Great Business Ideas for Ecommerce

Why Ecommerce?

One of the main challenges about starting your own business is having a good idea about what you can kind of Business you can start. Which is where Ecommerce comes in. Ecommerce is a really good place to start because of the low start-up cost and the flexibility it brings. Traditional brick and mortar businesses tie you down to a specific location, but with ecommerce you can actually run your business anywhere you have a WIFI connection. The business model itself is also flexible, you can start one business and transform it to something else if it's not working out. Also, the diversity among ecommerce has a wide range of options, from drop shipping to Subscription boxes, you can do so many different things with it. That's why I think business ideas for ecommerce is going to be really helpful to you.

Print-on-demand

The print-on-demand business model is simple and its exactly what it sounds like. You only print the merchandise once someone buys a product but here is the twist. You don't need to actually print or ship the products. Here is what you do.  

1. Set up a website with companies like Shopify or WordPress
2. Connect to companies like Printful and Printify.  

What companies like Printful and Printify actually do is take the design you up loaded and put it on merchandise that customers buy through your website and they ship it.  

You might say that you are not an artist, I would say me too. I solved that problem by hiring a freelancer from Fiverr to make the designs for me. Fiverr is one of many freelancing websites out there that you can actually connect you with people to solve your business problems. I like Fiverr because its easy to use, it's pretty secure and you just give tell them the details of for your design. Details like what kind of merchandise is it going to be put on, color of the background and how big you need it to be. 

If you don't want to deal with a website...

If you don't want to deal with a website but still like the idea of a print-on-demand store, there is a way! You can sell your art on websites like Redbubble, Teepublic and Zazzle. Redbubble actually owns Teepublic and they're pretty similar. While Zazzle is across between Redbubble and eBay.

Redbubble and Teepublic are simple to use. You setup a storefront (which is similar to setting up Facebook page) and up load designs. Then pick which products you want your designs on, you can choose sizes and colors.

Zazzle has many more options but with more options it tends to be a little more complicated. They have a print-on-demand feature but also an option to sell your handmade goods. One small detail that makes a huge difference is that when your are using Zazzle's design editor do not use their templates or designs. You wont be able to sell what you made on it. This was a frustrating point that took me a little time to figure out. 

3D Printing   

I actually got this idea from a friend of mine who has 3D printer and makes money on the side with it. So you're going to need a website, a 3D printer and as always a niche'. Let's say your niche' has to do with drones or RC cars, with your 3D printer you can make custom parts or replacement parts. You can make custom phone cases, toys, and pretty much whatever you can think of, depending on the type of 3D printer you have. I would join groups on Facebook related to your niche' then when someone says "Xyz broke where can I get a new one?" chime in and offer to help them.

Garage sale and thrift store flipping  

You may have seen Gary Vee do this one and you can make some decent money at it. The most popular ways to do this is through eBay and through Facebook marketplace, I actually have a neighbor who gets cars at auction and sells them on Facebook Marketplace. Personally I prefer eBay for flipping used goods, I've found that video games, especially Nintendo switch, sell really well on eBay. Mercari is a lesser known selling app where everything is shipped and you don't have to meet anyone.

The process is simple, do some research to find out what is selling on the platform you want to use. Then find the price its selling for and go out and find merchandise at Goodwill, Salvation army, garage sales or even buy on eBay or Facebook Marketplace. The main idea is to buy something you can sell and make a profit.  

Subscription Boxes

Subscription boxes are great because of the recurring income they create. Just like a magazine subscription every month you send them a box filled with something related to your niche'. This business model is going to take a lot more preparation and skill. 

Things you'll need to figure out

• Branding
• Website
• Marketing
• Suppliers
• Packaging 
• Shipping/ Drop shipping
• Storage

There are a couple strategies to go about this. The simplest is to use a supplier that does drop shipping and that would eliminate the need for packaging shipping and storage. The down side is that it is harder to control the quality of product that your customer receives. That is because drop shipping is when the supplier packs and sends the product to the customer. So you never see it and that is why ordering a sample first is so important.

The hardest part for me when dealing with suppliers is actually communicating with them. Many times affordable suppliers are outside the USA, which adds one more step to the process and potentially a language barrier. Also, like many professions and industries, suppliers have their own terminology that you'll need to learn. 

For most part I used Aliexpress and Alibaba to find suppliers and got frustrated with them due to poor quality in their products and slow shipping. I'm not saying that Aliexpress and Alibaba don't have good suppliers but you're going to have to look hard for them. I also look for US based suppliers and do to my location in Hawaii I found that it was just not going to be profitable to use them.  

I hope you found this article useful on finding and choosing a business to start! 

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