What should I do with my online vape shop? Maybe for sale?

[antropy]

Hi all,

We built this vape shop a good few years ago and after a slow start, sales picked up:
https://www.vapeliquiduk.com/

We built it more to understand our ecommerce customers than to make a huge profit.

We were dropshipping from JM Wholesale and most things were automatic, we just had to fund the account every so often with credit.

So why not keep it going?

Recently JM has been dropping the ball, taking orders but not actually sending them out. They're having staffing issues and I've lost all confidence in their ability to deliver our orders.

I'm getting emails all day from angry customers saying "where's my stuff". One person replies at JM who's decent but the management don't seem to reply or care what's going on there. I've had to refund all recent orders.

I've had a very good look and it doesn't seem there are any other companies that dropship vapes in the UK.

So what should we do? Currently it's not accepting orders because I don't trust JM to deliver them.

Paul.

 

[antropy]

I'm perfectly capable of asking ChatGPT myself, and as I said we've searched hard and found no other dropshippers that are currently operating.

Paul.

 

[WebDesires]

ok no worries just trying to help.

The only other solution is to start sourcing stock and distributing yourself, but that would take some capital and of course you would need to do more work instead of just sitting back having things managed for you, so understand this isn't probably in your best interest.

Good luck

 

[Paul Kelly ICHYB]

Speak to existing bricks & mortar shops - they could extend their distribution by taking on your site or help you with the distribution.

 

[antropy]

Speak to existing bricks & mortar shops - they could extend their distribution by taking on your site or help you with the distribution.

That's a good idea, they'd need to be set up to ship orders though.

Paul.

 

[Paul Kelly ICHYB]

they'd need to be set up to ship orders though.

That's a lot easier to do than set up a physical vape shop!!! Just needs someone with a bit of entrepreneurial spirit!

 

[WaveJumper]

You may find some shops are already set up to deal with online sales, check out your local bricks and mortar shops and their websites

 

[DoolallyTap]

sell your stock and give it up.

 

[Picture Bute]

All the JM Wholesale stuff is just standard 'cash and carry' brand stuff. Find a cash and carry local to you, buy the stuff and send it out yourself. If you can't do that, then close it down. With no stock and an angry customer base, the website has no value.

 

[antropy]

sell your stock and give it up.

It's dropshipping, that means we hold no stock.

Paul.

 

[antropy]

Find a cash and carry local to you, buy the stuff and send it out yourself.

If I was going to do that I wouldn't find a cash and carry, I'd find decent cheap suppliers in China.

But I don't want to find warehouse space and hire someone to pack.

Paul.

 

[fisicx]

If you just shut down the site tomorrow would it make any appreciable difference to your income?

 

[antropy]

If you just shut down the site tomorrow would it make any appreciable difference to your income?

None, but that wasn't the point in running it.

Paul.