be out £49 on a £25 item, make sense? And on Amazon, people WILL return, for all sorts of silly reasons, you cannot prevent or disallow this. So I'd recommend against Amazon, and sticking to the likes of Etsy or even Gumtree, where you can set your own terms.

8 years of experience in running my own online business, so don't hesitate to ask if you have any questions!

[123]

Originally Posted by nothingless

I also run an online business, and the one piece of advice I didn't see mentioned yet, is invest in your own brand! Pick a name for your business, register the domain name, and 100% set up your own online store/presence for it. I'd recommend Shopify or BigCommerce if you're not too tech savvy. The reason for this, is that you never want to rely solely on market places like Etsy. Etsy can shut your shop down for ANY reason at ANY time, and this does happen! Usually for newer sellers it's either a few bad reviews, or another seller/competitor filing copyright complaints ("his birdhouse looks too much like mine, he's ripped me off!"). So always make sure you have a backup in your own webshop. Plus, on market places, you need to pay them a cut of the sale. On your own webshop, it's only the payment processing fees. If someone, for example, contacts you on Etsy asking for a large/expensive custom order, you can divert them to your own site to handle the custom order and not have to pay Etsy their cut. As your brand goes, you could then include business cards with sold items that mention your website, and a repeat customer may find you there. The goal should be, in the long run, to not *need* Etsy/other market places as much. I hope I've explained that OK?

Additionally, I would NOT recommend selling your type of items on Amazon. Amazon requires you to accept returns, and usually for YOU to pay for the return postage. If you sold a £25 birdhouse that cost £12 to post, you need to give the customer a £37 refund, PLUS run the high risk of having to pay the £12 return postage too on top of that. You could then be out £49 on a £25 item, make sense? And on Amazon, people WILL return, for all sorts of silly reasons, you cannot prevent or disallow this. So I'd recommend against Amazon, and sticking to the likes of Etsy or even Gumtree, where you can set your own terms.

8 years of experience in running my own online business, so don't hesitate to ask if you have any questions!

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All very good advice, I agree with it all.

As I did earlier though I would encourage the OP (or indeed anyone else in this situation) to think very carefully about their "refund/return" policy.

There is a reason why Amazon (and in fact every major e-tailer) doesn't charge people postage to make a return/refund request. It is simply this; people expect to be able to return an unwanted or not to expectation item free of charge, nowadays when there are so many options and it is so easy to go elsewhere people just don't buy something if they know they will have to pay to return it.

You will gain market share from competitors if you don't charge for returns, but you need to add that into your pricing

[cartoonp]

Take a look at free ads and gumtree I world look at doing things to advise for yourself ie do a s shirt with what ever your husband selling you can all so do say a jumper leaflets ect then,if you out driving some where you can asked shops ect . I all put a ad in local shops it all helps.