Just starting out.... Any advice?

[ElizabethDivine]

Hi All,

Just as the title says really. I've pottered about buying and selling a few things online in the past but this is the first time I'm taking it seriously...

Basically, I'm looking to start a business selling fashion jewellery online. I've had the idea for a while, and have only just got round to sourcing products. I'm thinking of starting out with a shop on big cartel and an ebay account, before getting a wesite up and running. Does this sound like a decent plan?

Any other tips/advice from people who have been there/done that would be very much appreciated

Thanks,

Iona.

 

[LinkBright Media]

Ebay's great for starting out. You get to see if there's a market for what you're selling and you've immediately got a huge audience. However if there are others selling the same things then you need to compete more on price which is a down side. Good luck

 

[JD@fifty6]

My first piece of advice would centre around finding your niche. I have no doubt that there's something about the way you would sell fashion jewellery which separates you from your numerous competition - identifying it and focussing on it is absolutely key.

If you don't know why your customers should buy from you, how can you expect them to?

Good luck with it

 

[PinaHQ]

Sure, eBay (and Amazon) are great places to start. Still, there are some definite pros of having a separate website too.

One of the first things to note is that eBay does have pre-existing traffic. But eBay is very competitive. You essentially have to be the cheapest to sell anything slightly competitive. Next, there are fees.

On an eCommerce website, things aren't nearly as competitive. If you would take all of the fees from eBay and thoughtfully invest those into advertising, you may get even more traffic than you will on eBay.

 

[Directimport]

Sure, eBay (and Amazon) are great places to start. Still, there are some definite pros of having a separate website too.

One of the first things to note is that eBay does have pre-existing traffic. But eBay is very competitive. You essentially have to be the cheapest to sell anything slightly competitive. Next, there are fees.

On an eCommerce website, things aren't nearly as competitive. If you would take all of the fees from eBay and thoughtfully invest those into advertising, you may get even more traffic than you will on eBay.

While eBay is a highly competitive marketplace, it is possible to make good money there and in any other selling venue if you remember that profits begin with buying at the right price.

Jewellery is very easy to source direct from manufacturers overseas. There are many large manufacturers in China, but a large number of small manufacturers can be found in Taiwan, Hong Kong and to a lesser extent mainland China and they are very keen to export. Small orders are no problem provided you do not want bespoke designs.

 

[JDL9000]

My advise would be, good pictures are key, make sure they are good, and I dont necessarily mean make them clear and detailed.

 

[darubio]

you should try Etsy

 

[joycheapbuy]

yeah,it's a good choice for new online businessman to join B2B first.You can improve yourself and get to know the internet business environment.If you're ready to make it your own,then it will be a little difficult at the first.Most importantly you should have an investigation of your market.
Good luck with you !

 

[helponbusiness]

I believe it is best if you start on eBay as it is already established.

You will have a small problem in giving a product title to which it can be easily to search.

You just need to be really creative in giving a title.

Once you're successful in eBay, that would be the best time to start your own site.

 

[Nexolutions]

I would say, it is better to start off with your own website and e-commerce.

Although it may take longer to take off and get a high amount of sales and traffic compared to ebay, it will work out a lot better in the long run.

Whereas if you start with eBay and then go to your own website, no one will know your company name and won't be able to find you when you have your own website!

You will also get repeat customers from your own website, compared to one off's on eBay as they don't know what company they're buying from... They just like the picture they see!

Lastly, the fees you will pay to PayPal for processing the transactions is huge compared to having your own e-commerce. Setting up your own e-commerce is more expensive at first, but a much better investment and a lot more cost effective.

 

[antropy]

All good advice here, starting on eBay a good move I think. Also really liked the quote "profits begin with buying at the right price".

When it comes to setting up your own website, make sure it has at least these 12 features:
http://www.antropy.co.uk/blog/12-essential-ecommerce-website-features/